Virginia Festival of the Book
The Virginia Festival of the Book is an annual celebration of the written word held throughout Charlottesville and the University of Virginia. It is one of the many programs offered by the Virginia Humanities. The festival, which is held in March each year, attracts thousands of people to the community.
In 2010, the festival celebrated its 16th year, and over 21,000 people attended according to VABook officials. [citation needed]
The festival was one of the first major events to announce it would not hold the event in person due to the COVID-19 Emergency. They also announced in November 2020 that the 2021 festival would also be held virtually. [1]
History
The festival was co-founded in 1994 by Calvin Otto[2], Tom Dowd, and Paul Collinge[3].
The first festival occurred in March of 1995, featuring more than 50 Charlottesville-based writers.[4] The theme of this first event was "Charlottesville: A Book Town". Some notable people who were at this first event included Emily Couric and Charles Wright[4]. It was sponsored by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy. [4]
References
- ↑ Web. November 20, 2020: Charlottesville School Board approves continued planning for Return to Face to Face Learning, Sean Tubbs, Charlottesville Community Engagement, Town Crier Productions, November 20, 2020, retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ↑ "Va. book festival co-founder Otto dies | Charlottesville Daily Progress." Daily Progress. Daily Progress. Web. 30 Nov. 2009. <http://www2.dailyprogress.com/cdp/news/local/article/va._book_festival_co-founder_otto_dies/49330/>.
- ↑ Provence, Lisa. "Book Fest co-founder dies | The Hook News Blog." The HooK - Charlottesville's weekly newspaper, news magazine. 25 Nov. 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2009. <http://www.readthehook.net/blog/index.php/2009/11/25/book-fest-co-founder-dies/>.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Web. Virginia Festival of the Book, The Tribune, Charlottesville, VA., 23 Mar 1995, retrieved 18 Jul 2026.