Fiction favorites Homer Hickam (Red Helmet), Adriana Trigiani (Big Stone Gap), and Jill A. Davis (Girl’s Poker Night) delighted a full house at the University of Virginia’s Culbreth Theatre on Thursday, March 27, 2008, as part of the 14th annual Virginia Festival of the Book.

What do these three authors have in common? Besides being very entertaining, they share one degree of separation with a famous American funny-man. You’ll have to listen to the audio to find out who!

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How can you tell whether a novel will be a good selection for your book club? In this podcast, three popular authors tell what makes for a good group read.

Listen in as James Collins (Beginner’s Greek), Jill A. Davis (Girls’ Poker Night, Ask Again Later), and Therese Fowler (Souvenir) discuss Reading Group Choices with moderator Barbara Mead at the 2008 Virginia Festival of the Book.

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In this podcast, we join Jennifer Ackerman (Sex, Sleep, Eat, Drink, Dream), Michael Sims (Apollo’s Fire: A Day on Earth in Nature and Imagination), and Susan Freinkel (American Chestnut: The Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Perfect Tree) as they discuss natural history, science, and the interlocking life cycles of humans, other organisms, and the Earth itself.

The discussion was a presentation of the Virginia Festival of the Book on Friday, March 28, 2008, in the City Council Chambers. Susan Tyler Hitchcock is the moderator.

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Stayed tuned for more podcasts!

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• Just before the Wayward Sons session, Elliot Majerczyk of VFH gave me a tip on a panel he was moderating, A Fix for Political Junkies, featuring Winchester’s own Joe Bageant. Alas, I did not see him, but cvillelaw did.
• Jennifer Niesslein ran the Festival Readerama last week. She hit some great sessions and schmoozed at the Author’s Reception. Fingerguns right back atcha, Jennifer!
• Hopefully Bella will be posting some fun Festival photos, but in the meantime — get well soon!!

Hello from VABook-News!

Last night was an unforgettable evening at the Paramount with Mike Farrell, as Mike took questions from the Charlottesville audience and a few authors in town for the Festival. Among the authors was Evans Hopkins (a note from Mike Farrell while Evans was in prison helped him turn his life around, and toward writing), and there was even a surprise visit from a dear friend from M*A*S*H we had heard might be in town…Alan Alda. Thanks to all who were there to share that special evening.

Please join us today for many free programs Downtown. And we hope to see you at the benefit for the Virginia Foundation Center for the Book–”Walter Mosley: A Literary Life”–at 4PM at the Paramount Theater (tickets available at the door $38-$65). The benefit will help endow VFH book and literacy programs like the Virginia Festival of the Book. And you never know who might be there…

Kevin McFadden
Associate Program Director, VABook!

Alan Alda! You lucky ducks who went to the Paramount last night! I saw Mike Farrell at the Author’s Reception but didn’t have the courage to introduce myself. He truly had that Hollywood glow, though. I will not be seeing Walter Mosley’s presentation tonight but would be interested in hearing whether he possesses a Famous Author’s glow.

But never fear — there was a police officer on duty at Blue Ridge, the staff was fully briefed on last night’s scene, and they seemed grimly determined to keep mayhem to a decent minimum this afternoon.

According to the session listing, “Both Mr. Mortenson and the Book Festival organizers appreciate your passionate response to his appearances.” People, I know this peace activism stuff is exciting, but control yourselves. Otherwise, Mr. Mortenson may be forced to fast until the violence comes to an end.

By the time I got to the theatre to record the Fiction Favorites session, though, everybody seemed to have settled down. The line of people hoping to have their books signed by the author of Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time was pretty subdued as it snaked through the bowels of the Culbreth.

By the way, the Fiction Favorites session was hilarious. If you missed it, I’ll post the recording when it becomes available and you can listen to here or at Charlottesville Podcasting Network.