West Virginia Book Festival announces in-person festival for October

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — Two No. 1 New York Times best-selling authors are among the featured writers who will be making presentations at this fall’s West Virginia Book Festival at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.

Unlike last year’s virtual festival, this year’s event – scheduled Oct. 21 and Oct. 22 – will be in person.

The Kanawha County Public Library said in a news release that this year’s featured authors who will give presentations include Victoria “V.E.” Schwab, a No. 1 New York Times best-selling author of more than 20 books, including the acclaimed “Shades of Magic” series, the “Villians” series and the “Cassidy Blake” series, and C.J. Box, the No. 1 New York Times best-selling author of 30 novels, including the Joe Pickett series.

Other authors booked for festival appearances are Elin Hilderbrand, author of 28 novels, including the forthcoming “The Hotel Nantucket”; Deesha Philyaw, whose debut short story collection “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies,” won the 2021 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction; and Marc Brown, one of the most prominent names in children’s literature.

Library officials said all activities for the festival will be free and open to the public.