LIST: Authors, books coming to Library of Virginia for newest Author Series
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RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Visitors to the Library of Virginia can talk with authors about the history and culture of Appalachia, Black culinary history, a racially-charged court case set in 1960s Virginia and more during the upcoming 2025 Carole Weinstein Author Series.
Free and open to the public, the Carole Weinstein Author Series "showcases the literary arts by bringing both new and well-known authors to the Library of Virginia to share stories that define the Commonwealth," according to a press release from the library.
Each session in this series will take place in the Library's lecture hall from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on its respective date. They will involve a discussion on the book with its author, followed by a Q&A session and a book signing.
Sessions are scheduled starting in mid-April and ending in early September.
Keep scrolling to learn about each session, its author and the book they'll be discussing.
Thursday, April 10: Katrina M. Powell
(Photo: Library of Virginia)
(Photo: Library of Virginia)
Katrina M. Powell is an author, professor and co-director of the "Monuments Across Appalachian Virginia" project. According to the library, her work is primarily in autobiography and ethical research, with a focus on telling stories about displacement.
Powell will host a session on the novel "Beginning Again: Stories of Movement and Migration in Appalachia," of which she is the editor, on Thursday, April 10.
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"Beginning Again" is a collection of Appalachian oral histories shared by immigrants, refugees and residents that have been there for generations. According to the library, their stories put a spotlight on Appalachian communities and how they fight back against the stereotypes surrounding their home.
"This book seeks to provide a more nuanced picture of Appalachia to counter the damaging myths that circulate about groups of people," the library said.
Powell's other novels include "The Anguish of Displacement: The Politics of Literacy in the Letters of Mountain Families in Shenandoah National Park," "Identity and Power in Narratives of Displacement" and "Performing Autobiography."
Thursday, May 15: David Baldacci
(Photo: Library of Virginia)
(Photo: Library of Virginia)
(Photo: Library of Virginia)
David Baldacci, a Virginia Commonwealth University alum who grew up in Richmond, is a widely-published, international best-selling author and literary advocate whom the Library of Virginia describes as "one of the world's favorite storytellers." His nonprofit, the Wish You Well Foundation, supports literacy efforts across America.
Baldacci will host a session discussing two of his novels, "A Calamity of Souls" and "Strangers in Time," on Thursday, May 15.
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The first title is a courtroom drama that tells the story of a 1968 racially charged murder case. The story is set in southern Virginia and, according to the library, "sets a duo of white and Black lawyers against a deeply unfair system as they work to defend their wrongfully accused Black defendants."
"Over a decade in the making, the book takes the reader through a world that will seem both foreign and familiar," the library said.
"Strangers in Time" is Baldacci's most recent novel. Set in 1944, it tells the story of two teenagers and the owner of a London bookshop trying to heal after World War II.
Thursday, Jun. 24: Adriana Trigiani
(Photo: Library of Virginia)
(Photo: Library of Virginia)
Adriana Trigiani, an Appalachian native, is a creative with a wide array of talents and achievements, according to the Library of Virginia. In addition to being a New York Times bestselling author with over 20 published titles, Trigiani is also an award-winning playwright, a filmmaker and a television writer/producer.
Trigiani will host a session discussing two of her novels: "The View From Lake Como" and "Big Stone Gap." The latter title was published 25 years ago and has since been adapted into a movie that Trigiani both wrote and directed.
"The View From Lake Como" is Trigiani's most recent novel. The library describes it as "the hilarious story of one woman's determination to live a creative life that matters" post-divorce.
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"When her family endures an unexpected loss, the shock unearths long-buried secrets that force Jess to question her loyalty to those she trusted," the library said. "Fueled by her lost dreams, she takes fate into her own hands and escapes to her ancestral home, Carrara, Italy, determined to write a new story on her own terms."
"Big Stone Gap" is the first book in a series of novels all set in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It tells the story of a woman living in Big Stone Gap, Virginia in 1978.
"The book features Ave Maria Mulligan, the 35-year-old self-proclaimed spinster ... [who is] also the local pharmacist, the co-captain of the rescue squad and the director of 'The Trail of the Lonesome Pine,' the town’s long-running outdoor drama," the library said.
Thursday, Aug. 14: Crystal Wilkinson
(Photo: Library of Virginia)
(Photo: Library of Virginia)
Crystal Wilkinson is an author with a lengthy list of awards and honors. She is a Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame inductee, an Academy of American Poets fellow and the recipient of an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Poetry, among several others. She has penned a variety of short stories, poems and essays, all of which have been published in many journals and anthologies, according to the Library of Virginia.
Wilkinson will host a session on her novel, “Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks," on Thursday, Aug. 14.
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The library describes this work as a "lyrical culinary journey that explores the hidden legacy of Black Appalachians through powerful storytelling alongside comforting recipes" -- of which there are nearly 40.
Said recipes are all rooted in family history and are lovingly shared by Wilkinson, who is a cook, herself.
"[The recipes include] delicious favorites including corn pudding, chicken and dumplings, Granny Christine’s jam cake and Praisesong biscuits — [all] brought to vivid life through stunning photography," the library said. "Part memoir, part cookbook, it presents a culinary portrait of a family that has lived and worked the earth of the mountains for over a century."
Wednesday, Sept. 3: Laura E. Helton
(Photo: Library of Virginia)
(Photo: Library of Virginia)
Laura E. Helton, an author and an assistant professor of English and history at the University of Delaware, teaches her students about Black literature, literary history, public humanities and more.
"Her research and writings chronicle the emergence of African diasporic archives in the United States and, more broadly, ask how information practices — material acts of collecting, collation and cataloging — scaffold literary and historical thought," the Library of Virginia said.
Helton will host a session about her novel, “Scattered and Fugitive Things: How Black Collectors Created Archives and Remade History," on Wednesday, Sept. 3.
This novel shares the work of six Black historical figures involved in the collecting and curating of Black archives in the Jim Crow South. These people include Arturo Schomburg, Alexander Gumbyt, Virginia Lee, Vivian Harsh, Dorothy Porter and L.D. Reddick.
"Drawing on overlooked sources such as book lists and card catalogs, [Helton] reveals the risks collectors took to create Black archives," the library said.
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To attend any of these sessions, you must register ahead of time. You can do so here.
This series was made possible through the Carole Weinstein Endowment for Virginia Authors.
If you're interested in purchasing any of the books in this series, you can do so at the Virginia Shop at the Library of Virginia online.
