ROANOKE COUNTY, VA (January 26, 2011) –The Friends of the Roanoke County Public Library are hitting the road again with a bus trip to the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville, VA on Saturday, March 19. The annual event is billed by organizers as, “the largest gathering of authors, writers, and readers in the Commonwealth, and, indeed, the Mid-Atlantic region.” This year’s festival luminaries include mystery authors Donna Andrews, Rosemary Harris, and Meredith Cole, true crime writers Michael Capuzzo, Gary Noesner, and Douglas Starr, Irish novelist John Connolly, Roanoke’s own Ralph Berrier, Jr., and many more.

Aspiring authors take note: Saturday is also Publishing Day, featuring an Agents Roundtable, presentations on book promotion and publishing, and an opportunity for writers to anonymously submit their work for constructive criticism.

The bus departs Roanoke County Parks and Recreation’s Brambleton Center at 7:15 am and returns at 8:30 pm.  The cost is $35.00 per person for members of the Friends of the Library and $45.00 for non-members and includes all admissions fees and transportation costs.  This trip is self-guided, allowing participants to set their own itineraries for the day.  The festival is centered in downtown Charlottesville’s Omni Hotel, with many shops and eateries within walking distance.

Registration deadline is Friday, March 4.  For more information on the Virginia Festival of the Book, visit http://www.vabook.org/index.html.   For more information on the bus trip or to register for the trip, please call the Roanoke County Public Library at 772-7507.

Submitted by Michael Meise