Queen City Word Fest: Literary event coming to Staunton this October

STAUNTON — When Sandra Cararo first opened The Book Dragon Shop on West Beverley Street, she started thinking about bringing an event like a book festival to Staunton. That was 2019. In January of the next year, discussions began to get a little more serious. In March, COVID happened.

The plans went "way on the back burner," Cararo said. They remained there until last fall when Cararo and some other Staunton business owners and area authors revived the idea. A committee was formed to discuss what a literary event would look like downtown.

Joining Cararo on the committee were authors Cliff Garstang, Heather Cole and David Simms, Paige Hildebrand with the Frontier Culture Museum and Christian Vames of Staunton's Frontline Model Kits and Hobbies.

Out of the committee was born Staunton's first citywide literary event, the Queen City Word Fest, a celebration of words and literature. The event will take place Saturday, Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"The idea was really to bring literature to Staunton in a way that hasn't happened up to now," Garstang said.

The event will be held at a variety of locations downtown Staunton, including in the Wharf. Exact places and times will be announced closer to the event. Cararo did say the Staunton Public Library will be hosting book panel discussions geared toward both readers and authors. The exact panels are still being finalized.

There will also be book signings by authors, allowing the readers and writers to connect one-on-one.

"There are so few opportunities for writers to meet with the public and to get the word out about their words," said Garstang. "I certainly have experienced that. It's hard to get any attention at all. So to have a public event like this is a way for writers to do that, to meet readers."

Cararo said the event organizers have a large number of authors interested, both locally and from within nearby states. She said there will be a diverse range of literary genres represented at the event, from fiction to poetry to children's books to memoirs. In addition to celebrating established authors, the Queen City Word Fest hopes to nurture emerging talent.

"The reason why we are calling it a Word Fest is we're also including comic books, graphic novels, illustrators," Cararo said. "We want to make sure that we can grow to eventually include screenwriters, any kind of the written word."

The idea is to begin small this October and grow the event every year.

Admission to the festival is free, with tickets available for select workshops and special events.

For more information about the Queen City Word Fest, including the full schedule of events and participating authors when available, email WordFest24401@gmail.com. Social media pages will be coming soon. Cararo can be reached at (540) 712-7941.

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— Patrick Hite is The News Leader's education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Staunton to host Queen City Word Fest literary event in October