After a landmark virtual 2020 festival with more than 15,000 viewers, Fall for the Book is pushing the envelope with a new hybrid format for its 23rd festival, which runs from October 14-31.
This year鈥檚 virtual headliners include book club sensation Brit Bennett, author of 鈥淭he Vanishing Half鈥; Norwegian master of suspense Jo Nesb酶; poets extraordinaire Maggie Smith and Victoria Chang; Pulitzer Prize-winning environmental writer Elizabeth Kolbert; Netflix docuseries Inside the World鈥檚 Toughest Prisons host Raphael Rowe and a soon-to-be-announced headliner who will appear in person at 性视界传媒. Fall for the Book will also host an in-person preview event on Oct. 7 featuring Mason alumni authors.
Other virtual featured authors are true crime writer Dean Jobb, essayist Elissa Washuta, economics whiz Azeem Azhar, children鈥檚 author Tom Angleberger and more.
The 2021 festival will also feature the fourth annual Institute for Immigration Research鈥檚 New American Voices award ceremony, featuring the three finalists and judges Irina Reyn, Justin Torres and Melissa Rivero.
鈥淔all for the Book did more than pivot last year,鈥 said Gregg Wilhelm, vice chair of Fall for the Book鈥檚 board and the director of Mason鈥檚 Creative Writing Program. 鈥淚t took flight from the foul line and scored a slam dunk. The virtual formula was too successful not to have online programs as part of the festival moving forward.鈥
By keeping the festival partly virtual, Fall for the Book can innovate and create dynamic programming not possible for an in-person festival, such as the event titled 鈥淎cross the World in Five Novels,鈥 featuring writers from India, Chile, Mauritius, Saudi Arabia and England. Festival events will be held on Crowdcast, YouTube, Soundcloud, and in-person on Mason鈥檚 Fairfax Campus.
Fall for the Book is Northern Virginia鈥檚 oldest and largest festival of literature and the arts. All events are free and open to the public thanks to the generous support of sponsors, including the Mason, the Fairfax County Public Library, the Fairfax Library Foundation and the City of Fairfax. Find the full schedule with details at .