Share your writing and enter for a chance to win a cash prize. Student Writing Contest 2026 Winners: Middle School Poetry 1st - Twanae Simpson - "Childhood" 2nd - Casey Campbell - "Ocean Eyes" 3rd - Ailee Lewis - "The Memory Tree" Non-Fiction 1st - Caitlyn Schoolfield - "Glittering Gemstones" 2nd - Abigail Smart - "A Queen who Changed the World" Fiction 1st - Emilia Yu - "Eden" 2nd - William Lelegren - "There Goes Mathew!" 3rd - Natalee Duplain - "My Snow Filled Heart" High School Poetry 1st - Levi Roggero - "Elegy of the Deep" 2nd - Rhema Erebholo - "Of Passion and Color" 3rd - Ashlie Chamberliss - "In the Mirror" Non-Fiction 1st - Louise Wang - "New Horizons" 2nd - Cailyn Jiao - "Without Silence" 3rd - Ainsley Asbury - "Setbacks to Setups" Fiction 1st - Levi Roggero - "Nightfall" 2nd - Charlotte Gariepy - "Farewell" 3rd - Anna Cook - "Secret Society for Human Salvation" College Poetry 1st - Rex Farr - "Myosotis Blues" 2nd.- Naomi Linde - "Sublime" 3rd - "Sadie Wallander - "Idlewild" Non-Fiction 1st - Lucy Loudon - "Family Recipes" SEND SPONSORED BY

The Williamsburg Book Festival's mission is to promote and support the art of literary composition in the Williamsburg area and expose writers to the reading public. Our free event includes authors from various genres, speakers, illustrators, and publishers from Virginia and beyond. Welcome! Our annual family-friendly event brings together a dynamic mix of authors, poets, speakers, illustrators, and publishers from Virginia and beyond. At the Williamsburg Book Festival, our mission is to celebrate and support the art of literary composition while connecting authors with the reading public. Exhibit Share your stories in a vibrant literary community Experience Connect with passionate readers and uncover exciting new creative voices Support Empower authors and readers: contribute to help support the love of reading Bookmark this! The Williamsburg Book Festival has been one of my favorite events for many years. It’s the place real book-people go to mingle, learn, and read from the best Williamsburg has to offer. Perhaps what makes this festival one of the greatest is that the community comes out to support the authors and festival with warmth and energy that brings me back year after year. —Tj O’Connor, award winning author of The Hemingway Deception and The Dead Detective Casefiles Festival Flashbacks 1/1 We Ar e authors readers publishers writers dreamers creatives book lovers poets students ... Williamsburg is more than just our home. Williamsburg is where history and literature intersect. The town’s charming colonial ambiance provides the perfect backdrop for the Festival. Experience an energizing event in a place that inspires creativity and honors tradition. Up

Check out the full event schedule for the festival! Festival Schedule

Support the Williamsburg Book Festival Donations help support author programming, youth engagement, event logistics, and the resources needed to keep the festival free and accessible to the public. By contributing, you are helping foster a love of reading, uplift writers, and strengthen a vibrant literary culture in Williamsburg. Every gift—large or small—helps ensure the festival continues to inspire readers and storytellers for years to come. Donate Now

Take a look at last year's festival pictures! Authors, poets, attendees & more 2025 Event Photos IMG_2111 IMG_2116 IMG_1883 IMG_2111 1/44

Read more about the 70+ authors who will be exhibiting at the festival Exhibiting Authors T.J. O'Connor Caroline Crocker Sandy Hope Stewart George WB Scott Allison Gunn Taylor Hartley Karen Marginot Caterina Novelliere Bill Ayres Nicole Glover A.D. Stone Larry Walsh Patricia Bradby Moore N.M. Opperman Ginny Brock Michael Eging Laura C.Rader Elizabeth Duncan-Hawker Jenn Bouchard Sonny Hudson Michael Gryboski Patsy Asuncion Leslie Eva Tayloe Cindy L. Freeman Loralee Clark Teresa Inge Sally Stiles Robert Archibald D. L. Farrar Ron Peterson, Jr Ellen Butler Tim Holland Melissa Face Thomas Guay Thomas M. Wing Chris Register Bradley Harper T.S. Arther Mark Piggott Christy Landers Tallamy John Conlee Luz Schweig William R Hogan Catherine Clark Felts Tabitha Mann Sarah Newland Hugh Lessig Patti Gaustad Procopi Cindy Chisholm Juanita P. Graham Heather Buchanan Jess Renae Sherer Jim Meisner Jr. Heidi Hartwiger Peter Stipe Chris Whitlatch Lesley O'Brien S.J. Lee Tommy Kerper Michael Stephens Nan Carlton L.E. DeLano Leslie Lautenslager Alicia Swain Heather Brown Barrett Jacqueline T. Johnson Aminta Colón Heather Mullaly Randy Ellefson J.S. Furlong S.K. Ehra Elaine Honeycutt

< Back Thomas Guay Thomas Guay is the author of Chesapeake Bound, a work of historical fiction set in the uneasy years just before the American Revolution. A former Capitol Hill reporter, Guay turned from modern politics to the eighteenth century, tracing why ordinary Londoners—pressed by poverty, prejudice, and a rigid class system—risked everything on a passage to colonial America. Set between 1763 and 1765, the novel follows indentured servants and sailors whose Atlantic voyage reveals hopes and dreams tested by deadly storms, hardship, and budding romance. Drawing on years as a historical guide at the Charles Carroll House in Annapolis, Guay brings daily colonial life vividly to the page. Next

< Back Melissa Face Melissa Face is the author of the award-winning collection I Love You More Than Coffee: Essays on Parenthood, published September 1, 2020 and I Love You More Than Coffee: A Guided Journal for Moms (September 13, 2022). Her writing has appeared in numerous local and national publications, including Richmond Family Magazine, Charlottesville Family Magazine, Tidewater Family Magazine, Scary Mommy, Motherscope, The Myrtle Beach Herald, Guideposts, Country Woman, Farm & Ranch Living, Prairie Times, Boomer Magazine, Sasee Magazine, Nine Lives: A Life in Ten Minutes Anthology, Parhelion Literary Magazine, and twenty-six volumes of Chicken Soup for the Soul. Next

< Back Caroline Crocker Dr. I. Caroline Crocker is a speaker and author who has also worked as a research scientist, a biology professor, the CEO of a startup company, the president of a nonprofit, and a communications expert. She maintains a multifaceted blog, Rambling Ruminations, and is the author of 15 books, including her best-selling World War II narrative nonfiction book, Unforgivable: Through a Child’s Eyes. Caroline is married and has four grown children and eight grandchildren. Next

< Back Catherine Clark Felts Catherine Clark Felts lives in Yorktown, Virginia, with her three mischievous cats, two amazing daughters, and one loving and supportive husband. An avid runner, she finds the best time to mull over a book concept is during an early morning jog. Formerly a technical support team Director and degreed Bioprocess Engineer, she felt the call to write and continue the legacy that her grandmother (Catherine Clark the 4th) and mother (Catherine Clark the 5th) passed down to her. She hopes to make a positive impact on children and families as they immerse themselves in her stories. Next

< Back Jess Renae Sherer Jess Renae Sherer resides in the suburbs of Atlanta, Ga, but is plotting her escape to the Appalachian Mountains. She holds a degree in sociology and a master’s in creative writing, and loves telling stories that move readers. In her debut novel, when a cyberattack plunges the nation into darkness, devout Jenna Covington shelters a desperate stranger. Told through shifting perspectives, The Height of Darkness is a fast-paced psychological thriller where faith, family, and hidden truths collide as the world outside—and Jenna’s inner one—begins to unravel. Find her on social media @jessrenaesherer or at jessrenaesherer.com. Next

< Back Thomas M. Wing Thomas M. Wing, a retired thirty-two year Surface Warfare Officer, and Naval Academy and Naval War College graduate served more than ten years at sea in destroyers and frigates. A dedicated sailor for over half a century, he also commanded a tall ship. Tom has two published novels, Against All Enemies and In Harm’s Way, both of which have earned awards. Accurate history and authentic settings are his obsession. The reviews he is most proud of come from Navy veterans, who said of Against All Enemies that they could “smell the stale coffee and cigarette smoke in CIC.” Next