University Librarian John Unsworth one of the speakers in Festival of the Book events at Harrison/Small

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The Harrison Institute and Small Special Collections Library plays host to several events in the 25th Anniversary of the Virginia Festival of the Book. Among other speakers at events in Harrison-Small this year, University Librarian John Unsworth will give a talk at the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Bibliographical Society of the University of Virginia on Friday, March 22 about the project to renovate Alderman Library. Please attend events in Harrison-Small—all are free and open to the public.

  • Coloring Outside the Lines: Explorations in Text and Pattern, Thursday March 21, 10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Jane Alison (Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative) and Lois Farfel Stark (The Telling Image: Shapes of Changing Times) explore the joys of breaking the bounds of their chosen media, the narrative and the image, to challenge our conventional understandings of history, art and form. Book sales and signing will follow. FREE to attend and open to the public
  • Leading Lives, in Bondage or Free, Thursday March 21, 12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m. Saidiya Hartman (Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments), DaMaris Hill (A Bound Woman is a Dangerous Thing), and Christina Proenza-Coles (American Founders) bring to life important narratives of African-American men and women, their leadership roles in our country’s development, their commitment to social justice, and the experiences of women of color “bound yet unbridled”. Book sales and signing will follow. FREE to attend and open to the public.
  • Exploring Our World and Beyond with National Geographic, Thursday March 21, 2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Catherine Herbert Howell (The Splendor of Birds), Mark Thiessen (Spectacle), and James Trefil (Space Atlas) discuss the power of photography, art, graphics, and maps to illuminate the wonders of our world and beyond, as told through the pioneering lens of National Geographic. Book sales and signing will follow. FREE to attend and open to the public.
  • Laughing at the Devil—An Invitation to Look at Evil Through the Eyes of a Medieval Visionary, Thursday March 21, 4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m. Amy Laura Hall (Laughing at the Devil) will discuss ways the writings of Julian of Norwich, a medieval anchorite and visionary, encourage contemporary readers to look evil in the eye—evil such as war, torture, racial terror, sexual violence—and consider ways such trauma might be transformed into hope and resistance. The program will include a reading and conversation. Book sales and signing will follow. FREE to attend and open to the public.
  • Literary Lives: Pat Conroy, Lorraine Hansberry, and John Williams, Friday March 22, 10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m. Authors Michael Mewshaw (The Lost Prince), Imani Perry (Looking for Lorraine), and Charles J. Shields (The Man Who Wrote the Perfect Novel) examine the lives of mid-twentieth century literary stars Pat Conroy, Lorraine Hansberry, and John Williams. Book sales and signing will follow. FREE to attend and open to the public.
  • Civil War: Places, Politics, and Armies, Friday March 22, 12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m. Historians J. Matthew Gallman (coeditor of Civil War Places), Stephen E. Maizlish (A Strife of Tongues), and Elizabeth R. Varon (Armies of Deliverance) discuss their newest work, explorations of the American Civil War, slavery, and pre-war politics. Book sales and signing will follow. FREE to attend and open to the public.
  • The Socio-Economic Politics of Food & Family, Friday March 22, 2:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Co-authors Sarah Bowen, Joslyn Brenton, and Sinikka Elliott discuss their collaborative work researching and writing Pressure Cooker: Why Home Cooking Won’t Solve Our Problems and What We Can Do About It, based on extensive interviews and fieldwork in the homes and kitchens of a diverse group of American families. Book sales and signing will follow. FREE to attend and open to the public.
  • The Renovation of Alderman Library, 2007 to 2023, Friday March 22, 4:00 p.m.–5:30 p.m. John Unsworth, University librarian and dean of libraries at the University of Virginia, will speak on the ongoing and herculean task of renovating Alderman Library. This program is part of the 72nd Annual Meeting of the Bibliographical Society of the University of Virginia. In addition, the Society will recognize the winners of its seventh round of the Battestin Fellowship Program. Book sales and signing will follow. FREE to attend and open to the public.

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