Upcoming Events
Views expressed by speakers do not necessarily reflect the views of Blacksburg Books.
Little Women Book Club
Join Blacksburg friends and literary fans for a celebration of Louisa May Alcott’s American classic, Little Women. Participants will explore the novel’s timeless themes of friendship, romance, and family as we consider how and why four young girls growing up in Civil War America have enchanted readers around the world for almost two centuries. Dr. Ashley Reed, Associate Professor of English at Virginia Tech, will facilitate discussion and offer context from Alcott’s life and culture.
Bring your own well-worn copy of Little Women or purchase a new one through Blacksburg Books: customers who mention the book club will receive a 15% discount on their purchase of the novel.
Make sure to get tickets to see the VT School of Performing Arts production of the play at the Moss Arts Center, April 23-26!
AND go see the 1994 film adaptation at The Lyric Theater on Thursday, March 20 at 7:30 p.m.!
An Evening of Poetry with Cathryn Hankla
We're so pleased to host Appalachian poet Cathryn Hankla for a reading from her newest volume of poetry, Return to a Certain Region of Consciousness. This new book gathers recent poems with those culled from eleven previous volumes to reveal a mature poet and her journey through more than four decades of subjects, places, selves, and the challenging art of poetry..
This event is free and open to everyone and anyone who loves poetry and/or Appalachia!
2nd Friday 3rd Place
Stop by for our monthly Second Friday Third Place! Every second Friday of the month we'll stay open until 10pm just to provide a place to be—no events, no sales, no expectations.
What's a "Third Place" you ask? It's a social space separate from work or home, a comfortable place where you can relax and socialize. So put on your comfy pants and come hang out!
An Evening of Poetry with Brit Washburn
Celebrate Poetry Month and join us for a reading by Brit Washburn from her new book of poetry, What is Given. She will be in conversation with award-winning poet and author Ed Falco.
Brit Washburn’s tender and generous new collection of poems, What Is Given, shimmers with a fierce sense of gratitude for the daily stuff of our lives. In poems acutely aware of loss, Washburn comes back again and again to the redeeming beauty of the sensual world. These are poems infused with love and a profound trust in, as she titles one of her poems, “the radical hospitality of the senses.” With poetry that reminds us to be grateful for what is given, to be “astonished by the fox / we’d seen in passing” and thankful for “the peaches we ate/on the riverbank,” Washburn establishes herself as a necessary poet for our difficult times.
--Ed Falco, author of X in the Tickseed and recipient of the Robert Penn Warren Prize in Poetry.
Brit Washburn's Notwithstanding introduces a true talent, every well-crafted poem is as wise as it is earned. It is a book of love and loss and the sensuality of food and nature, qualities often blended in poem after poem. It's a book that stays home, “one season slipping into the next...” about which she says, “I’ve been through this before: I know how to eat and swim and sleep alone, how to savor a sensation without sharing it, how to carry on.” An exquisite sensibility at work here.
—Stephen Dunn, author of Whereas: Poems, (W. W. Norton & Company), winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry
Brit Washburn is the author of the essay and poetry collections, and has been awarded an artist's grant by the Vermont Studio Center and for many years served on the boards of the Poetry Society of South Carolina and the Low Country Initiative on the Literary Arts (LILA). She co-directed the salon Poets House South and has worked as a freelance writer, editor, and indexer, a Montessori teacher, and instructor in the Great Smokies Writing Program at University of North Carolina Asheville. She is the mother of four and a student in the MFA program at Virginia Tech. Her work can be found in print and online via www.britwashburn.com.
Storytime with Gary Skaggs - Bosco D. Beagle
Join us for a fun storytime with local author and VT Department of Education professor Gary Skaggs as he tells us Bosco’s story!
Bosco D. Beagle is a dog living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Bosco loves playing with the neighborhood children. One day, he loses a leg in an accident. Even though he feels the same inside, the children won’t play with him anymore because he looks different now. That makes Bosco sad. He misses his friends. One night, during a terrible thunderstorm, one of the children, Pepe, becomes lost. The neighbors search in vain, but Bosco tracks Pepe into the woods. Bosco finds Pepe and leads him home. When the other children find out that Bosco saved Pepe, they realize that Bosco is still their brave friend. Even though someone may look different, they deserve to be treated the same as everyone else and valued for who they are.
Book Launch and Reading with Alexander Dickow
Join us for the launch of Alexander Dickow’s newest book—The Distance, and You In It. The author will read from the poem, discuss its composition, and take questions from the audience.
This event is free and open to the public.
Indie Bookstore Day!
Join us for our FOURTH Indie Bookstore Day—a national party held the last Saturday in April that celebrates independent bookstores across the country.
AGAIN this year we’ll be participating in the Libro.fm Golden Ticket Giveaway - find the Golden Ticket hidden in our store and win free audiobook credits!
We'll have IBD exclusives and freebies, and raffles to win all sorts of cool prizes!
And of course, there will be snacks. Join us!
Storytelling at Blacksburg Books
Would you like to tell a story at our monthly gathering? Or be a listener? We welcome both! This month’s theme is: small victories.
For TELLERS:
We welcome your folktale, original writing, personal story, or family history piece. Please sign up to be a teller by noon Thursday before the Friday event. You do that by emailing us at info@blacksburgbooks.com.
Here are your rules:
1) No story will ever demean any group or individual using race, ethnicity, economic class, geographic region, political affiliation, religion, gender, etc.
2) Your story will be spoken; while we welcome original stories, if you wrote it, we want you to tell it rather than read it. Poems and songs are perfectly acceptable formats for telling a story.
3) Each month has a theme, which can be interpreted as you choose.The theme for next month will be given the month before at the event and available on the website.
4) Your story will be no more than 8 minutes long. At seven minutes, a staff member will hold up an object at the back of the group. She will repeat this at 7:30. At 8 minutes, she will hold up the object continuously. Please don't make us tell you what happens if you get to 8:30.
For LISTENERS:
1) Please avoid foods that rustle loudly in bags or result in messy crummy bits flying all over the store.
2) The stories you hear at the gathering might be sacred, funny, thought-provoking, or about difficult topics. They may contain words that would be bleeped out on the radio. They won't have trigger warnings. We hold space for each other as we honor the vulnerability and courage it takes to share.
3) Silence your cell phones.
4) Only stand up and move around during a story if it's an emergency.
Thanks! We look forward to having you!
BYO snacks and the gathering will run about an hour and fifteen minutes each month.
Storytelling begins promptly at 7:30 - please arrive prior to that time so that you can be seated and ready!
Gardening Book Swap with special guest Diane Flynt!
We’ll be out at the Blacksburg Farmers Market with all sorts of books about gardening, using fresh herbs & vegetables, landscaping, and other seasonal topics. Bring your old books and swap them for new ones, or give a donation and take a book or two!
At 4pm, Diane Flynt will be on-site to speak about the history of apples in Appalachia, plus some growing tips. Diane is an author, apple-grower, and founder of Foggy Ridge Cider, and we're HUGE fans of hers.
All donations benefit the Farmers Market SNAP program, which allows people to use their EBT cards at the market for fresh food.
Book Launch with Denali Nalamalapu
Denali Nalamalapu’s Holler is a debut graphic memoir—and living history of climate justice—based on the stories of six frontline resisters to the Mountain Valley Pipeline in Appalachia, offering a portrait of the diverse people and places of Appalachia, and the creation of a hopeful movement. Holler shares the stories of six ordinary people who became resistors of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a project that spans approximately 300 miles from northwestern West Virginia to southern Virginia—a teacher, a single mother, a nurse, an organizer, a photographer, and a seed keeper.
Climate activist, scientist, and writer Bill McKibben says: "Holler is a truly beautiful account of the beautiful people who have waged a beautiful fight for a beautiful piece of a beautiful planet. Read it and learn how to fight!"
Blacksburg Books will host the launch of Holler in which Denali will speak about the process of writing the book and how the book relates to the growing movement to stop fossil fuels and build a livable future.
Poetry Open Mic Night
Come to read your own original poetry, something by your favorite poet, or come just to listen. Musicians are also welcome to jam with the poets. No advance registration required and everyone is welcome!
This event happens every fourth Friday of the month!
Foraging Workshop & Tasting
**EVENT IS NOW SOLD OUT** A wearer of many hats, Em Shawish is a forager, farmer, and home cook who strives to spread knowledge and curiosity of our edible landscape to the New River Valley. Em values living in a community with strong ties to its people and its land, and seeks to honor those relationships through compassionate service and thoughtful study. Come feed your stomach and your mind with a good-natured plant talk and foraged tasting menu at Blacksburg Books!
Workshop is open to anyone 12 and older. In an effort to reduce waste, please bring your own cup, plate, and fork. Registration is required and costs $25. Email or click here to register!
Pop-up at Bonnie Charlotte's Botanicals!
Books & plants and plants & books! We're celebrating the Spring Equinox by heading over to Blacksburg's new plant shop, Bonnie Charlotte's Botanicals, for a botanical pop-up.
We'll have plant-inspired books, including eco-horror, sci-fi, nonfiction about native flora and fauna, how-to guides for taking care of your plant friends, and botanically-adjacent cool stuff.
Join us!
March Book Club
Join us at Moon Hollow Brewing to discuss March’s book club pick—Mitch Albom’s Tuesdays With Morrie.
No registration needed, just show up! All book club participants receive 10% off their drinks.
Sunrise on the Reaping Release Party
Preorder the phenomenal fifth book in the Hunger Games series!
When you've been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?
As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.
Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.
When Haymitch's name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He's torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who's nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he's been set up to fail. But there's something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.
Preorder here!
2nd Friday 3rd Place
Inspired by our Late Night at the Bookstore event, where dozens of people hung out chatting for hours, we've created this new monthly event - Second Friday Third Place! Every second Friday of the month we'll stay open until 10pm just to provide a place to be - no events, no sales, no expectations.
What's a "Third Place" you ask? It's a social space separate from work or home, a comfortable place where you can relax and socialize. So put on your comfy pants and come hang out!
Dan Brown's Wild Symphony - a Children's Concert
The Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble invites you and your family for an afternoon of musical fun at the Moss Arts Center. The program begins with Wild Symphony by Dan Brown (author of The Da Vinci Code), a wild adventure through the trees and across the seas with Maestro Mouse and his musical friends! This musical adventure is a magical blend of storytelling, music, and visual art, narrated by Virginia Tech’s own Patricia Raun, Virginia Tech Alumni Distinguished Professor of Theatre Arts.
Inspiring the kid in all of us, the concert will end with music from the original Star Wars trilogy written by John Williams.
Come early and interact with the Virginia Tech Mind Music Lab Robots, purchase the book Wild Symphony by Dan Brown to follow along during the concert, and participate in a “conduct me” with Virginia Tech students.
Book launch: Southwest Virginia Civil Rights Leader Nannie Berger Hairston
This compelling work highlights the life and legacy of Nannie Berger Hairston, who became a pioneer of social justice and civil rights when she and her family moved to Christiansburg, in 1953 and who by the time of her death in 2017 had become a powerful leader and icon.
The event will feature a discussion with oral historian and author Sheree Scarborough who used Nannie Hairston's own words to tell her story. Scarborough will share insights into Hairston's remarkable contributions while touching on the history of civil rights in the region. Don't miss this celebration of local history and activism!
This event will be held at the Christiansburg Public Library.
Poetry Open Mic Night
Come to read your own original poetry, something by your favorite poet, or come just to listen. Musicians are also welcome to jam with the poets. No advance registration required and everyone is welcome!
This event happens every fourth Friday of the month!
Writing Workshop with Sophia Terazawa
Celebrating the release of Sophia Terazawa's debut novel, Tetra Nova, the poet will lead a creative writing workshop centered around imaginative storytelling, dreamscapes, and the baffling ways a Tetris shape might inspire our writing process. Writers of all genres and levels are welcome! Bring something to write with and get ready to play!
Admission is $20 per person and includes the workshop and a copy of Tetra Nova. Register here!
Love Gone Wrong
Celebrate Valentine's Day with stories of bad love! Enjoy a performance of Appalachian and Scots-Irish folk tales and ballads about star-crossed lovers, love gone wrong, and ghosts bent on revenge—featuring author Wendy Welch and musician Jack Beck.
Sweet treats and warm beverages will be provided! This event is open to everyone and no registration is required.
Y'allentine's Book Fair
Awwwwww yiss the Y'allentine's Book Fair is back! We'll be at Moon Hollow Brewing with books about love and lust and romantic love and weird love and platonic love and ALL THE LOVES.
Dessert Bar will be there with sweet treats and Stonecrop Farm will be there with dried flower arrangements so you can do all of your Valentine's stuff at once and get it over with. :D
Book launch: Southwest Virginia Civil Rights Leader Nannie Berger Hairston
This compelling work highlights the life and legacy of Nannie Berger Hairston, who became a pioneer of social justice and civil rights when she and her family moved to Christiansburg, in 1953 and who by the time of her death in 2017 had become a powerful leader and icon.
The event will feature a discussion with oral historian and author Sheree Scarborough who used Nannie Hairston's own words to tell her story. Scarborough will share insights into Hairston's remarkable contributions while touching on the history of civil rights in the region. Don't miss this celebration of local history and activism!
This event will be held at the Blacksburg Public Library.
February Book Club
Join us at Moon Hollow Brewing to discuss February’s book club pick—Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House.
No registration needed, just show up! All book club participants receive 10% off their drinks.
Poetry Open Mic Night
Come to read your own original poetry, something by your favorite poet, or come just to listen. Musicians are also welcome to jam with the poets. No advance registration required and everyone is welcome!
This event happens every fourth Friday of the month!
Onyx Storm Midnight Release Party!
Join us for the release of Onyx Storm! We’ll have snacks, trivia, and more.
The party is open to anyone who preorders the book through us!
More details to come…
Chocolate Spike pop-up
Chocolate Spike will be here with all sorts of goodies and free hot chocolate samples!
Blacksburg Books after dark - with The Coffee Cauldron!
More of a night owl than an early worm? Come hang out with us after dark! We'll be open extra hours from 7-10 so you can get some holiday shopping done, read, or just hang out. The Coffee Cauldron will be here with coffee, hot chocolate, and baked goods so you can get comfy (or caffeinated) and stay a while!
Oathbreakers: Book Launch with Matthew Gabriele
Join us for an evening with Matthew Gabriele, co-author of The Bright Ages, as he discusses his new book - a real-life Game of Thrones—the story of the Carolingian Civil War, a bloody, protracted battle pitting brother against brother, father against son, that would end an empire, upend a continent, and redefine the future of Europe.
By the early ninth century, the Carolingian empire was at the height of its power. The Franks, led by Charlemagne, had built the largest European domain since Rome in its heyday. Though they jockeyed for power, prestige, and profit, the Frankish elites enjoyed political and cultural consensus. But just two generations later, their world was in shambles. Civil war, once an unthinkable threat, had erupted after Louis the Pious’s sons tried to overthrow him—and then placed their knives at the other’s neck. Families who had once charged into battle together now drew each other’s blood.
The Carolingian Civil War would rage for years as kings fought kings, brother faced off against brother, and sons challenged fathers. Oathbreakers is the dramatic history of this brutal, turbulent time. Medieval historians David M. Perry and Matthew Gabriele illuminate what happens when a once unshakeable political and cultural order breaks down and long suppressed tensions flare into deadly violence. Drawn from rich primary sources, featuring a wide cast of characters, packed with dramatic twists and turns, this is history that rivals the greatest fictional epics—with consequences that continue to shape our own world.
Oathbreakers offers lessons of what deep cracks in a once-stable social and political fabric might reveal, and the bloody consequences of disagreeing on facts and reality. The Civil War at the heart of this tale asks: who is “in” and who is “out”? And what happens when things fall apart?
Free typewriter poems from The Dandy Line!
The Dandy Line will be in-store creating poems on the spot! Name your topic, spend a few minutes letting the poet get a sense of what you want, and walk away with a custom poem.
Caution: poems have been known to make customers cry. (It was us. We were the customers.)
Parade Party!
We'll be serving warm cider and cookies - come hang out, watch the Blacksburg holiday parade, and get some shopping done!
Meet the author! Amy Friedl
Amy Friedl is the author of the Strong Girls Travel series, which showcases a young girl's adventures in America's National Parks. Each book finds her learning something new about herself, her world, and her part in it all. She'll be here with copies of "AJ's Connection at New River Gorge" and will sign copies!
She'll also have some fun coloring pages for kids!
In AJ's Connection at New River Gorge, AJ and her favorite aunt share some of their best moments over music, travel, and time together. But while Aunt E seems stuck in the old days, AJ just can't get her to see that the new ways are better. Doesn't she see how outdated her stuff is?
Take a trip from the past to the present with AJ at New River Gorge National Park. When she learns to listen to the world around her, not just hear it, she starts to realize that maybe "old" things are sometimes needed for new adventures.
Book signing with Betül Tunç
***We STRONGLY recommend that you prepay for a book to guarantee you get a copy.
Baker and social media star Betül Tunç will be in-store to sign copies of her first cookbook, Turkuaz Kitchen!
Betül Tunç’s love affair with dough began when she was just eight years old in Erzurum, a city nestled in northeastern Turkey known for its long and snowy winters. During the dark, frosty days, she found solace baking Turkish breads and desserts with her mother and sisters.
In the cookbook, she shares shares 85 recipes for sweet and savory doughs and the dishes to make with them. With inspiration from traditional Turkish recipes, as well as recipes she discovered in her travels, Turkuaz Kitchen is a treasure trove of recipes.
Diane Flynt & Anna Zeide: Apples in Appalachia - Culinary and Cultural Connections
SOLD OUT! Event is now full. Email to join waitlist.
Join us for a discussion of the importance of apples in the history of Appalachia. This event will include a cider tasting and apple treats. The event is free but registration is required - please email us to secure your spot!
Diane Flynt is the founder of Foggy Ridge Cider and author of Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived: The Surprising History of Apples in the South.
Anna Zeide is the founding director of the Food Studies Program at Virginia Tech and is the author of US History in 15 Foods.
Ellery Adams & Krista Davis in Conversation
Two of our favorite cozy mystery authors will be here to discuss the genre, the writing process, and answer all of your questions about cozies!
Ellery Adams is the author of the The Secret, Book & Scone Society mysteries, The Book Retreat Mysteries, The Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries, and The Books By the Bay Mysteries.
Krista Davis is the author of The Domestic Diva Mysteries, The Paws and Claws Mysteries, and The Pen & Ink Mysteries.
November Book Club
Join us at Moon Hollow Brewing to discuss November’s book club pick—Claire Keegan’s Small Things Like These.
No registration needed, just show up! All book club participants receive 10% off their drinks.
Spooky Short Story & Coloring Contest
Let's get it spooky in here - Blacksburg Books & 16 Blocks are sponsoring a coloring AND/OR short story contest!
In the words of Hunter S Thompson, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
Check out the spooky artwork of downtown Blacksburg’s historic Alexander Black House, drawn by artist Rita Brame. Then, (a) color it in, (b) write a short story (3000 words or less), or (c) both! The winning artist will receive a $30 gift card to Blacksburg Books, and the winning author will be published in 16 Blocks Magazine.
For peak spookiness, the deadline is October 31st.
You can pick up copies of the drawing in our store (available now!), or email us for a digital copy.
You can email your finished stories to info@blacksburgbooks.com. Coloring sheets can be turned into the store or emailed back to us!
Spooky Story Time!
Kick off Downtown Trick or Treat with us! We'll read two spooky (but not scary!) stories and have some fun Halloween freebies.
And candy, of course!
Blacksburg Books after dark - with The Coffee Cauldron!
More of a night owl than an early worm? Come hang out with us after dark! We'll be open extra hours from 8-11 so you can shop, read, or just hang out. The Coffee Cauldron will be here with coffee, hot chocolate, and baked goods so you can get comfy (or caffeinated) and stay a while!
Poetry Open Mic Night
Come to read your own original poetry, something by your favorite poet, or come just to listen. Musicians are also welcome to jam with the poets. No advance registration required and everyone is welcome!
This event happens every fourth Friday of the month!