filling out your dance card for the virginia festival of the book

I’m really excited about this year’s event because:

1. I will be scooting my chair from the audience to sit on a panel with two really impressive women!

Perfectly Imperfect: Novelists on the Modern Family

Authors Erika Raskin (Close), Martha Woodroof (Small Blessings), and Sonja Yoerg (House Broken) will read from their debut novels. Wed. March 18, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm Barnes & Noble Barracks Road Shopping Center, Charlottesville, VA 22903

According to People Magazine Martha “nailed the debut novel” in Small Blessings. She is also the host of WMRA’s The Spark. Sonja’s House Broken was called “a stunning debut” by Library Journal. Additionally, Sonja is an animal behaviorist — who I will be cornering for advice about Sullivan  erikaraskin.net/sullys-issue/

also, shameless plug: Judith Viorst compared Close to The Fault in Our Stars (!) and it’s on the ballot for Teen Choice Book of the Year.

2.  My brother Jamie, a Maryland State Senator and law professor, is also going to be on a panel!

When Money Speaks: Who Will Be Heard? Sat. March 21, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm City Council Chambers 605 E Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22902 Hosted by: The Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression Join Ron Collins, coauthor of When Money Speaks, and Jamie Raskin, author of Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court versus the American People and We the Students: Supreme Court Cases for and About Students, for a discussion of U.S. Supreme Court decisions that have struck down laws limiting the use of money in election campaigns.

Jamie, who is an expert on free speech, vetoed my original photo choice. 🙂

3. There are going to be a plethora of wildly interesting panels to go to! Check them out here:

http://vabook.org/