Writers & Readers at the Virginia Highlands Festival

06/18/2026

Mary Munsey is our featured speaker of the week! If you’re a seasoned songwriter or aspiring songwriter you won’t want to miss Mary’s presentation. 🎶🎶🎶

Memoir Songwriting through Objects, Events, Themes
Therapeutic musical writing uses your life’s highlights, valleys, transfigurations,
momentous occasions and journeys. Memoir Songwriting explores your own story
focusing on a specific time, event, object or theme.

06/10/2026

Our featured speaker this week is Ann Ledgerwood. Ann is a practicing pediatric physical therapist, musician, radio and podcast host, and author of four books for children and families. Join Ann for a meaningful session on July 31st.

Writing Through Trauma: Writing about pain from our past might cause stress in the short term. But facing our trauma and telling our story brings closure and leads to understanding in the long term.

06/03/2026

Our featured presenter this week is a Writers & Readers Day fan favorite, Steven James. Join Steven as he shows you how to craft personal stories and find surprises in your life history!

Dusting off your Memories: Four Steps to Crafting Personal Experience Stories
Learn how to foster poignant memories, search for connections, develop structure and
write yourself out of the spotlight.

Pivots and Twists: How to Find the Surprises in the Stories of Your Life
Discover how to develop pivots and climaxes that leave your readers stunned, thrilled and
blown away—all from the true stories of your life.

05/31/2026

Make sure you get your ticket, now! You don't want to miss Writers & Readers Day 2026, "Stories that shape us: Memoir writing across the genres."

Writers & Readers 2026 brings authors from all genres, storytellers, poets, and book lovers together to celebrate diverse creative voices 📚. The Virginia Highlands Festival’s tradition of celebrating Appalachian literature focuses on established and emerging writers, poets, and authors who ...

05/27/2026

Our Writers & Readers Day presenter spotlight this week is Shuly Xóchitl Cawood.

In her session, Detours and Back-Up Plans: Life Lessons of a Writer, Shuly will share stories about becoming an author of multiple genres and the life lessons her writing journey taught her.

In her second session, Turning Life into Fiction: How the Truth Can Ground a Story, Shuly will talk about how (and why) you might turn a story from your life into fiction. She will offer tools to draw upon the truth to create a story with a life of its own.

Make plans to join Shuly and all of our presenters on July 31, 2026 from 8:30 am to 4:30 am. Cost is $40 for the day. Students (with ID) are free.

05/20/2026

WRITERS & READERS DAY July 31, 2026
Capturing Life Reflections - Rana Duncan

Join author Rana Duncan as she shares the enjoyable process she and her father developed to make his dream of writing his memoir come true.

05/13/2026

We're excited to announce The Book Cellar as our Writers & Readers Day program partner.

This Abingdon independent bookstore will manage the inventory and sales for our presenters' titles.

--The Book Cellar is an independent bookshop in historic Abingdon, Virginia, curating beloved used books and building a community space where readers, writers, and dreamers feel at home.--

05/12/2026

Calling all students! 📓✏️📚