The annual Independent Book Festival returns to Fredericksburg on October 12, running from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Riverfront Park. Founded in 2015 by local authors James Noll and Chris Jones, the festival offers writers a platform to promote their work, attend panels, and network with other authors.
Noll, who began his independent publishing journey in 2013, visited over 24 events in a single year—including comic cons, horror cons, and book festivals—in an effort to learn about the industry. “The travel was exhausting, but I realized nobody was hosting a book event in Fredericksburg,” said Noll. “So, I decided to make it happen.” He partnered with local writers Amy Bayne and Chris Jones to launch the festival. Though Bayne left the team in 2018, Noll and Jones continue to run the event.
Noll has written several sci-fi novels and numerous short stories, while Jones is an award-winning journalist who has authored two books and contributed to five others.
This year’s festival will feature a variety of speakers between 10:45 a.m. and 3:15 p.m., covering topics such as children’s literature, sci-fi, and the challenges of independent publishing. The talks will range from 15 to 30 minutes each. Spaces for authors have sold out, with 80 authors signed up to attend. A map of their locations is provided online with the authors’ names and genres.
The festival has hosted a full slate of speakers and panels every year. While it remains a one-day event, organizers are considering expanding it to two days in the future, with one day dedicated to workshops and business sessions for writers, and one day for festival activities.
The full event schedule is available online.
Imagine being with the late Colin Powell, who was Secretary of State and a U.S. Army general, traveling around the world looking out for U.S. interests while maintaining diplomacy at nearly all costs. It’s tough to imagine everything he faced that shaped the 1990s and beyond.
Another set of eyes was on the scene, and that was Leslie Lautenslager, the executive assistant who captured it all in her book “My Time with General Colin Powell, Stories of Kindness, Diplomacy, & Protocol.” She will be in Fredericksburg on March 12 to talk about her experience.
Lautenslager was Powell’s executive assistant for 25 years before his death, and as an honor supported by him, she put it all in a book that hit the stands in late October.
Amidst the world chaos and the weighty responsibilities, there was also Powell the person, a side that often gets overshadowed. The lighthearted stories in the book, the ones that brought a smile to Lautenslager’s face as she wrote them, are a testament to the warmth and humor that was a part of their relationship.
One time, they were on the crowded streets of Trinidad and Tobago, and she was chasing the limousine in high heels or in a crowd in Nigeria next to men with machine guns, which caused some tension. When not globetrotting, they mapped out their duties at their Old Town Alexandria office. After Powell died in October 2021, she grieved like many others around the globe and then realized it was history, so she decided to capture it all in a book.
As her friends and a publisher urged her on, Lautenslager sat down to write and didn’t come up for air until she had a draft. With the uneasy political situation in this country and the instability in some parts of the world, “people are eager for enthusiasm,” she said, and she has seen her life get a jolt when it hit the stands.
For the past few months, she highlighted her book at a speaking event in Old Town, Alexandria, a book party in Annapolis, an event with THIS Hospitality Group, and the Women’s Club of Richmond later this year.
On March 12, she’ll be at the Historic Mary Washington House, 1200 Charles Street, Fredericksburg, giving a talk and signing books from 11 to 4 p.m. On April 16, she will host an event at Hayfield Secondary School in Fairfax County, where she graduated in 1981.
Mike Salmon is a freelance reporter for Potomac Local News.
If you rely on us for local news and haven’t already, please support us by becoming a member!
- Join our Locals Only Membership Today! In a world filled with everyday heroes and extraordinary tales, Potomac Local is your trusted source for news and stories that matter in our community.
- Our Local Spotlight Membership is perfect for businesses and non-profits to increase sales, donations, and branding awareness in the community.
“The story is told from the point of view of Mary Worthington, the eldest spirit, who serves as both the group matriarch and narrator. When items for sale arrive at the store without spirits attached, the group becomes concerned. In attempting to figure out why, the spirits discover that the old farmhouse itself conceals a century-old secret. A ‘cozy’ mystery engages the reader in the story without overly graphic violence or language.”
