Friday, October 17
The VCBF bookstore is located in Dorrill Lee Grand and is open all day.
Don’t forget to drop into the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts to paint this year’s LIVEmural with Monty Montgomery.
Click on an arrow to see the session description
(locations subject to change)
Session 1, 9:45-10:30
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Recommended Ages: 13–17 (Middle & High School)
Location: Blackwell Ballroom
Is it Shakespeare or Tupac? Sometimes, it’s hard to tell. In this session, Malik-16 challenges students to decode poetic power across time—examining the truth, rhythm, and rebellion found in both Shakespeare’s plays and Tupac’s lyrics.
Through side-by-side comparisons, open dialogue, and original writing, students will find their own voice in the struggle, and learn to write verses that speak back to the world.
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Recommended Ages: 11–14 ( Middle School)
Location: Dorrill Nance Room
Join Newbery Medalist and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Meg Medina for a dive to the bottom of the sea as inspired by her powerful new novel Graciela in the Abyss. We’ll learn how true facts about the deepest and most unknown part of the sea were the building blocks for her tale about sea ghosts – and see why we have a lot more in common with sea ghosts than we might think.
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Recommended Ages: 12–17 (Middle & High School)
Location: Upchurch Wilson Chamber
Solve the Creeping Case with Jay Cooper
Presented by the author of You Are the Detective: The Creeping Hand
Grades (YA)
There’s a hand on the loose—and only YOU can solve the case! Join author-illustrator Jay Cooper for a spooky, choose-your-own-adventure-style mystery where every clue leads to a new twist. Then create your own creepy case, complete with suspects, red herrings, and big reveals. Warning: this mystery has a mind of its own.
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Recommended Ages: 10–18 (Upper Elementary to Young Adult)
Location: Upchurch Soza Ballroom
”What would you do if the Empire discovered your secret hideout? Join bestselling author Lamar Giles for an action-packed, interactive session inspired by his upcoming Star Wars adventure, Sanctuary. Fans of The Bad Batch will dive into tough choices, dangerous missions, and galaxy-saving storytelling. Build your own rebel character, defend your sanctuary, and explore how heroes are made when everything is on the line.
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Recommended Ages: 11–14 (Middle School)
Location: Maugans Virginia Room
Step into the shadows of World War I with award-winning author Anne Blankman, whose new novel The Enemy’s Daughter explores love, family, and betrayal in a time of war.
Through historical “what would you do?” challenges and hands-on creative writing, students will build their own characters caught between truth and loyalty. A perfect session for young historians and storytellers alike.
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Recommended Ages: 10–14 (Upper Elementary to Middle School)
Location: Lankford Ballroom
Hop in the car and join award-winning author Pablo Cartaya for a heartfelt, hilarious, and creative session inspired by his newest novel, A Hero’s Guide to Summer Vacation. Through readings, storytelling, and interactive mapping, students will reflect on their own personal journeys, design a hero’s adventure of their own, and learn how even the toughest roads can lead to transformation. Bring your imagination—and your sense of direction.
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Recommended Ages: teacher-informed
Location: SHLS, 315 W 3rd St.
Guided by trained educators, sensory-sensitive students will enjoy VCBF programming at SHLS and join Monty Montgomery to paint this year’s LIVEmural. Special registration required. More information coming soon.
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All ages
Location: West Madison Street
VMFA on the Road is the museum’s 21st-century Artmobile, coming to you from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Session 2, 10:45-11:30
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Recommended Ages: 12-15 (Grades 6-10)
Location: Dorrill Nance Room
Presented by the author of Battle Dragons. In this exciting, dragon-themed workshop with author Alex London,
students become dragon riders—creating beasts with amazing powers, heroes with thrilling and interesting lives,
and starting their own stories filled with suspense, heart, and as many twists and turns as an out of control
dragon. Inspired by Battle Dragons: City of Thieves, the session blends creativity, humor, and empowerment to
remind students that the bravest heroes are the ones who can harness the power within themselves.
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Recommended Ages: 11–18 (Middle-Young Adult)
Location: Lankford Ballroom
Join award-winning author Anne Blankman for an interactive deep dive into the world of historical fiction. Using her latest novel The Enemy’s Daughter as inspiration, students will explore how to bring the past to life through compelling characters, rich settings, and high-stakes choices. Participants will imagine themselves in pivotal historical moments, respond to “what would you do?” prompts, and begin crafting their own historical fiction scenes rooted in truth and imagination.
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Recommended Ages: 11–14 ( Middle School)
Location: Lankford Ballroom
Join Newbery Medalist and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Meg Medina for a dive to the bottom of the sea as inspired by her powerful new novel Graciela in the Abyss. We’ll learn how true facts about the deepest and most unknown part of the sea were the building blocks for her tale about sea ghosts – and see why we have a lot more in common with sea ghosts than we might think.
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Recommended Ages: 12–17 (Middle & High School)
Location: Upchurch Wilson Chamber
There’s a hand on the loose—and only YOU can solve the case! Join author-illustrator Jay Cooper for a spooky, choose-your-own-adventure-style mystery where every clue leads to a new twist. Then create your own creepy case, complete with suspects, red herrings, and big reveals. Warning: this mystery has a mind of its own.
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Recommended Ages: 13–17 (Middle & High School)
Location: Upchurch Wilson Chamber
Is it Shakespeare or Tupac? Sometimes, it’s hard to tell. Malik-16 challenges students to decode poetic power across time—examining the truth, rhythm, and rebellion found in both Shakespeare’s plays and Tupac’s lyrics. Through side-by-side comparisons, open dialogue, and original writing, students will find their own voice in the struggle, and learn to write verses that speak back to the world.
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Recommended Ages: 12–17 (Middle & High School)
Location: Martinelli Board Room
What makes a hero when the world is falling apart? In this pulse-pounding writing workshop, bestselling author Lamar Giles challenges students to create characters who are on the run—from corrupt systems, dangerous secrets, or a past that won’t stay hidden. Inspired by thrillers like The Getaway and Sanctuary, this session blends fast-paced world-building, hard choices, and bold imagination to explore how heroes emerge—not by being perfect, but by refusing to give up.
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Recommended Ages: 12–16 (middle-high school)
Location: Greenwood Atrium
Hop in the car and join award-winning author Pablo Cartaya for a heartfelt, hilarious, and creative session inspired by his newest novel, A Hero’s Guide to Summer Vacation. Through readings, storytelling, and interactive mapping, students will reflect on their own personal journeys, design a hero’s adventure of their own, and learn how even the toughest roads can lead to transformation. Bring your imagination—and your sense of direction.
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All Ages
Location: West Madison Street
VMFA on the Road is the museum’s 21st-century Artmobile, coming to you from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Lunch & More, 11:30-12:45
Visit the VCBF bookstore, stop by the VMFA artmobile, try your hand at being the Hulk, join a watermelon-eating contest, and more!
Session 3, 1:00-1:45
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Recommended Ages: 12-18 (middle-high school)
Location: Dorrill Nance Room
Join fantasy author Alex London for an interactive writing workshop designed for middle and high school students. Together, you’ll explore the essentials of fantasy storytelling—worldbuilding, character creation, and conflict—while rolling prompts and inventing your own imaginative settings. Students will leave with the beginnings of a fantasy tale and the tools to keep creating long after the session ends.
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Recommended Ages: 13–17 (Middle & High School)
Location: Martinelli Board Room
What do hip hop and literature have in common? Everything.
In this electrifying session, poet, lyricist, and educator Malik-16 breaks down the power of the verse and helps students discover their voice through rhythm, rhyme, and raw truth. From Kendrick Lamar to your own notebook, you'll see how bars build identity, tell stories, and demand to be heard.
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Recommended Ages: 11–18 (Middle School-Young Adult)
Location: Lankford Ballroom
What’s scarier than a ghost story? A ghost story that fits in your backpack. Join bestselling authors Meg Medina, Dan Poblocki, Lamre Giles, and Jay Cooper for a thrilling flash fiction workshop where students write haunting tales in exactly 100 words. Through lightning-fast writing prompts, spooky brainstorming, and live author coaching, kids will craft tightly wound, eerie stories that chill—and thrill—using just the right words.
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Recommended ages: 12-18 (middle-young adult)
Location: Willett Hall
Sometimes the best ideas and the best talk come when we are playing a game. Sports are more than just a way to break the ice. They are a way to interact, to spur being social, to solve problems, to connect. Pablo wants to connect with kids through sports, to talk about books, and life, and friends, and dreams. So come play basketball!
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All Ages
Location: LCVA, 129 N Main St.
Join Cozbi and Monty to paint on the 2026 VCBF mural at the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts!
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All Ages
Location: West Madison Street
VMFA on the Road is the museum’s 21st-century Artmobile, coming to you from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.