Alexandria Festival of the Book coming to St. Paul's in March
The free one-day event features five historians and biographers exploring America from the Revolution to the Jazz Age.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church will host the Alexandria Festival of the Book on Saturday, March 14, bringing five award-winning authors to Old Town for a day of talks, book signings, and discussions spanning 250 years of American history.
The festival, organized in collaboration with Virginia Humanities, is themed “Portraying America 1776–2026” and is part of Alexandria’s America250 commemorations marking the nation’s semiquincentennial.
The morning session focuses on the Revolutionary era. Tim Rose will discuss George Washington’s relationship with Alexandria in “George Washington and Alexandria: A Founding Friendship.” Cassandra A. Good will speak on “First Family: George Washington’s Heirs and the Making of America.” Ricardo A. Herrera will cover “Feeding Washington’s Army: Surviving the Valley Forge Winter of 1778.”
The afternoon shifts to the Gilded Age and Jazz Age. Henry Wiencek will discuss “Stan and Gus: Art, Ardor and the Friendship That Built the Gilded Age,” on the collaboration between architect Stanford White and sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. Donna Lucey will speak on “Sargent’s Women: Four Lives Behind the Canvas,” about the subjects of painter John Singer Sargent. The session also marks the 100th anniversary of “The Great Gatsby.”
“Alexandria is, indeed, George Washington’s ‘hometown’ and we are pleased to celebrate that,” said Oran Warder, rector of St. Paul’s. “Alexandria is also a city of readers and book clubs, and we are excited about the opportunity to explore a few selections from the literature that help explain and define us.”
The setting is part of the draw. St. Paul’s was founded in 1809 and designed by Benjamin Latrobe, the architect of the U.S. Capitol. The Gothic Revival church at 228 S. Pitt St. has hosted community events for more than two centuries.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and is free. Registration is encouraged at alexandriavabookfest.eventbrite.com. Books will be available for purchase and signing after each session.