Virtual Bookstock Festival starts Thursday

(Gareth Henderson Photo)

For the first time, Woodstock's annual literary festival will go virtual on Thursday night, kicking off a series of four author appearances this year.

Virtual Bookstock 2020 is one of many "firsts" in the world, as large events navigate life in the pandemic. Alison Hankey, the festival’s coordinator, said a small team took on the effort to "reorganize and rethink" Bookstock’s 12th year. The response to the virtual announcement has been overwhelmingly positive, Hankey said. 

"I think people really are craving cultural connection at this time, and Bookstock is kind of an anchor event for that," she said.    

The Vermont festival is still free, with registration open right up until the last minute. Audiences will be able to take part in online Q&A in real time.

The first author in the 2020 line-up is poet, jazz historian and music reviewer Reuben Jackson, of Washington, D.C., who will take the virtual stage on Thursday at 7 p.m. He will read from his newest book of poetry, "Scattered Clouds," and is well-known to Vermont as the former host of "Friday Night Jazz" on Vermont Public Radio. 

"The programming we've set up, starting with Reuben Jackson, is just highly relevant to the times we're living in," Hankey said. "Three of the authors are African American, and we felt really strongly we wanted to make sure we're amplifying Black voices."

Additionally, the program maintains the event's strong ties to the Green Mountains, as each author has a connection to Vermont. 

"Bookstock is very much a Vermont literary event, and we are trying to highlight that with this programming," Hankey said.       

After Thursday, this series continues in the coming months with cartoonist, game designer, and author Jason Lutes (Hartland, Vermont) reading from and discussing his graphic novel “Berlin”, which has been published in 15 languages; Dr. François S. Clemmons (Middlebury, Vermont), the Grammy Award-winning founder and director of the Harlem Spiritual Ensemble and author of “Officer Clemmons”, his memoir titled after the role he created on the PBS television series “Mister Rogers' Neighborhood”; and New York Times reporter and author Nikita Stewart ("Troop 6000: The Girl Scout Troop That Began in a Shelter and Inspired the World"). These appearances are on Oct. 15, Nov. 19 and Dec. 17, respectively. 

Bookstock 2020's core team includes Hankey; program coordinator Pam Ahlen; communications director Meg Brazill, who works for event partner Norman Williams Public Library; and Peter Rousmaniere, Bookstock's head of donor and partner relations. 

As for 2021, Bookstock is planning two events. The traditional book sale on the Woodstock Village Green will be in late July as usual, and the author presentations will be in September. That said, Hankey noted it's unclear whether small venues will be available for those presentations.

"It's very much aspirational at this point," she said. 

Hankey said this fall's program will be a "learning opportunity" for the Bookstock group, just as many groups are having to learn about Zoom to deliver events.     

"We as a committee, as a group, are learning from this, and once we do that, we'll have a better idea of what we can do in years to come," she said. 

Hankey is a content manager for LinkedIn Learning, where she develops online courses for businesses professionals. 

"It's wonderful to bring an iconic festival into the world of technology," she said. "It's a great learning experience."    

Bookstock 2020’s sponsors and partners are Mascoma Bank, The Byrne Foundation and the Norman Williams Public Library, with additional critical support from Pauline Davenport Children’s Fund of the Vermont Community Foundation, as well as Vermont Poetry Center.

— Gareth Henderson