The Alexandria Festival of the Book
Portraying America 1776 - 2026
A collaboration of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Alexandria
and Virginia Humanities
More than a dozen award-winning authors joined an enthusiastic gathering of readers and book lovers for “Portraying America 1776 - 2026” , the inaugural Alexandria Festival of the Book, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church on March 14. The event was a collaboration between St. Paul’s and Virginia Humanities, the state humanities council which has been supporting the Virginia Festival of the Book in Charlottesville for more than 30 years.
After an introduction by the Rev. Oran Warder, rector of St. Paul’s, and Matthew Gibson, the Executive Director of Virginia Humanities, the first panel explored the legacies of George Washington, touching upon his heirs as the first “first family” and then the army’s foraging for food for the terrible winter at Valley Forge. The panel included Tim Rose, the founder of Alexandria History Tours and the author of the recently published “George Washington and Alexandria: A Founding Friendship.”
The festival then moved to George Washington as a gardener with recently retired Mount Vernon horticulturist J. Dean Norton describing the landscape and gardens at Mount Vernon and to the contributions of France and Spain to the Revolutionary War effort. J. Dean Norton has contributed to two books on Mount Vernon: “The General in the Garden” and “Dining with the Washingtons” Dr. Ferreiro is the author of “Brothers at Arms” which documents the assistance provided to the colonies by France and Spain. The panel was moderated by Alexandria resident Hugh
De Santis, a retired diplomat and author whose latest book, “The Right to Rule: American Exceptionalism and the Coming Multipolar World Order” traces American exceptionalism from colonial times through today.
The afternoon sessions skipped forward to the Gilded Age and then to the Jazz Age and beyond. Author Henry Wiencek discussed his book, “Stan and Gus: Art, Ardor and the Friendship That Built the Gilded Age”, the story of the personal and professional relationship of architect Stanford White and sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. The book has been short listed for the prestigious PEN literary award which will be announced at the end of March.
The afternoon sessions also delved into the work of American artist John Singer Sargent, J. Pierpont Morgan’s personal librarian Belle da Costa Greene, The Great Gatsby and the films of Oscar-winning director William Wyler.
Please watch the website for further announcements: www.alexvabookfest.org
.png)
