All events are free to attend unless otherwise stated! Please give us a call if you have any questions or concerns, or if you would like to order one of the featured books for pick-up. For regular updates on Bards Alley events and book clubs, subscribe to our weekly newsletter at the bottom of this page!

Fall for the Book
October 5 - 10, 2026
@ Various Locations

Fall for the Book celebrates its 28th year hosting authors and events! Join us for a multitude of author talks and events this year during the week of October 5th, including headliners Stephen Graham Jones and Celeste Ng, featured author Geoff Bennett, as well as the Beck Environmental Lecture and the New American Voices Award, founded in 2018 by Fall for the Book and the Institute for Immigration Research.

Library events begin on October 5th and 6th, with events at George Mason University continuing on October 7th and October 8th, a poetry social and Celeste Ng on October 9th, and kid's events at the Fairfax Fall Festival on October 10th taking place at Paradise Games. Find the entire schedule on their website at fallforthebook.org

Bards Alley will be on-site at many of the events selling copies of the authors' books, and book signings will follow each.

Fall for the Book Presents:
The Beck Environmental Lecture: Elizabeth Rusch
Wednesday, October 7, 6:00PM - 7:30PM
@ Grand Tier III, Center for the Arts, 4343 Mason Pond Dr., Fairfax, VA

Elizabeth Rusch tells the compelling story of an ongoing landmark legal case that maintains all citizens have a right to a stable climate.

In 2015, twenty-one plaintiffs, aged 8 through 19 filed a lawsuit against the United States government, arguing their support of fossil fuels is propelling climate change, and that “all citizens have a constitutional right to a stable climate.” Elizabeth Rusch tells the compelling story of this ongoing landmark case in The Twenty-One: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the U.S. Government Over Climate Change. The book interweaves the case–Juliana vs. United States–through the judicial system, while cataloguing climate emergencies, and gives voice to youth activism. Booklist gave The Twenty-One a starred review, saying, “The groundbreaking accomplishments of the Twenty-One are celebrated, as is the work of young climate control activists around the world... Inspiring.” Sponsored by Robert & Lucy Beck.

This event is part of the Fall for the Book Festival, which runs from October 6-10. Bards Alley will be on-site selling copies of the book, and a signing will follow.

About the author: Elizabeth Rusch is the author of A Greater Goal and You Call This Democracy?, both of which were finalists for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults, and more than a dozen acclaimed children’s books, including picture books, middle grade, fiction, nonfiction, and a graphic novel. In a starred review Kirkus Reviews called her book The 21: The True Story of the Youth Who Sued the U.S. Government Over Climate Change a “nail-biting account.” She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her family.

Fall for the Book Presents:
The 9th Annual New American Voices Award Ceremony
Thursday, October 8, 4:30PM - 6:00PM
@ Fenwick Library Room 2001, George Mason university, 4400 University Dr., Fairfax, VA

Enjoy the three powerhouse finalists, Ada Ferrer, Bindu Bansinath, and Chantel Acevedo—and celebrate the winner—of the ninth annual New American Voices Award for immigrant writers. This year’s award was judged by Angie Cruz, Donna Hemans, and Weike Wang. The New American Voices Award was created in 2018 by Fall for the Book and the Institute for Immigration Research to recognize recently published works that illuminate the complexity of the human experience as told by immigrants, whose work is historically underrepresented in writing and publishing. Presented in Partnership with the Institute for Immigration Research.

This event is part of the Fall for the Book Festival, which runs from October 6-10. Bards Alley will be on-site selling copies of the book, and a signing will follow. This event is free to attend, no reservation required.

Ada Ferrer is Dayton-Stockton Professor of History at Princeton University. From 1995 to 2024, she taught at New York University. She is the author, most recently, of Cuba: An American History, winner of a Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in history, and a finalist for the Cundill History Prize. Her earlier books won multiple prizes, among them the Frederick Douglass Book Prize from the Gilder Lehrman Center at Yale University, three prizes from the American Historical Association, and the Berkshire Book Prize for the best first book by a woman in any field of history. Born in Cuba and raised in the United States, Ferrer has been traveling to and conducting research on the island since 1990.

Bindu Bansinath is a senior writer at New York Magazine’s The Cut, where she covers everything from crime and class to news, culture and relationships. She previously worked as an assistant editor at Harper’s. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Paris Review, Electric Literature, and more. Her 2025 New York Magazine article, “The Nanny Squatter,” is currently being adapted into an Apple TV series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cecily Strong, directed by Mary Bronstein. Men Like Ours is her first novel.

Chantel Acevedo  was born in Miami to Cuban parents. She is the author of The Living Infinite  (Europa, 2017); The Distant Marvels (Europa, 2015), a Carnegie Medal Finalist; A Falling Star (Carolina Wren Press, 2014); and Love and Ghost Letters (St. Martins, 2006), winner of the Latino International Book Award. Acevedo is a professor of English at the University of Miami, where she teaches in the MFA program.

Fall for the Book Presents:
Black Out Loud with Geoff Bennett
Thursday, October 8, 6:00PM - 7:30PM
@ Grand Tier III, Center for the Arts, 4343 Mason Pond Dr., Fairfax, VA

Comedy shows such as In Living Color, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Living Single define ‘90s television culture. In Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to ‘90s Sitcoms, award-winning journalist and PBS NewsHour co-anchor Geoff Bennett follows the history of Black comedians and performers from 19th-century minstrel shows to the era of sitcoms. He charts the careers of icons such as Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, and Whoopi Goldberg, examining how they and their peers paved the way for Black entertainers in the future. Sponsored by African & African American Studies.
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This event is part of the Fall for the Book Festival, which runs from October 6-10. Bards Alley will be on-site selling copies of the book, and a signing will follow. Free to attend, registration required.

About the author: Geoff Bennett is the co-anchor of PBS NewsHour and an NBC News contributor. A Peabody Award–winning journalist, he has reported on politics at the highest levels, covering the White House and six presidential elections, while also conducting exclusive interviews with cultural icons, global leaders, and groundbreaking artists. His work bridges politics and culture, offering insight into the forces that shape American society. He lives in the Washington, DC, area with his wife and their son.

Fall for the Book Presents:
An American Indian Horror Story: Stephen Graham Jones
Thursday, October 8, 7:30PM - 9:00PM
@ Harris Theatre, George Mason University, 4471 Aquia Creek Ln., Fairfax, VA

In The Buffalo Hunter Hunter, horror icon Stephen Graham Jones unspools an American Indian revenge story told through transcribed interviews of a Blackfeet named Good Stab. His tale unveils a Blackfeet massacre and the haunting, immortal search for justice. He will be in conversation with author Dani Trujillo​.

Jones is the author of over thirty novels, novellas, comics, and more, including the The Only Good Indians and My Heart is a Chainsaw. His forthcoming novel Off the Reservation returns to the Blackfeet reservation exploring another dark corner of this nation’s history involving the Carlisle Indian Industrial School. Jones is the recipient of numerous honors, including four Bram Stoker awards and three Shirley Jackson awards, and has been named a finalist for the World Fantasy Award. Sponsored by George Mason Friends.

Special Announcement: Get your exclusive early copy of Off the Reservation during this event only - days before it hits shelves!

​This event is part of the Fall for the Book Festival, which runs from October 6-10. Bards Alley will be on-site selling copies of the book, and a signing will follow. Free to attend, registration required.

About the author: Stephen Graham Jones is the New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians. He has been an NEA fellowship recipient and a recipient of several awards including the Ray Bradbury Award from the Los Angeles Times, the Bram Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, the Jesse Jones Award for Best Work of Fiction from the Texas Institute of Letters, the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction, and the Alex Award from American Library Association. He is the Ivena Baldwin Professor of English at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Fall for the Book Presents:
Fiction in a Fractured Age: Celeste Ng
Friday, October 9, 7:30PM - 9:00PM
@ Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center, 3740 Blenheim Blvd., Fairfax, VA

Enjoy an evening with world-renowned author Celeste Ng as she discusses the suspense, drama, and beautifully complex interpersonal relationships that appear in her writing.

Ng is the author of Everything I Never Told You and Little Fires Everywhere, which was adapted into a Hulu limited series starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington. In her latest New York Times bestseller, Our Missing Hearts, Ng tells the story of twelve-year-old Bird living in a near-future version of America on a quest to find his political dissident mother. Sponsored by Friends of the Reston Regional Library and Friends of City of Fairfax Regional Library. 

​​This event is part of the Fall for the Book Festival, which runs from October 6-10. Bards Alley will be on-site selling copies of the book, and a signing will follow. Free to attend, registration required.

About the author: Celeste Ng is the number one New York Times bestselling author of the novels Everything I Never Told You, Little Fires Everywhere, and Our Missing Hearts. Ng is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation, and her work has been published in over thirty languages.

Susan Metallo in conversation with Alice Scott and special guest Andrew Joseph White: HEARTS ON THE TABLE
Thursday, October 22, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
@ Bards Alley

Author Susan Metallo will be in conversation with bookseller and indie author Alice Scott alongside bestselling author Andrew Joseph White to discuss her brand new YA historical romance release Hearts on the Table. It is a twisty transformation of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, populated with queer, trans, and neurodivergent characters as readers follow a seventeen-year-old English feminist with a penchant for thrashing men at cards who finds herself stranded on an enemy-controlled island and tangled in the last mess she’d ever expect: love.

Books will be available for purchase at the event, and a signing will follow the discussion. Registration is required.

About HEARTS ON THE TABLE: Violet is used to winning—with her mathematical mind, no one stands a chance of beating her at cards, or much of anything else. So, when her wrathful father threatens to marry her and her trans twin brother Seb to the highest bidders, she’s certain they can escape England, even with a war on. But before they reach safety in Italy, a U-boat sinks their ship, and Violet washes up on a small island, on the wrong side of enemy lines, desperate to find her missing twin.

To earn passage to the mainland, where she hopes Seb has landed, Violet disguises herself as a man and accepts a job delivering love poetry for melancholy pacifist Teo, the island’s irritating golden boy. The object of his affection, fair Olivia, is less than enchanted, but she is intrigued by the handsome delivery boy—Violet in disguise. While Violet struggles to sidestep Olivia’s attentions, she’s vexed by her own inconvenient but undeniable attraction to Teo.

Add a mysterious newcomer, who converts the love triangle into a square, and Olivia’s autistic sister, who’s concocting a devilish revenge against the island’s biggest bully, and odds are things will only get messier. Fortunately, playing the odds is Violet’s specialty.

About the author: Susan Metallo is a neurodivergent author and youth services librarian. Reasons To Hate Me, her debut novel, was an Indies Introduce Selection for Summer/Fall 2025. She serves as regional advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in New Mexico. “My intentions for Hearts on the Table,” she writes, “were to honor the neurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ experiences of the early twentieth century with a balance of accuracy and hope, acknowledging the challenges and discrimination while focusing on agency and joy.”

Story Time
Pat Tanumihardja: Fried Rice Surprise!
Saturday, October 24, 11:00am - 12:00PM
@ Bards Alley

Join us at Bards Alley for a story time event with local author Patricia Tanumihardja and her newest picture book Fried Rice Surprise! This brand new release is a celebration of food, friendship, and culture -- how a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, can create something magical.

This event is great for grades pre-K through 3rd and is a fun, free, family-friendly event. Books will be available for purchase at the event and a book signing will follow! Free to attend, no registration required.

About FRIED RICE SURPRISE: ​Fern loves opening her lunchbox—sometimes it holds something colorful, sometimes sweet and spicy, but always delicious. When she learns about the Japanese tradition of “mottainai”—never wasting what’s too good to throw away—Fern is inspired to create a meal to share with her friends. Together with her mama, she stirs up a wok of fried rice filled with everyone’s favorite flavors: curry spices, carnitas, pilaf, bok choy, and more. With lively, joyful illustrations by Shiho Pate and a heartfelt story by Patricia Tanumihardja, this picture book celebrates food, friendship, and the magic that happens when different ingredients—and people—come together.

About the author: Patricia Tanumihardja was born in Jakarta to Chinese-Indonesian parents and grew up in Singapore, where she developed a lifelong love of food and storytelling. She is the author of several cookbooks highlighting pan-Asian flavors as well as children’s picture books that celebrate the connections between food, culture, and community, including Ramen for Everyone and Fried Rice Surprise. She now lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and son, where she continues to write and cook with equal passion.

(Spooky) Books 'n Brews:
A Boozy Book Fair
Sunday, October 25, 3:00pm - 6:00PM
@ Caboose Tavern, 520 Mill St. NE, Vienna, VA

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Our next Books 'n Brews pop-up at Caboose Tavern is on Sunday, October 25th -- swing by, enjoy some brews, and browse a curated selection of new releases, staff picks, and cozy (or haunted) Fall reads to cozy up with as the weather continues to cool and leaves continue to fall. Halloween vibes a-plenty, with book & drink pairings and new titles not typically featured at Bards Alley!

Books 'n Brews is a family-friendly book fair event! While we mostly feature adult titles and picture books, bring the whole family to spend an evening at Caboose or invite friends to chat books and grab dinner with after you shop Bards Alley's table. Bards Alley will be set up on the second level at Caboose visible up the stairs at the front entrance. Attendees may order drinks while they browse or grab a table inside or outside after they finish shopping.

The event will take place from 3PM until 6PM on October 25th. You may arrive at any point within that time frame and Bards Alley will be set up and selling books! Caboose will also be offering their happy hour specials during the event: $1 off food, $2 off beer, and $3 off wine/cocktails.

Spread the word and support two of your favorite Vienna businesses!

Alma Katsu with K.T. Nguyen: Incarnate
Tuesday, October 27, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
@ Mary Riley Styles Public Library, 120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church, VA

From beloved horror maven Alma Katsu comes a terrifying reimagining of The Picture of Dorian Gray for the internet age. Hear the award-winning novelist and former senior intelligence analyst discuss her latest novel, Incarnate, a techno-horror and haunting tale of algorithmic worship. She will be in conversation with mystery writer K.T. Nguyen, author of You Know What You Did.

Bards Alley will be on-site selling both of the authors' books and a book signing will follow the discussion. Free to attend, registration required.

About INCARNATE: Beauty doesn’t fade. It feeds. Dorothy Wagner has spent her whole life wanting nothing more than to be seen. But after failing to make her mark as an influencer, she takes a job working for a brilliant coder whose company is focused on cutting-edge deepfake technology. And there, in secret, is where she creates her salvation.

Isabella. An impossibly gorgeous girl who takes social media by storm. Dorothy's artistry is brilliant, and Isabella seems so real that she garners millions of followers. But everybody knows overnight success doesn’t just happen. And when someone gets a little too close to the truth, a violent confrontation sends Dorothy on the run, forcing her to confront what she’s willing to sacrifice to keep her secrets.

About the authors:
Alma Katsu is the award-winning author of eleven novels, most recently Fiend, Red London, The Fervor, and Red Widow. Prior to the publication of her first novel, she had a thirty-five-year career as a senior intelligence analyst for several U.S. agencies, including the CIA and NSA, as well as RAND, the global policy think tank. Katsu is a graduate of the masters writing program at the Johns Hopkins University and received her bachelors degree from Brandeis University. She lives outside of Washington, DC, with her husband, where she is a consultant to government and private industry on future trends and analytic methods.

K.T. Nguyen is a former Glamour magazine editor. Her debut novel You Know What You Did received the Agatha Award for Best First Mystery. The Seattle Times called it "a swirly, tangled hair-raiser...as sinister as it is emotional." It was selected as a People Magazine Best Book of April 2024 and named a Best Mystery and Thriller Book of 2024 by Elle, Parade, and Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine.

Launch Event:
Andrew Joseph White with Alice Scott: You're No Better
Tuesday, October 27, 7:00PM - 8:00PM
@ Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr., Reston, VA

Join us at Reston Regional Library for the launch event for Andrew Joseph White's upcoming, horrific young adult thriller: You're No Better. This is a profound portrait of a struggling teen trying to convince the world—and himself—that he’s better than the serial killer who raised him, perfect for fans of E. Kennedy's Thornbird. Andrew will be in conversation with bookseller and author Alice Scott.

Bards Alley will be on-site selling both of the authors' books and a book signing will follow the discussion. Free to attend, registration required.

About YOU'RE NO BETTER: Morgan Slaughter, a seventeen-year-old trans boy with autism, put his serial killer father in prison years ago. Despite that, everyone thinks Morgan will grow up to be just like his dad: including his volatile mother, the documentary crew following their family, and maybe himself.

Desperately, Morgan latches onto his father’s final victim—the only one who was never identified—hoping that if he unravels the mystery, he’ll finally prove he’s better than the man who hurt him. But this puts Morgan in the crosshairs of classmate Felicity Keating, who knows the truth about Morgan’s childhood—that he wasn’t just a witness to his father’s brutality, he was an accomplice. And if he doesn’t let them help with his investigation? They’ll tell everyone.

Forced to confront his past, Morgan’s ugly but carefully controlled world unravels. The film crew is manipulative. His mother’s temper spirals into malice, then violence. And Morgan and Felicity may be more tightly intertwined than either of them can stomach...

About the authors:
Andrew Joseph White is the bestselling author of Hell Followed with Us, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth, Compound Fracture, and more. Born and raised in the Shenandoah Valley, he received his MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University, and lives in Virginia with his wife and their cranky cat.

Alice Scott is an author who may or may not be a ferret turned into a person by a kiss from a prince. She has a degree in creative writing from George Mason University and is currently working as an independent bookseller with a specialty in recommending queer and underappreciated books.

From Red China to Blue Maryland
Lily Qi: Elected American
Saturday, November 14, 6:30PM - 7:30PM
@ Bards Alley

Join us at Bards Alley as Maryland State Legislator Lily Qi speaks about her new release, Elected American: From Red China to Blue Maryland. This tells the inspirational story of Chinese-born Qi, her dreams, setbacks, and achievements, now acting as one of the leading voices on immigrant integration, civic and political engagement, and the Asian-American experience.

Lily Qi will be in conversation with another speaker, to be confirmed. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event and a signing will follow their discussion. Registration required.

About ELECTED AMERICAN: Thirty years after her solo journey to America, Chinese-born Lily Qi became a Maryland state delegate. It was a gratifying moment she did not take for granted. Qi had overcome a viral WeChat disinformation campaign from her Chinese community and was met with skepticism from the Democratic establishment before being elected.

Growing up in Mao’s Shanghai, when “politics meant danger,” she never imagined running for public office. However, living in America, Qi came to see political participation as a missed opportunity for immigrants. As she campaigned to energize her cultural base, Qi realized she had to teach first-time voters how to make their votes count in a system not designed for them.

As the only U.S. state legislator who lived through China’s Cultural Revolution, Qi brings a rare cross-system perspective to American politics and modern-day Asian American identity. Elected American is a political memoir and an immigrant story that emphasizes that democracy doesn’t wait on the sidelines—it favors those who participate.

About the author: Lily Qi has served in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2019, representing Montgomery County, a suburb of Washington D.C. As a champion for economic competitiveness and cultural competency, Qi is a leading voice on immigrant integration, civic and political engagement, and the Asian American experience.