All events are free to attend unless otherwise stated! Please give us a call if you have any questions or concerns. Sign up for our weekly newsletter at the bottom of this page to stay up-to-date on Bards Alley's events and book clubs!

If you are experiencing COVID-like symptoms or have come into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, we ask that you please do not attend in-person events. Instead, feel free to order the book over the phone so we can have it signed for you to pick up when you're out of the woods!

Bruce Holsinger: CULPABILITY
Wednesday, January 21, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
@ Mary Riley Styles Library, 120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church, VA

​Join us at Mary Riley Styles Public Library in Falls Church for a conversation with award-winning author Bruce Holsinger on his most recent release, the riveting Culpability. 

Culpability explores a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other nonhuman forces in ways that are thrilling, challenging, and unimaginably provocative, in addition to a father's complex relationship with his 17-year-old son. "Secrets swirl and the stakes rise in this sharply modern family drama," as described by People.

Bards Alley will be on-site selling copies of Culpability in addition to backlist titles such as The Displacements and The Gifted School. Bruce will be signing books after his talk.

About CULPABILITY: When the Cassidy-Shaws’ autonomous minivan collides with an oncoming car, seventeen-year-old Charlie is in the driver’s seat, with his father, Noah, riding shotgun. In the back seat, tweens Alice and Izzy are on their phones, while their mother, Lorelei, a world leader in the field of artificial intelligence, is absorbed in her work. Yet each family member harbors a secret, implicating them all in the tragic accident.

During a weeklong recuperation on the Chesapeake Bay, the family confronts the excruciating moral dilemmas triggered by the crash. Noah tries to hold the family together as a seemingly routine police investigation jeopardizes Charlie’s future. Alice and Izzy turn strangely furtive. And Lorelei’s odd behavior tugs at Noah’s suspicions that there is a darker truth behind the incident—suspicions heightened by the sudden intrusion of Daniel Monet, a tech mogul whose mysterious history with Lorelei hints at betrayal. When Charlie falls for Monet’s teenaged daughter, the stakes are raised even higher in this propulsive family drama that is also a fascinating exploration of the moral responsibility and ethical consequences of AI.

Culpability explores a world newly shaped by chatbots, autonomous cars, drones, and other nonhuman forces in ways that are thrilling, challenging, and unimaginably provocative.

About the author: Bruce Holsinger is the author of Culpability, the 116th selection of Oprah’s Book Club and hailed by Oprah Winfrey as “a must-read for all generations.” His four previous novels include The Gifted School, which won the Colorado Book Award, and The Displacements, the inaugural title in the United Nations Read for Action Book Club. He has also written many works of nonfiction, most recently On Parchment: Animals, Archives, and the Making of Culture from Herodotus to the Digital Age. His essays and reviews have appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, and many other publications, and he has been profiled on NPR’s Weekend Edition, Here & Now, and Marketplace. He teaches English at the University of Virginia and is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship.

Story Time with Patricia Tanumihardja: Monkey's Sweet Surprise
Saturday, January 31, 11:00am - 12:00pm

Ring in the Lunar New Year a bit early with a story time from local author Patricia Tanumihardja! Her newest picture book, Monkey's Sweet Surprise, is a delightful Lunar New Year adventure inspired by the Vietnamese, Gurung, and Malay zodiac traditions—filled with friendship, teamwork, and delicious desserts!

This story time is great for readers aged 3-8 years old and Patricia will be signing copies of her book after the reading. Copies will be for sale during and after the event. No RSVP required.

About MONKEY'S SWEET SURPRISE: This story whisks young readers away to the Jade Empress’s grand banquet, where a charming cast of zodiac animals—including Mouse Deer (from the Malay zodiac) and Cat (from the Vietnamese Zodiac)—prepare their finest festive dishes. Determined to redeem himself after last year’s kooky catastrophe, Monkey sets out to make the Empress’s favorite dessert: pineapple tarts. But along the way, he discovers that the sweetest surprises come from helping friends and working together.

Set in a whimsical world inspired by these rich zodiac traditions, this beautifully illustrated picture book blends Southeast Asian cultural heritage, imaginative storytelling, and a deep love of food while sharing timeless lessons in friendship, teamwork, and forgiveness.

About the author: Patricia (Pat) Tanumihardja grew up a third culture kid, forever curious about the world around her and her place in it. Born in Jakarta and raised in Singapore, her Indonesian Chinese parents encouraged her appetites for both delicious foods and good books. As a writer, Pat’s work explores food, culture, and self. Her fun, heartwarming stories often echo her lived experiences buoyed by universal themes. Her debut children's book Ramen for Everyone was a JLG Gold Selection, and was soon followed by Jimmy’s Shoes and The Sugar Plum Bakers.

M. J. O'Brien: The Tougaloo Nine
Saturday, February 7, 3:00pm - 4:30pm
@ Tysons-Pimmit Library, 7584 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA

​Join us at Tysons-Pimmit Library in for a conversation with award-winning local author M. J. O'Brien on his most recent release, the nonfiction title The Tougaloo Nine: The Jackson Library Sit-In at the Crossroads of Civil War and Civil Rights. 

The Tougaloo Nine is the winner of the Book of the Year Award from the Mississippi Historical Society and delves into the history of the first student-led, direct-action civil rights demonstration in the state of Mississippi. Through numerous interviews and years of research, O'Brien examines Tougaloo College's culture of resistance, Mississippi's determination to preserve segregation, and the early strings of the student movement in Jackson.

Bards Alley will be on-site selling copies of The Tougaloo Nine and a book signing will follow O'Brien's talk.

About THE TOUGALOO NINE: During a dramatic three-day period in March 1961, nine students from historically Black Tougaloo College staged sit-ins at the all-White Main Library in Jackson, Mississippi. The students conducted their protest and were arrested, held in jail overnight, and convicted of “breach of peace”—the first time that charge had ever been brought in a Mississippi courtroom. Meanwhile, students at Jackson State College held sympathy protests, and the police responded harshly. On day three, police attacked a peaceful crowd of observers awaiting the trial’s outcome, using attack dogs, billy clubs, and tear gas to disperse the crowd, one of the first known uses of police dogs on a peaceful gathering during the civil rights era.

The protests occurred while Mississippi was preparing to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the state’s secession from the Union and the commencement of the Civil War. The library sit-in preempted the state’s Confederate extravaganza that brought more than thirty thousand mostly White observers into the streets of Jackson while the students sat in jail, further inflaming passions on both sides. O'Brien tells the stories of these courageous African American students.

​About the author: M. J. O’Brien is a writer and researcher who served for twenty-five years as the chief communications and public relations officer for a national not-for-profit cooperative. He is author of the award-winning We Shall Not Be Moved: The Jackson Woolworth’s Sit-In and the Movement It Inspired, published by University Press of Mississippi.

Bsrat Mezghebe witH Helon Habila: I Hope You Find What You're Looking For
Tuesday, February 10, 7:00pm - 8:00pm
@ Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr., Reston, VA

​Join us at Reston Regional Library in Reston for a conversation with debut author Bsrat Mezghebe on her highly anticipated novel I Hope You Find What You're Looking For, a charming multi-generational family story and part of the Well-Read Black Girl Books series. She will be in conversation with award-winning author of Travelers, Oil on Water, and The Chibok Girls, Helon Habila.

A loving ode to an immigrant community on the cusp of a new age, I Hope You Find What You’re Looking For boldly asks: How does our past define our present? It explores three women living in the Eritrean community outside 1990s DC anticipating the end of the war in Eritrea.

Bards Alley will be on-site selling copies of the novel, and Bsrat will be signing books after her discussion.

About I HOPE YOU FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR: The year is 1991. Eritrea is on the verge of liberation from Ethiopian rule and in Washington, D.C.’s tight-knit Eritrean community, change is in the air. Thirteen-year-old Lydia and her family are grappling with what peace after decades of war might mean for their future, just as they welcome Berekhet—a distant cousin newly arrived from Ethiopia to attend medical school in the States. With him comes a barrage of new ideas Lydia must confront for the first time, about the stories of nationhood and family she was raised on.

Meanwhile her mother, Elsa, a former rebel fighter, and the family matriarch, Mama Zewdi, must grapple with regrets long buried in the time their country has been at war. Elsa’s path from Eritrea to D.C. was paved with courage and loss, and figures from her past on the front lines of battle begin to resurface. Mama Zewdi, who runs a successful injera business out of her apartment, finds herself reexamining her place in their little family for the first time, while Lydia, emboldened by Berekhet, becomes committed to uncovering the secrets of her and her mother’s past—including the truth about her father, who was martyred in the war.

About the author: Bsrat Mezghebe received an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University. Her writing has appeared in Guernica, The Paris Review, and the anthology Well–Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves. She lives in the Washington, D.C. area

Blind Date with an Author: Elle Cosimano
Saturday, February 14, 1:00pm - 3:00pm
@ Bull Run Library, 8051 Ashton Ave., Manassas, VA

Meet the author in an exclusive Blind Date with a Book event at Bull Run Library! Elle Cosimano will be the featured author this year to discuss her Finlay Donovan series and her upcoming release Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line, the sixth installment.

Participants of Bull Run Library's Blind Date with a Book event (running February 1 - 14) will be entered into a special drawing for signed copies of the Finlay Donovan series. Participation in Blind Date is not required to attend this event!

Bards Alley will be on-site selling copies of Elle's previous Finlay Donovan books and pre-orders for Finlay Donovan Crosses the Line (please note the book releases after this event). Bookplates will be available for all attendees who pre-order the book with Bards Alley, and Elle will sign them after her event. Shipping will be available for an extra flat rate fee and shipping address/contact information will be taken on-site.

About FINLAY DONOVAN CROSSES THE LINE, releasing March 4, 2026: Life hasn’t been easy for Finlay Donovan lately, but it just got a whole lot harder. Her nanny and partner-in-crime, Vero, has been extradited from Virginia to Maryland, where she’s facing criminal charges for a theft she swears she didn’t commit. A prisoner to an ankle bracelet as she awaits her trial, Vero is forced to live with her overbearing mother and nosy aunt. Threatening messages keep arriving on her mother’s door, demanding Vero “turn over the money . . . or else.” And if she doesn’t figure out who really stole her former sorority’s treasury funds, her next home might be a prison cell.

But proving her innocence might be an impossible feat. Vero was the treasurer of her sorority when the money went missing—one of the only people who had access to the cash. And her alibi is a date who ghosted her. With her court date quickly approaching, and her mysterious stalker on her tail, Vero needs to clear her name fast.

Finlay decides a trip to Maryland is in order. After all, Vero stood by her through her darkest moments, and Finlay will be damned if she lets her best friend and children’s nanny be convicted for something she didn’t do. She sets off on a mission to sus out the real thief and bring Vero home.​

About the author: Elle Cosimano is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, an International Thriller Writers Award winner, and an Edgar Award nominee. Elle’s debut novel for adults, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, kicked off a witty, fast-paced contemporary mystery series. Cosimano lives with her husband and two sons in Virginia.

Helon Habila: The Chibok Girls; Oil on Water; Travelers 
Sunday, February 15, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
@ Mary Riley Styles Library, 120 N. Virginia Ave., Falls Church, VA

Join us as prize-winning author Helon Habila reads from his work, including his international bestseller Oil on Water, a genre-mixing environmental literary thriller, and The Chibok Girls: The Boko Haram Kidnappings and Islamist Militancy in Nigeria, a nonfiction investigation into the kidnapping of 276 girls in Nigeria in 2014. Habila will share passages from his body of work, which includes novels, poetry, essays, and journalism, and discuss his career as a writer, editor, and professor of creative writing.

Several of Habila's books, including The Chibok Girls, Oil on Water, and Travelers will be available for purchase at the event, and a book signing will follow the author talk.

About the author: Helon Habila is a Nigerian/American writer. Born in Nigeria, Habila was invited to be the first African Writing Fellow at the University of East Anglia. In 2005, Habila was invited by Chinua Achebe to become the first Chinua Achebe Fellow at Bard College, New York. He spent a year writing and teaching at Bard; after his fellowship, he became a professor of Creative Writing at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

His first novel, Waiting for an Angel, has been translated into many languages including Dutch, Italian, Swedish, and French. Other works include Travelers: A Novel, an account of African migrants in search of a home in Europe, and Measuring Time, which won the Virginia Library Foundation Prize for fiction. He has also been awarded the Caine Prize, the Commonwealth Writers Prize (Africa Region), the Emily Balch Prize, and Yale University's Windham-Campbell Prize for Fiction.

Crooked Steeple Literary Festival presents:
​Terah Shelton Harris: Where the Wildflowers Grow
Saturday, February 28, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
@ Falls Church Presbyterian, 225 E. Broad St., Falls Church, VA

Join us at the Crooked Steeple Literary Festival at Falls Church Presbyterian for a discussion with acclaimed author Terah Shelton Harris on her newest novel Where the Wildflowers Grow, a poignant story of survival and redemption, asking readers to question what it means to stop surviving and start living.

​Bards Alley will be on-site selling copies of Where the Wildflowers Grow and Harris' backlist titles, and a book signing will follow her talk. While registration is free, you may also include a donation to Falls Church Presbyterian to help the Crooked Steeple Literary Festival's future events.

About WHERE THE WILDFLOWERS GROW: Leigh is the last of the Wildes. She knows this because she watched them all die. Grief never truly fades and even as the tragedy haunts her, Leigh carries on, because survival is in her blood. So, when the transport bus taking her to prison careens off the road, killing everyone onboard except her, she does what’s in her nature. She survives. 

While searching for a place to hide, Leigh stumbles upon an unexpected sanctuary: a flower farm in rural Alabama tucked away from the world. What Leigh doesn’t expect is the found family there who have built something from the wreckage of their own lives. Especially Jackson, the farm’s owner, who sees through Leigh’s defenses, offers her small moments of tenderness, encourages her to face her own tragedies. Slowly, Leigh finds peace with the hard pace and soft nature of the farm, taking comfort in the life blooming around her. Maybe she’s not beyond redemption, not too broken for something good. And maybe, just maybe, Leigh starts to heal.

But the past isn't so easily buried. No matter how far she runs, the truth of who she is and the ghosts of the Wildes follow. And when those secrets catch up to her, threatening everything she’s come to love, Leigh will have to truly face what she can survive.

About the author: Terah Shelton Harris is an author and collection development librarian based in Alabama and a freelance writer. She has been published in Women’s Health, Natural Solutions, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Backpacker, Draft, and Women’s Adventure. She is the author of One Summer in Savannah and Long After We Are Gone.

A conversation with Fantasy Authors Darby Cox and Salinee Goldenberg
Saturday, February 28, 3:00PM - 4:00PM
@ Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr., Reston, VA

Join us for a conversation with two high fantasy authors Darby Cox and Salinee Goldenberg. Cox is the debut author of A Day of Breath, a dark and imaginative fantasy adventure filled with demons and religious conspiracy, and great for fans of NK Jemisin and Naomi Novik. Goldenberg is the author of the Thai-inspired world of Suyoram, which includes The Last Phi Hunter and the upcoming Way of the Walker.

Both authors will be signing copies of their books after their discussion, and books will be available to purchase at the event from Bards Alley.

About A DAY OF BREATH: Oly is Niawa’s longest serving Champion, a warrior given magical strength. She stands alone at the Edge, protecting the kingdom from demonic hordes that emerge from a rift between the realms. But her powers are fading; she has to find a way to get them back, and fast.

An answer comes when Heir Fallon, distraught when he is not chosen to be the next ruler of Niawa, attempts to change his fate by convincing Oly to leave the Edge for the first time in ten years for the Day of Breath. It's the one day a year demons can't breach the rift and Fallon’s invitation is a chance for Oly to beg for her strength to be renewed.

But reuniting with family and regaining her strength is interrupted when parasitic demons spread through the kingdom on the one day it should be impossible. As Oly grows weaker and Fallon struggles to take the throne, they have until midnight to find a way to stop the carnage before the rift awakes again.

About WAY OF THE WALKER: With her constant connection to the Everpresent – the mystical plane where hunters draw their powers – Isaree’s a natural Phi Hunter, with a future predetermined by tradition: to stalk the Kingdom of Suyoram’s haunted lands and slay troublesome ghosts. But the more Ree learns about the Phi Hunter Guild’s legacy, the more she questions their rigid doctrine. And as colonizing forces from Grisland tighten their grip across the region, Ree begins to wonder if the hunter’s path is her true calling.

Elsewhere, the famed Storm Prince Tanung has one desire: death or glory. Grappling with a fading legacy and a mysterious illness, his ambition drives him on a mission to capture a brutal rebel leader known for leaving horrific massacres in their wake. But the further he goes, the further he’s drawn into a war rumbling beyond his reality, and out of anyone’s control.

Their paths were never meant to cross. But unmoored by their legacies, the shadows they cast decide whether they’ll be remembered as heroes – or villains.

Story Time with Jen Fier Jasinski: Because of You, I'm a Sister
Saturday, March 21, 11:00am - 12:00pm

Join us for a story time event with local author Jen Fier Jasinski as she reads her upcoming picture book Because of You, I'm a Sister. This little book is a heartwarming celebration of sibling love and the journey of becoming an older sibling. It's the perfect gift for families welcoming a new baby or preparing their child for the arrival of a sibling, or a great selection for young readers who are already siblings.

This story time is great for readers aged 3-8 years old and Jen will be signing copies of her book after the reading. Copies will be for sale during and after the event. No RSVP required.

About BECAUSE OF YOU, I'M A SISTER: This warm, funny, and touching picture book captures the excitement, challenges, and joys (and occasional conflicts!) of becoming a big sister. Through the eyes of an enthusiastic young girl, readers are taken on a journey from the moment she learns about her new sibling to the special bond they form over the years.

With humor and heart, the story explores many facets of siblinghood—from decorating the baby's room and choosing a name to the reality of sleepless nights and noisy days. As the years pass, the siblings experience a range of emotions together—excitement, jealousy, pride, and love—always sticking together through thick and thin. The story beautifully illustrates how the presence of a sibling makes life richer, more fun, and filled with unforgettable memories.

About the author: Jen Fier Jasinski is the author of Because of You, I’m a Sister, My Piano, Sidewalk Chalk, and My Violin. She writes stories with elements of humor, heart, and above all, play. Jen lives in Virginia.

Books 'n Brews: A Boozy Book Fair
Sunday, April 12, 3:00pm - 6:00pm
@ Caboose Tavern, 520 Mill St NE, Vienna, VA

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Join us for one of two boozy book fairs in 2026 in collaboration with Vienna's own Caboose Tavern. Relive your Scholastic book fair days of old at Books 'n Brews where we provide a space for you to shop new and unique titles, staff picks, and more selected just for this pop-up!

Bards Alley will be set up in Caboose's upstairs loft (straight up the stairs when entering) where you can browse our selection, order anything on tap, and grab a bite to eat afterwards. Bring your friends or come solo and make an afternoon of it! Caboose will be offering their happy hour deals throughout the event, typically available only on weekdays, for $$ off cocktails, wine & beer, and food. Indoor and outdoor seating available, weather permitting.

Caboose Tavern is located at 520 Mill St. NE in Vienna, just a 3 minute drive or 15 minute walk from Bards Alley. Ample parking is available at Caboose (front & back), though you may also park at the W&OD Trail parking and walk as the lot can fill up on the weekend - it's located right off the trail, you can't miss it! More Vienna parking information here.

Stop by any time between 3pm and 6pm and shop our books, sidelines, and games and support two of your favorite Vienna businesses. We'll see you there!