07/26/2026
✨ We’re coming at you with another batch of 2026 Crozet Book Fest author announcements—and we’re especially excited because, for the first time, we’re expanding our programming to include nonfiction and poetry!
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Earl Swift (Earl Swift ) is the author of ten acclaimed nonfiction books and an avid outdoorsman who has twice hiked the length of the Appalachian Trail. He lives in the Blue Ridge west of Crozet.
Emilee Hackney (Emilee Hackney ) grew up in the coalfields of southwest Virginia. She graduated from Harvard and her debut, ALL THAT’S UNSEEN, is out this week!
Jesse Crosson (Jesse Crosson ) transformed his life after receiving a 32-year prison sentence at 18. He now works to help others find freedom and build a better future.
Derek Baxter (Derek Baxter ) is a labor and human rights lawyer who lives in Virginia. His first book, IN PURSUIT OF JEFFERSON, is a travelogue and history recounting his journey through Europe using a travel guide written by Thomas Jefferson in 1788.
Lara Call Gastinger (Lara Call Gastinger ) is a Charlottesville-based artist and botanical illustrator and the chief illustrator of FLORA OF VIRGINIA. A two-time gold medalist at the Royal Horticultural Society Botanical Art Show in London, she is also renowned for teaching her perpetual journal process.
Chelsea Krieg (Chelsea Krieg ) is the author of EVERYTHING IS WATER, winner of the 2026 Southern Poetry Breakthrough Series. Her work has appeared in Fairy Tale Review, Terrain.org, Gulf Coast, and elsewhere, and she teaches creative writing at North Carolina State University.
Mirabella Mitchell (Mirabella ) is a poet and ceramic artist based in Charlottesville. Her debut chapbook, THE GREAT GET BY, is a meditation on depression composed of thirty erasures of a single page of THE GREAT GATSBY.
Stay tuned—there are still so many more author announcements to come! In the meantime, visit the festival page at the link in our bio.
🗓️ Full festival schedule coming August 31 or sign up for a newsletter for early access!
