Upstart Crow: Library Reads Special Edition – Fairfax Local Author Festival

In this special edition of Upstart Crow, host Jennifer Disano visits the Fairfax Regional Library for the Local Author Festival, recorded November 15, 2025 in Fairfax, VA. Jennifer sat down with 16 talented authors and received submissions from 2 additional writers, exploring a wide variety of books, from memoirs and children’s stories to historical fiction, fantasy, and literary fiction. Each author shared insights into their creative process and delivered a captivating synopsis of their work.

Authors and Featured Books:

• Carolyn Belefski – Curls, Black Magic Tales (artwork), Adventures of Roxy and Dean
• Kristen Amundson – Grandparent Effect: Helping Children Thrive Through Love, Support and Connection
• Rebecca Hayden – Murder of Maggie Slipper, The Second Life of Brencie Jessup
• Kacy Cooney – Seeking Solace, In the Maze of Imagination
• Roy Whitehurst – Teaching Media Literacy with Social Media News
• Karma Shri P Murti – Lanka’s Forgotten Lives, Lully series
• Kayla Sanders – Mojada: Memoir of a Honduran Immigrant
• Leslie Lautenslager – My Time with General Colin Powell: Stories of Kindness, Diplomacy, and Protocol
• Jerry Markowitz – Hugs Poetic Life, Exploring Kindness and Respect
• Henry Brinton – War Bug
• Rick Spees – Capital Gains, Capital Losses
• Eric Smolinski (E.R. Smo) – Accrue's End series: Affliction, Provenance
• Kat Needham – Shepherd Girl: A Dog Story, Una and the Fox
• Beka Wueste – The Unsent Letters of Lucy Pryor, Fireflies in a Jar, My Side of the World and Other Tales of Death
• Keisha Strand – I Need a Friend, What If We Went?
• Dave Hatcher – Son of the Heartland: On the Way to the Promised Land
• Deanna Reina – MENtal: A Preposterous Pursuit of Love
• Janet Macreery – The Falls

List of all authors at the festival here.

Fairfax County Public Library and the Fairfax Library Foundation made this festival possible, supporting local authors and ensuring the community could engage with these incredible stories.

#FairfaxLocalAuthors

#LibraryAuthorFestival

#CommunityReads

#FairfaxVA

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Hosted & Recorded by Jennifer Disano

Edited & Produced by Jon D PodCom