Bookstock Is . . . Over.

Bookstock, the long-standing literary festival and book sale held each year in Woodstock, Vermont is over, according to a press release sent this morning from Peter Rousmaniere. Its festival, planned for June 21 – 23, 2024, will not take place.

Rousmaniere, a co-founder and board chair, said that he was grateful for the many individuals whose vision and energy made the festival an inspiring experience for upwards of 1,500 attendees each year.  Over two dozen local organizations have participated, providing venues and staff, selling books, and more.  

Rousmaniere said, “Bookstock originated as a collaboration of organizations and [we] depended on them for help such as providing venues, staff and book selling resources. We asked a lot from them.  Over the years, the participating organizations varied, and some have moved on. This development is understandable. But this makes the festival not viable.”

The announcement comes as a surprise as over the past several weeks Bookstock had been touting the participation of numerous authors like Julia Alvarez and Lauren Groff on the festival’s Facebook page. All seemed well. It’s an abrupt turnaround, and sad news for book lovers.

Much appreciation for all who kept this festival alive for its fourteen years, during which it “hosted over 400 authors, ranging from nationally known Pulitzer awardees to local emerging authors.  The used book sale in a massive tent on the Town Green sold over 70,000 used books.”

(Text from press release, April 15 2024)

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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.