Virginia Book It

Dating back to the days of Jefferson, Charlottesville has been a rather bookish sort of place. And for those looking to revel in the literary scene, it’s hard to beat the Virginia Festival of the Book. “We’ve got it all: history, mystery, current affairs, science, poetry, the art and practice of eating locally, environmental authors…if you have an interest, we have an author’s panel,” says program director Nancy Damon. This year, the fifteenth annual book fest, which draws more than twenty thousand visitors and some three hundred authors to Charlottesville, runs March 18–22—five nonstop days of free literary discussions, readings, and book signings all over town. Big-name authors in attendance include thriller spinners Brad Meltzer and John Grisham, and (provided the president isn’t traveling) Helene Cooper, White House correspondent for the New York Times and author of the acclaimed House at Sugar Beach: In Search of a Lost African Childhood. vabook.org

West Virginia Liar, Liar
What other state would produce a guy like Bil Lepp, five-time winner of the West Virginia Liars Contest (and its coveted Golden Shovel award)? Lying is the finest of competitive sports in them thar hills, and Lepp is the tallest tall-tale spinner around. Beginning in February, Lepp teams up with two other like-minded eccentrics (let’s call them “honorary West Virginians”), Kim Weitkamp and Andy Offutt Irwin, for the Uncalled for Tour, a storytelling meeting of the minds that will hit various venues throughout the South and beyond. Catch them in West Virginia at the South Charleston Public Library on March 27, or check the Web site for other dates. Perhaps they’ll inspire you to put on your truth overalls and think up a walking Chinese fish story. Hey wait, that one’s true! buck-dog.com

Trinidad and Tobago A Last Hurrah
Let’s say it’s 4:00 a.m. and you’re just coming out of a bar after having danced your butt off for seven hours straight at Harry Connick Jr.’s Orpheuscapade Fat Monday party in New Orleans. No way you’re going to bed. There are some parades this afternoon, but you’ve done that before. And the Fat Tuesday parties in New Orleans don’t begin for another twelve hours. Here’s our idea: Grab your bags, head over to Café du Monde, order some beignets and coffee, get a cab out to Louis Armstrong International, and head to Trinidad, where the islanders will take the whole colonial-society-goes-nuts thing of New Orleans one step deeper and several steps crazier. You’ll arrive in Port of Spain just in time for Carnival Tuesday, February 24, the pinnacle of the celebration. Once you’ve finally had enough soca music, costumes, and body paint, the Coblentz Inn Boutique Hotel, in the city’s suburbs, is a great spot to hole up for a quiet respite and a gourmet Caribbean meal before catching the plane back to real life. coblentzinn.com