Napa Valley Book Festival Expands for 2026!

The Napa Valley Writers branch of the California Writers Club presents its second annual Napa Valley Book Festival on Saturday, November 14, 2026, from 10 AM to 4 PM.

This year's festival moves to a larger venue, Blue Oak School in downtown Napa, allowing us to welcome more authors and readers for a full day devoted to books. Join fellow writers and readers in Napa Valley and Uncork Your Next Great Read.

Rex Pickett, critically acclaimed author of Sideways, will be our keynote speaker. His presentation, “The Fiction Writing Process: From the Blank Page to Publication,” will explore finding an original voice, navigating rejection, and persevering through the publishing process. Pickett draws from his own experiences as the author of Sideways, which was adapted into the Academy Award-winning film, its three sequels, and his other works.

Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle outdoors writer emeritus and America’s most traveled outdoorsman, will be our morning speaker. His latest book, Heaven Delayed: One Man’s Survival of Sixteen Near-Death Encounters, published in May, chronicles his lifetime of extraordinary adventures, brushes with death, and experiences that led him to wonder if there is a heaven.

The festival will also feature author tables, an open mic, a children's story hour featuring local authors, independent bookstores, food trucks, and additional programming.

Blue Oak School

1455 Polk Street

Napa, CA 94559

AUTHORS

All authors are invited to participate and sell their books. Author spaces are $50 for California Writers Club members and $75 for nonmembers. Space is limited, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

BOOKSELLERS, VENDORS, AND PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Local booksellers, writing- and publishing-related vendors and associations are invited to participate by selling their wares and/or educating the public. Bookseller, vendor, and non-profit association tables are $100. Multiple tables may be reserved. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The Fiction Writing Process: From the Blank Page to Publication

As the author of the critically acclaimed novel Sideways, which was adapted into a film that unwittingly transformed the wine world, Rex Pickett knows something about the unpredictable journey from the blank page to publication and beyond.

In his keynote address, “The Fiction Writing Process: From the Blank Page to Publication,” Pickett will explore the writing process, what it takes to discover an original voice, and why finding your own unique voice matters. He'll also delve into the persistence required to weather rejection in an increasingly crowded publishing world. After all, Sideways was rejected by 15 publishers before going on to become a literary and cinematic phenomenon.

In his inimitably soul-baring, and risible fashion, Pickett will share personal stories about the vicissitudes he endured along the way and offer inspiration to writers pursuing their own hopes and dreams. His talk will be unscripted and extemporaneous, followed by questions from the audience.

BIO:

Rex Pickett is the critically acclaimed author of Sideways, the novel faithfully adapted into the iconic film of the same name. The film received five Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as numerous other honors, including the Writers Guild Award and Golden Globe for Best Screenplay.

Pickett is the author of three Sideways sequels: the IPPY Gold Medal-winning Sideways Oregon, Sideways Chile, and Sideways New Zealand. He is also the author of The Archivist, a thriller set in the archival world, and wrote My Mother Dreams the Satan's Disciples, which won the 2000 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short.

Sideways: The Play opened in Los Angeles in 2012 and has enjoyed a long theatrical life, including a sold-out 56-performance run directed by Jersey Boys director Des McAnuff. The play is currently being staged in Riga, Latvia, where performances in a 500-seat theater continue to sell out.

Pickett is currently working on the next chapter of the Sideways series, Sideways Burgundy.

A Southern California native and alumnus of the University of California San Diego, Pickett has had his papers archived at UC San Diego's Geisel Library. He now lives in downtown Napa.

rexpickettbooks.com

Google Sites

Report abuse