Blue Oak School • 1455 Polk Street • Napa, CA 94559
Blue Oak School • 1455 Polk Street • Napa, CA 94559
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Napa Valley Book Festival Expands for 2026!
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. The free event brings together authors, bookstores, libraries, and writing and publishing associations with programming for readers of all ages and interests.
70+ Author Tables, Independent Bookstores, Food, Wine and Other Beverages
70+ Author Tables, Independent Bookstores, Food, Wine and Other Beverages
Food truck offerings, coffee, and other beverages will be available for purchase throughout the day for attendees to enjoy at picnic tables located in Blue Oak Middle School’s outdoor courtyard. Wine is available for purchase from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Only water in a closed container is allowed in the gym.
Agenda
Agenda
10:15 AM - 11:00 AM — Children's Story Time featuring local authors
Authors Maria Castellucci, Claudette Shatto, and John Petraglia will read for 15 minutes each.
11:15 AM - 12:30 PM — Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle Outdoors Writer Emeritus
Tom Stienstra, San Francisco Chronicle outdoors writer emeritus and America's most traveled outdoorsman will discuss his latest book Heaven Delayed: One Man’s Survival of Sixteen Near-Death Encounters. Stienstra will present a show built around selected photos, stories of survival, and answer the inevitable question, "Is there a heaven?"
01:00 PM - 02:15 PM — Rex Pickett, Author of Sideways
During his presentation “The Fiction Writing Process: From the Blank Page to Publication,” Pickett will share insights on finding an original voice, navigating rejection, and persevering through the publishing process. He draws from his own experiences as the author of Sideways, adapted into the Academy Award-winning film of the same name, three Sideways sequels, and his thriller The Archivist.
03:00 PM - 04:00 PM - Open Mic
All ages are encouraged to share their prose, poetry, or musical talents. Participants will have five minutes to perform in a classroom setting.
Keynote Speakers
Keynote Speakers
The Fiction Writing Process: From the Blank Page to Publication
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.
Tales of Survival, Adventure, and the Outdoors
Tales of Survival, Adventure, and the Outdoors
America’s most traveled outdoorsman, Tom Stienstra has explored some of the world’s wildest and most remote places for more than forty years, building a career from the adventures, people and stories he encountered along the way. In his new memoir, Heaven Delayed: One Man’s Survival of Sixteen Near-Death Encounters, he turns the lens on his own extraordinary life.
From surviving a hatchet attack and multiple near-drownings to facing Stage 4 cancer, seven brain surgeries, and years of treatment, Stienstra has experienced enough close calls for several lifetimes. Through photographs and stories, he'll recount some of his extraordinary experiences, reflect on what they taught him about life and death, and explore a question at the heart of his memoir: Is there a heaven?
He’ll also share some of his favorite destinations and tips for finding adventures of your own.
BIO:
Tom Stienstra is the San Francisco Chronicle outdoors writer emeritus and a bestselling author who has sold more than one million books. His first hardcover book, the 2026 memoir Heaven Delayed: One Man’s Survival of Sixteen Near-Death Encounters, chronicles his lifetime of extraordinary adventures and brushes with death, from a near-drowning on a Bigfoot expedition to seven brain surgeries to treat Stage 4 cancer.
For more than four decades, Stienstra's work has taken him hiking, camping, fishing, boating and exploring some of the world's wildest and most remote places. His many guidebooks include Moon California Camping and 52 Weekend Adventures in Northern California: My Favorite Outdoor Getaways, whose second edition was released in September 2026. He was inducted into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame in 2003 and has received numerous honors from the Outdoor Writers Association of America, including its Joan Wulff Enduring Excellence Award for career achievement. He also hosted and co-produced the Emmy Award-winning PBS special The Mighty T.
Get Directions
Get Directions
FAQs
FAQs
Do I need to register to attend?
Do I need to register to attend?
No registration is necessary. Just show up and enjoy!
Where can I park?
Where can I park?
Nearby parking is available at the Clay Street Garage (1401 Clay St.) and the Pearl St. Garage (1165 Coombs Street). Free all-day parking is available on the upper levels of both garages, which also offer three-hour parking. Observe posted parking signs and time limits in the garages and on streets.
Can I purchase books directly from the authors?
Can I purchase books directly from the authors?
Yes. More than 70 authors will be in on hand. Attendees can meet participating authors, purchase their books, and have the books signed.
How do I participate in the open mic?
How do I participate in the open mic?
Participation is first-come, first-served. Each participant has five minutes to perform in a classroom setting. All ages are encouraged to share their prose, poetry, or musical talents.
Will there be food and beverages?
Will there be food and beverages?
Coffee, drinks, wine, and food are available for purchase and can be enjoyed in the outdoor courtyard. Only water in a closed container is permitted in the gym.
Is the festival indoors or outdoors?
Is the festival indoors or outdoors?
Speaker presentations, author tables, independent bookstores, open mic, and children's story time will take place indoors. Coffee, drinks, wine, and food are available for purchase and can be enjoyed in the outdoor courtyard. Only water in a closed container is permitted in the gym.
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