A full day of learning about writing Dec. 10 in Petersburg, Va.

Our winter tour continues Dec. 10 at the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School’s annual Writers Fest in Petersburg, Va. Patricia Smith, author of the forthcoming Kaylie Jones Books title The Year of Needy Girls, teaches literature and creative writing at ARGS, a magnet school of the arts and technology.

We are delighted to meet writers of all ages, sign books and talk about the writing life.

All the details about the festival, which takes place Saturday, Dec. 10 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at ARGS, are on its website, argswritersfest2016.weebly.com . There are workshops in fiction and poetry, readings, a bookfair and a First Pages Critique panel.

Kaylie, Patty Smith and J. Patrick Redmond will appear on a panel: “So You Want To Be a Novelist?” Come hear from two first-time novelists and their editor! They will read from their novels and answer questions.

Other visiting writers include Lamar Giles, Clay McLeod Chapman, Bird Cox, Lana Krumwiede, John S. Blake, Kristen Green and Jon Pineda.

And there’s a bake sale!