StoryFest 2025

Join us for StoryFest 2025!

The Morgantown Public Library System is proud to present StoryFest — a day of non-stop fun for people of all ages! Join us on Saturday, June 7th from 3:00-6:00pm at the Spruce Street Pavilion (located at 400 Spruce Street). Our festival celebrates storytelling in all its forms and this year, we’ve added a Renaissance Faire twist! StoryFest will be an evening filled with enchantment, including a live sword fighting demonstration, a chance to be knighted as an official StoryFest knight, and free crafting stations to design your own wands, crowns, and shields. Kids, teens, and adults are sure to find something to love at StoryFest!

Plus, be sure to stop by our Summer Reading Program table to register while at StoryFest! More info about the Summer Reading Program coming soon.

For children, we will have a Storyteller’s Court with special guests including the West Virginia Black Bears Mascot, the Morgantown Fire Department, and the Aquatic Center Mermaid! We will also have a variety of free crafting tables provided by Early Head Start and the Morgantown Public Library System including design your own coat of arms, make an enchanted crystal, design a royal crown, and customize a wand!

For all ages, you can watch a live sword demonstration from Black Bear Historical Fencing, get a poem on the spot from the Bards of Yellowwood, complete a challenge to become an official knight of StoryFest, and enjoy delicious carnival style food from Mag & Pops food truck!

For the grown ups, there will be amazing creators to meet including the West Virginia Poet Laureate Marc Harshman, local authors Anna Smucker, Patricia Hopper Patterson, the Morgantown Writers Group, the Bards of Yellowwood, and local artists Liz Pavlovic and Angela Awesome Pants, as well as the Friends of Deckers Creek, and more! There will also be free crafting areas, fun entertainment, neat library merch, and more!

StoryFest by the Morgantown Public Library System is a Main Street Morgantown Affiliate event.

Event Overview

Date: Saturday, June 7th
Time: 3:00-6:00pm
Location: Spruce Street Pavilion (400 Spruce Street, Morgantown, WV 26505)
Admission: Free

Mark your calendars for this free, one-of-a-kind event that promises something for everyone in the family. Whether you’re a bookworm, an art enthusiast, or simply looking for a fun day out, StoryFest welcomes you with open arms. Bring your friends, bring your family, and join us as we celebrate the magic of storytelling together!

Special Guests

We’re excited to share that we have a fantastic lineup of special guests joining us at StoryFest this year! Take a moment to learn more about each of our special guests below!

Artists & Authors

Liz Pavlovic

Liz Pavlovic (Keep On Creepin’ On) is a Morgantown-based artist + designer whose art celebrates the special things about WV and Appalachia, from Mothman to morels. They create and sell stickers, enamel pins, shirts, cards, and more as well as collaborating with local businesses on unique merch.

Michael Strayer

Michael Strayer is the author of two Cryptid themed children’s books Mothman Learns The ABC’s and Curious Creatures: The Vegetable Man,  he has released a book with his cryptid themed comedy podcast Mothboys called “The White Monsters Of Sherman, New York”, and has also released a fanzine on West Virginia Paranormal author and investigator Gray Barker. Michael is from Western New York originally but lives in Morgantown, West Virginia now. When Michael isn’t podcasting or writing he works as a mentor with West Virginia youth and loves taking his family on adventures!

Marc Harshman

Marc Harshman, besides being a poet, is the author of 14 nationally acclaimed children’s books including FALLINGWATER: THE BUILDING OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT’S MASTERPIECE, co-authored with Anna Egan Smucker, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, and subsequently named an Amazon Book of the Month. Previous titles have included THE STORM, a Smithsonian Notable Book. His children’s books have been published in Spanish, Korean, Danish, Japanese, and Swedish. His collections of poetry include WOMAN IN RED ANORAK, winner of the Blue Lynx Prize, BELIEVE WHAT YOU CAN, winner of the Weatherford Award from the Appalachian Studies Association [Vandalia/WVU Press] and also named the Appalachian Book of the Year by the Mountain Heritage Literary Festival in Tennessee. DARK HILLS OF HOME, was published by Monongahela Book in 2022 to celebrating his 10th anniversary as WV Poet Laureate, and his latest volume is FOLLOWING THE SILENCE from Press 53. FOLLOWING THE SILENCE was selected as the 2024 One Book One West Virginia Adult Title, along with aforementioned FALLINGWATER… as the 2024 Children’s Title. Both books represented West Virginia at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. He was recently named the Appalachian Heritage Writer for 2024 by Shepherd University’s Appalachian Studies program whose past honorees have included Barbara Kingsolver, Charles Frazier, Bobbie Ann Mason, Henry Louis Gates, and Nikki Giovanni. He is co-winner of the Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award and his poem, “Dispatch from the Mountain State,” appeared in the 2020 Thanksgiving edition of the New York Times. He holds degrees from Bethany College, Yale University Divinity School, and the University of Pittsburgh. Appointed in 2012 by Governor Earl Ray Tomblin, Harshman is the seventh poet laureate of West Virginia. His next poetry collection is forthcoming from WVU Press in 2025.

Angela Awesome Pants

Angela Awesome Pants is the maker of not pants but ceramic friends, pottery, art prints, and so much more.

Anna Smucker

Anna Egan Smucker is an award-winning author of nine books. No Star Nights, her memoir about growing up in the steel mill town of Weirton, WV won the International Reading Association Children’s Book Award. Golden Delicious: A Cinderella Apple Story and Brother Giovanni’s Little Reward: How the Pretzel Was Born represented WV at National Book Festivals in D.C.. Fallingwater: The Building of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Masterpiece, co-authored with Marc Harshman, garnered starred reviews and was named an Amazon Nonfiction Book of the Month. Recipient of a WV Arts Commission Artist Fellowship Award, her poems have been published in anthologies and literary journals. Her first chapbook, titled Rowing Home, was published in 2019 by Finishing Line Press. For more information, please visit www.annasmucker.com.

Linda Gribko

Linda S. Gribko is an artist, author, naturalist, gardener, family historian, and photographer. Find out more by visiting https://milkweedrising.com/

Elisha Rush

Elisha Rush is a local artist who creates animal and fantasy illustrations, often with a colorful and humorous flair. She shows her work in various galleries and shops in the region, and on Instagram under the name @springfoxstudios. Elisha grew up in rural West Virginia watching what she claims were “way too many cartoons.” When not watching cartoons or spending time in the woods, Elisha was honing her drawing skills, inspired by the mix of colorful media she was consuming and the plants and animals that surrounded her.

Bards of Yellow Wood

The Bards of Yellow Wood are two— sometimes three—High School Teachers (Brian Elliot, Daniel Summers, and guest bard Chad Cowell) who write custom poetry in exchange for school supplies or monetary donations. We write custom poems in the moment. Our mission is to spread the joy of literacy and verse and maybe help some kiddos get school supplies when they need them. No donation too small. A penny will get ya a poem, so will a Dixon pencil. We aren’t picky.

Pictured: Special Guest Bard Chad Cowell left and Daniel Summers

Morgantown Writers Group

Morgantown Writers Group (MWG) uses the latest technology to host virtual Craft Workshops with guest authors (and experienced members), and hosts occasional Write-Ins, annual Writer Challenges — and they have hosted weekend retreats. MWG has a proven 3-step process for review of manuscripts (to 5000 words) and follows a 5-page writers critique guide. Since 1994, an estimated 680 writers have been involved in Morgantown Writers literary activities at the Morgantown Public Library.

Patricia Hopper Patteson

Patricia Hopper Patteson, originally from Dublin, Ireland, is the author of Second Chance Christmas and hails from a family of six siblings that is scattered across three continents. She holds a B.A. and an M.A. from West Virginia University (WVU). She received literary honors from WVU in addition to numerous awards from the West Virginia Writers’ annual competition. She is the author of women’s fiction, particularly historical fiction, romance suspense, and romance.

Brooklyn Cutlip

Brooklyn Cutlip is an artist and creator. She creates bookmarks and blind date with a book boxes which are perfect for all ages. Want to try a new reading adventure? Stop by her table at StoryFest!

Groups and Organizations

Black Bear Historical Fencing

Black Bear Historical Fencing is Morgantown’s Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) gym. Our primary focus is on Kunst des Fechtens, the 15th-16th-century German art of fighting. This includes Longsword, Messer, Dagger, Grappling, Spear, and others. The lessons come from surviving combat manuals from Johannes Liechtenauer, Joachim Meyer, and other 15th-16th-century fencing masters. The weapons and techniques are historically accurate and are pressure-tested in sparring and tournaments. Check us out if you are interested in martial arts, history, swords, or are looking for a fun new hobby.

Monongalia County Early Head Start

Monongalia County Early Head Start provides comprehensive school readiness services to pregnant women and children up to age 3 in a homebased environment. Early Headstart will be providing fun crafts! Learn more at https://littles.mono.k12.wv.us/o/mcsec

Cooper the Black Bear

Come meet Cooper the Black Bear from the West Virginia Black Bears as he raffles off tons of free West Virginia Black Bears Merch! Enjoy awesome baseball themed story times and hang out with West Virginia’s favorite mascot!

Family-Friendly Fun

At StoryFest, we know that creativity is boundless and that storytelling in all its forms is a joy meant to be shared. That’s why we’ll have a wide range of crafts and activities for the whole family to enjoy. Whether you’re creating masterpieces at our free crafting areas, watching unique performances, or simply soaking in the lively atmosphere, there’s endless fun to be had for everyone.

We can’t wait to celebrate everything the library has to offer with you at StoryFest 2025!

For more information and updates, follow us on social media and check out our website. See you at StoryFest!