The Common Ground International Book Festival will bring authors to Shepherd University for a free event with a variety of activities for all ages.

Scheduled from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 8, the festival will take place at the university’s Wellness Center and will feature authors Summer Whitford and David A. Taylor as well as international, regional and local authors.

The authors will speak and have book-signing events, and other activities include exhibitors, discussions, musical performances and “make-a-book” craft activities along with opportunities for attendees to win door prizes.

The festival is free for all ages, and it is open to everyone in the community.

Whitford, who is known to her Twitter and Facebook followers as the “Food and Wine Diva,” is the author of “Join Us At The Embassy,” a book about food, wine, culture and travel in 10 countries. Whitford is a professional chef, pastry chef, writer and food and wine educator. She also is president of Chez Vous Productions Inc., a food specialty and lifestyle company. With more than 20 years under her belt, Whitford has extensive experience as a chef, caterer and pastry chef for high-end D.C. restaurants such as Roberto Donna’s Galileo, Dominique’s and 1789.

Whitford was the senior writer and editor for “World Class Cuisine” on the Discovery Channel – a food, wine, culture and travel program that is syndicated in 72 countries. She currently is writing two biweekly newsletters for the wine retail industry; travel articles for Trazzler.com; a how-to book on weddings entitled “The Tax-Deductible Wedding;” and “ghost writing” a true crime book, just to name a few of her projects.

Taylor, who is both an author and filmmaker, currently teaches at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Md. He is hosting a documentary workshop that teaches participants how to plan and write for what his site calls “a visual medium.”

Taylor tends to write about the connections between people and their respective worlds, earning him praises such as “adventurous” and “engaging.” His articles have appeared in Smithsonian, The Washington Post, The Village Voice, Outside, The Christian Science Monitor and elsewhere.