By Zaria Whitacre, reporting intern Brit Bennett, a young best-selling author, drew attendees from Massachusetts to California Friday evening for a virtual event put on by the Chippewa Valley Book Festival. Bennett discussed her latest book, “The Vanishing Half,” with UW-Eau Claire Associate Prof. Allyson Loomis, an English department faculty member. The book won the 2020 Goodreads Historical Fiction Award and was a #1 New York Times best seller. The Book Festival has scheduled a second virtual program on March 12 featuring Brandon Taylor, author of “Real Life.” To read more, including a link to information about the March 12 program, please click on the headline.