The National Book Festival, an annual event held each September on the National Mall in Washington, DC, is a celebration of the joy of books and reading is sponsored by the Library of Congress and gives attendees the opportunity to visit with more than 80 award-winning authors, illustrators and poets who will talk about and sign their books. National Book Festival Pavilions are set up for Fiction & Mystery, History & Biography, Children & Teens, Poetry, and Home & Family. In 2011, for the first time, the National Book Festival will be a two-day event. Two new genre pavilions will be added: Urban Fiction and Graphic Novels. The theme of the 2011 National Book Festival will be “Celebrating the joys of reading aloud.
The Library of Congress Pavilion features a variety of interactive family-centered activities about the importance of lifelong literacy, cultural preservation, and preserving digital culture. At the National Book Festival, visitors have the opportunity to learn about the reading programs and resources in libraries across the country. Representatives from every state and territory welcome families and children interested in that state’s writers and reading programs.
Dates and Times
September 24-25, 2011
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, 1 to 5:30 p.m.
National Book Festival Location
National Mall, between 9th street and 14th Street
2011 National Book Festival Authors
- Children’s Pavilion- Harry Bliss, Calef Brown, Carmen Agra Deedy, John McCutcheon, Tomie dePaola, Joe Hayes, William Joyce, John Bemelmans Marciano, Dorie McCullough Lawson, Sam McBratney, Julianne Moore, Jon J Muth, Chris Van Dusen
- Teens Pavilion- Cassandra Clare, Susan Cooper, Sarah Dessen, Jack Gantos, Gordon Korman, Uma Krishnaswami, Patricia McKissack, Shelia P. Moses, Kadir Nelson, Katherine Paterson, Gary D. Schmidt, Brian Selznick, Rita Williams-Garcia
- Contemporary Life Pavilion- Joel Achenbach, Amy Chua, Leon Fleisher (with Anne Midgette), Joshua Foer, Jessica Harris, Marc Kaufman, Hoda Kotb, Jim Lehrer, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Sylvia Nasar, Sarah Vowell
- State Poets Laureate Pavilion - Dolores Kendrick (DC), Kelly Cherry (Virginia), Stanley Plumly (Maryland), Wes McNair (Maine), Carol Muske-Dukes (California)
- Fiction & Mystery Pavilion- Sherman Alexie, Russell Banks, Louis Bayard, Steve Berry, Jennifer Egan, Margaret George, Laura Lipmann, Gregory Maguire, Terry McMillan, Toni Morrison, Sara Paretsky, Esmeralda Santiago, Neal Stephenson
- History & Biography Pavilion- Eric Foner, Adam Goodheart, Maya Jasanoff, David McCullough, Candice Millard, Kristie Miller, Edmund Morris, Carla L. Peterson, James Swanson, Douglas Waller, Isabel Wilkerson
- Poetry & Prose Pavilion- Michael Cunningham, Rita Dove, Dave Eggers, Claudia Emerson, Mary Gordon, Terrance Hayes, Garrison Keillor, Yusef Komunyakaa, Linda Pastan
- Yardley raphic Novels Pavilion- Allen Say, Richard Thompson
- The Cutting-Edge Pavilion- Kimberla Lawson Roby, Kia DuPree, Eric Jerome Dickey
- Family Storytelling Stage - Angela Farris Watkins, Bob Shea, Cedella Marley, Daniel Kirk, Dr. James Billington, Ellen Sabin, Jane O’Connor, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, John Rocco, Josh Lewis, Julianne Moore, Lauren Myracle, Lisa Yee, Loren Long, Mac Barnett, Mark Pett & Gary Rubenstein, Matthew Reinhart, Michael Buckley, Tom Angleberger, Tom Lichtenheld, Wally Amos, Disney Junior’s Choo-Choo Soul with Genevieve, Hip Hop Harry, Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Players, Moona Luna, The Okee Dokee Brothers
For more information, visit the Library of Congress website.
