Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
If Donald Trump went to book festivals, he would call this one “yuge.” The National Book Festival is back in D.C. this weekend, with an especially big reason to celebrate: 200 years ago, after the British burned the Library of Congress to the ground in the war of 1812, Thomas Jefferson donated 6,000 of his own books to rebuild it.
The Festival’s theme this year is “I cannot live without books,” a quote by T.J. himself. If you can relate, stop by the Washington Convention Center this Saturday, September 5th, between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m. As in year’s past, it’s totally free.
Food, history, science, graphic novels, mysteries, thrillers, biographies, and children and teen literature are among the genres to be showcased, and more than 175 acclaimed authors, illustrators, and poets will be in attendance. For a full list of authors and presentations, visit the Library of Congress’s website.
Here are a few highlights:
From 10-10:45 a.m., the Festival kicks off with the presentation of the American Fiction Prize to novelist Louise Erdrich. Erdich, who authored The Plague of Doves, Love Medicine, and National Book Award-winner The Round House, will also be be in conversation with Marie Arana, the National Book Festival co-director.
From 10:55-11:40 a.m., Washington Post columnist and former foreign correspondent David Ignatius will talk about his suspense novels Bloodmoney, Agents of Innocence, and most recently, The Director. He will sign books at noon.
From 1:20-1:50 p.m., man/legend Buzz Aldrin will talk about his new children’s book, Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet. After walking on the moon with Neil Armstrong in 1969, Aldrin founded a rocket design company and the Share Space Foundation, a nonprofit organization for pursuing space tourism. He will be doing a signing at 2:30 p.m.
From 1:40-2:25 p.m., Jon Meacham discusses his many biographies and books on American history, including his latest, Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power. His signing is at 3 p.m.
From 2:35-6:55 p.m. will be a program focused on the human side of war. Participants include numerous authors of books on war, both fictional and non-fictional, including Tom Brokaw (The Greatest Generation), Rick Atkinson (the Liberation Trilogy), Elliot Ackerman (Green on Blue), Phil Klay (Redeployment), and Roxana Robinson (Sparta).
From 4:25-5:10 p.m., New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof and his wife, former New York Times reporter Sheryl WuDunn, will speak about the books they’ve written together: China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power, Thunder from the East: Portrait of a Rising Asia, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, and their latest, A Path Appears: Transforming Lives, Creating Opportunity. Their signing is at 5:30 p.m.
From 7:15-8:05 p.m. will be a political cartoons panel. Michael Cavna, author of The Washington Post’s Comic Riffs blog, will moderate the discussion between Lalo Alcaraz, creator of the first nationally syndicated, politically themed Latino daily comic strip “La Cucaracha”; Keith Knight, cartoonist of “The K Chronicles,” “(Th)ink” and “The Knight Life”; and Scott Stantis, editorial cartoonist at the Chicago Tribune and USA Today.
From 7:15-9 p.m., it’s all about romance novels. This new festival addition will feature a discussion between NPR Books editor Petra Mayer and best-selling novelists Beverly Jenkins (Destiny’s Captive), Paige Tyler (Wolf Trouble), and Sarah MacLean (Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover), who is also The Washington Post’s romance book reviewer.
From 7:30-9 p.m., check out the Poetry Slam. In this contest hosted by youth poet Kosi Dunn, top youth slam groups from D.C., Los Angeles, Houston, and Chicago will recite works on various subjects. Judges are poet laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, journalist Bilal Qureshi, and performance poet Lauren Bullock.
From 8-10 p.m., Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday moderates a panel on books made into movies. Participating authors of such books will be A. Scott Berg (Lindbergh and Max Perkins: Editor of Genius), Lawrence Wright (Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief), and Anne-Marie O’Connor (The Lady in Gold). Rumor has it Colin Firth will make an appearance … in a movie sneak peek, but still.
Again, this event is free, open to the public, and no registration is required. But, feel free to RSVP on Facebook.
