A big day for book lovers is coming up in Washington, DC. The Library of Congress’ National Book Festival returns for its 26th annual festival. And it has a lineup of famous authors and speakers scheduled to attend.
Here are some of the programs you don’t want to miss.
Big Names
Actress Kate McKinnon will introduce her new book, Secrets of the Purple Pearl, (a sequel to The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science). She will speak at a panel at 11:30 a.m. in Ballroom BC, then host meet-and-greets in Hall B at 12:45.
Martin Scorcese, the renowned film director, will give a talk at 4 p.m. in Ballroom BC. Scorcese “shares insight into his own work and discusses his decades-long passionate commitment to preserving and protecting the history of cinema for future generations.”
Cynthia Erivo will present her new memoir, Simply More, with a talk at 7 p.m. in Ballroom BC. There is no book signing scheduled.
Ann Patchett, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist The Dutch House appears at 5 p.m. in Ballroom A for a talk alongside Tayari Jones.
Romance author Tia Williams speaks about her new book The Missed Connection in a talk at 3:30 p.m. in Ballroom A. She’ll sign books at 4:45 p.m.
There are more than 80 authors and speakers scheduled to appear at the festival. See a full list of participants online. You can plan use the online scheduling tool to make sure you don’t miss any of your favorites.
Other Activities
In addition to author panels, there are family-friendly activities scheduled in Hall D throughout the day. Kids can create comics and zines, try research games, learn about languages, and more.
The Roadmap to Reading features tables representing the Centers for the Book from several states and territories, each of which has selected a book. Pick up a brochure to learn about each state and collect stamps along the way. If you collect all the stamps, you can receive a special giveaway.
Book signings and sales happen throughout the day in Hall A, with exhibitors presenting in Hall D.
Plan Your Visit
The National Book Festival is August 22 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The event is free, but tickets are required. Many programs will also be livestreamed online if you miss the fun in-person.
Feature image by Edmond Joe/Library of Congress
