Fall for the Book is Northern Virginia’s oldest and largest festival of literature and the arts and brings the big names in multiple literary genres to the area for five days of celebration, analysis and talks. Here’s a quick primer on who you should schedule time for.
When: Sept. 25-30
Where: George Mason University and various locations around the Metro-D.C. area
Who: Over 150 authors
Why: What started in 1999 has turned expanded into a weeklong event that features literary greats in genres including children’s literature, poetry, journalism, history, science, psychology and sociology, theater and more
Mason Award Winner
Sept. 25, 6:30-8 p.m.
Diane Rehm is an American public radio talk show host. Her program, The Diane Rehm Show, is distributed nationally and internationally by National Public Radio.
The 2016 Mason Award celebrates authors who have made an extraordinary contribution to connecting literature to the wide reading public. // Concert Hall, Center for the Arts, George Mason University
Novelist Lauren Groff
Sept. 27, 7:30-9 p.m.
Lauren Groff is the author of several books, including her newest, Fates and Furies. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic and three editions of The Best American Short Stories. // Harris Theater, George Mason University
Civil War Historian James McPherson
Sept. 28, 7:30-9 p.m.
James McPherson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Civil War historian. His 1988 prize-winning book, Battle Cry of Freedom, sparked a new wave of interest in Civil War sites and research. McPherson has twice won the Lincoln Prize. // Harris Theater, George Mason University
MasonReads with author Jon Mooallem
Sept. 29, 4:30-6 p.m.
Jon Mooallem will speak at the capstone event for this year’s Mason Reads program. His book, Wild Ones, was chosen as a notable book of 2013 by The New York Times Book Review, The New Yorker and Canada’s National Post among others. // Concert Hall, Center for the Arts, George Mason University
Fairfax Prize Winner Sandra Cisneros
Sept. 30, 7:30-9 p.m.
Sandra Cisneros will accept Fall for the Book’s highest honor, the Fairfax Prize, which honors outstanding literary achievement and celebrates contributors to the larger literary landscape. // Harris Theater, George Mason University, Rogers
