2016 Library of Congress National Book Festival Slated for Sept. 24
The Library of Congress continues its annual celebration of authors and readers, the National Book Festival, for its 16th year on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. All programs will be free of charge.
“The National Book Festival is a day for all to celebrate the joy and power of reading by connecting with their favorite authors and discovering new ones,” said acting Librarian of Congress David S. Mao. “No matter your age or favorite type of book, there is something at the National Book Festival for you. The Library is grateful to the generous sponsors who make this day of fun and discovery free to all attendees.”
The National Book Festival is made possible by the generous support of private- and public-sector sponsors who share the Library’s commitment to reading and literacy, led by National Book Festival Co-Chairman David M. Rubenstein. Those interested in supporting the National Book Festival may contact the Library at devofc@loc.gov.
Many authors have already accepted the festival’s invitations this year, and they include:
- Kwame Alexander, Newbery Medal winner
- Douglas Brinkley, prize-winning historian
- Christopher Buckley, author of such satirical works as “Thank You for Smoking”
- Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and author
- Philip Glass, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer
- Annette Gordon-Reed, Pulitzer Prize winner
- Winston Groom, author of “Forrest Gump”
- Stephen King, best-selling, prize-winning author and literacy advocate
- James McBride, National Book Award winner
- Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian
- Joyce Carol Oates, prize-winning author of more than 70 books
- Ed Piskor, alternative comics artist
- Michael Ramirez, two-time Pulitzer Prize winner
- Diane Rehm, NPR host and author
- Salman Rushdie, Man Booker Prize winner
- Stacy Schiff, Pulitzer Prize winner
- Bob Woodward, Pulitzer prize winner and author of 17 No. 1 best-sellers
- Luis Alberto Urrea, prize-winning author of “The Devil’s Highway”
- Gene Luen Yang, Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
Additional authors will be announced in the coming months.
The National Book Festival poster will be designed this year by Yuko Shimizu, an illustrator based in New York City and an instructor at the School of Visual Arts. Her work has appeared on The Gap T-shirts, Pepsi cans, Visa card billboards and Microsoft and Target ads, as well as on book covers for Penguin, Scholastic and DC Comics. She has published work in the pages of The New York Times, Time magazine, Rolling Stone, The New Yorker and many other publications.
The festival will feature more than 100 distinguished authors across many fields and in all genres of writing, with audiences ranging from young readers to adults. The festival will continue to feature its popular offerings dedicated to Children, Teens, Contemporary Life, History & Biography, Fiction & Mystery, Graphic Novels, Picture Books, Science, Poetry & Prose and Culinary Arts.
For more information, see the National Book Festival website at loc.gov/bookfest/. The National Book Festival App is available for iPhone and iPad at the iPhone App store and for Android at the Google Play Store. Attendees with smartphones not compatible with either iOS or Android may use a fully functional web version of the app. Links to all are available at loc.gov/apps/. Follow us on Twitter @librarycongress with hashtag #NatBookFest.
The Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world. The Library (loc.gov) seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs, publications and exhibitions.
