President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will serve as Honorary Chairs of the 2009 National Book Festival, an annual event held each September on the National Mall in Washington, DC. This 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 70 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.
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.
National Book Festival Location
National Mall, between 7th streets and 14th Sts.The closest Metro stations are Archives/Navy Memorial, Smithsonian, and L'Enfant Plaza. See a map of the National Mall.
2009 National Book Festival Participants
Children's Authors - Mary Brigid Barrett, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, Kate DiCamillo, Shannon Hale, Craig Hatkoff, Nikki Grimes, Steven Kellogg, Lois Lowry, Megan McDonald, Charles Santore (illustrator of the festival poster), Jon Scieszka and David Shannon, and Mo WillemsTeens & Children Authors - Judy Blume, Pat Carman, Sharon Creech, Paula Deen, Carmen Agra Deedy and Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, Shannon Hale, Liz Kessler, Jeff Kinney, James Patterson, Jerry Pinkney, Rick Riordan, Sharon Robinson and Kadir Nelson, James L. Swanson and Jacqueline Woodson
History & Biography Authors - Dan Balz, Douglas Brinkley, Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan, Kirstin Downey, Annette Gordon-Reed, Gwen Ifill, Haynes Johnson, Sue Monk Kidd, Mark Kurlansky, Jon Meacham, Rickey Minor, Simon Schama, Patricia Sullivan, Ann Kidd Taylor and David A. Taylor
Fiction & Fantasy Authors- Sabiha Al Khemir, Julia Alvarez, Junot Díaz, John Grisham, John Irving, Katherine Neville, Jodi Picoult, Nicholas Sparks, Jeannette Walls, Colson Whitehead and David Wroblewski
Mysteries & Thrillers Authors - David Baldacci, Lee Child, Mary Jane Clark, Margaret Coel, Michael Connelly, Craig Johnson, Walter Mosley, James Patterson, George Pelecanos, S.J. Rozan, Lisa Scottline and Daniel Silva
Poetry & Prose Authors - W. Ralph Eubanks, Julia Glass, Edward Hirsch, Jane Hirshfield, Ana Menendez, Azar Nafisi, student winners in the Poetry Out Loud competition Marilynne Robinson and Kay Ryan, Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress .
For more information, visit the Library of Congress website.
