Library of Congress National Book Festival Welcomes Extraordinary Lineup of Writers
The Library of Congress National Book Festival routinely attracts the participation of many of the nation’s most-honored and most-respected authors, and 2016 is no exception. This year’s festival, to be held Saturday, Sept. 24, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. (doors open at 9 a.m.), at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. will include the following authors:
- Oscar-winning (“Cabaret”) actor Joel Grey, who has just published his memoir, “Master of Ceremonies”
- Carl Hiaasen, a columnist for the Miami Herald, will speak about his new thriller, “Razor Girl”
- Poet, fiction and nonfiction writer Eileen Myles (who is also an extra on the television show “Transparent”) will read from her latest book, “I Must Be Living Twice”
- Katherine Paterson, America’s most-honored writer for young people, will discuss her memoir as well as the making of her novel “The Great Gilly Hopkins” into a major motion picture
- Shonda Rhimes, the creative force behind such smash TV shows as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal,” will discuss “The Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person”
- Legal analyst and New Yorker writer Jeffrey Toobin will feature his latest work, “Urban Guerrilla: The Wild, Strange Saga of Patty Hearst and the Symbionese Liberation Army”
- Journalist, humorist, food writer, poet and novelist Calvin Trillin will present his new book for young people, “No Fair! No Fair!”
- Colson Whitehead will launch his new novel at the festival, “The Underground Railroad.”
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. Charter sponsors include AARP, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, The Washington Post and Wells Fargo; Patron sponsors include the James Madison Council and the National Endowment for the Arts; Contributor-level sponsors include The Junior League of Washington and Scholastic Inc,; and, in the Friends category, the Marshall B. Coyne Foundation Inc,. the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, the National Endowment for the Humanities and Small Press Expo. Those interested in supporting the National Book Festival may contact the Library at devofc@loc.gov.
Other recently added authors include:
- Children’s Stage: Raymond Arroyo, Shannon Hale, Juana Medina, Sharon Robinson
- Teens Stage: Edwidge Danticat, Brendan Kiely, Meg Medina
- Picture Books: Aaron Becker, Hervé Tullet, Brendan Wenzel
- Contemporary Life Stage: Jo Ann Jenkins, Amy Ellis Nutt, Ann Marie Slaughter
- Fiction Stage: Geraldine Brooks, Yaa Gyasi, Richard Russo, Jacqueline Woodson
- Food & Home: Pati Jinich, Roland Mesnier
- Graphic Novels: Darrin Bell, Michael Ramirez, Noelle Stevenson
- History & Biography: Margo Jefferson, Sarah Vowell
- International: The Work of Primo Levi, Carlos Ruiz Zafón
- Mysteries, Thrillers & Science Fiction: Justin Cronin, Rep. Steven Israel, Hannah Pittard
- Poetry & Prose: Joy Harjo, Mary Karr, Luis Alberto Urrea; poetry slam
- Science: James Gleick, Janna Levin, Eric Weiner
Additional authors will be announced in the coming months. More information and updates are available on the National Book Festival website at loc.gov/bookfest/.
Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. The Library 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. The Library’s Center for the Book, established by Congress in 1977 to “stimulate public interest in books and reading,” is a national force for reading and literacy promotion. A public-private partnership, it sponsors educational programs that reach readers of all ages through its affiliated state centers, collaborations with nonprofit reading promotion partners and through the Young Readers Center and thePoetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress. For more information, visit read.gov.
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