The Library of Congress’ free National Book Festival is so popular that it’s expanded to two days, September 24 and 25, and offers more than 100 writers who’ll give readings, talks, and sign their books.
Some of the best-known authors at the weekend festival on the National Mall include Nobel- and Pulitzer Prize winner Toni Morrison; double-Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough; Jim Lehrer, recently retired head of PBS NewsHour and author of more than 20 books, including the just-published “Tension City”; Garrison Keillor; Michael Cunningham; and actress/children’s book author Julianne Moore, who starred in the film of Cunningham’s book “The Hours”; native American Sherman Alexie, who won the 2010 PEN/Faulkner Fiction Award; Rita Dove, the first African American and the youngest person ever to be appointed US poet laureate in 1993 …
Morrison, always fascinating, controversial, and funny, appeared September 23 at DC's Hay Adams Hotel's Authors Series. She condemned "today's level of cruelty" which she termed "worse than before, during, or after the Civil Rights movement."
Morrison also criticized censorship (her "Song of Solomon" has been banned by a Kansas school board and a Texas prison warden!) "We all know that the banned books are the real books." And as for the "N-word", "Why take out "N-----"? What for? It's so hypocritical, so phony. Why change history? Let history be what it is. Don't white-wash it. Don't wash it at all."
This year’s 11th annual festival will also feature three new genres, “Graphic Novels”, “The Cutting Edge”, and State Poets Laureate (DC poet laureate Dolores Kendrick appears on Sunday at 1 PM) -- plus its largest-ever lineup of authors and activities for children and teens.
Pavilions are set up according to genres: History & Biography; Fiction & Mystery; Poetry & Prose; Contemporary Life; Teens; and Children. Author lineups in the pavilions include:
• Children: Mary Brigid Barrett, Harry Bliss, Calef Brown, Susan Cooper, Carmen Agra Deedy and John McCutcheon, Tomie dePaola, Jack Gantos, Joe Hayes, William Joyce, John Bemelmans Marciano, Patricia McKissack, Dorie McCullough Lawson, Sam McBratney, Julianne Moore, Jon J Muth and Chris Van Dusen;
• Family Storytelling Stage: Wally Amos, Tom Angleberger, Mac Barnett, Michael Buckley, Angela Farris, Daniel Kirk, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Josh Lewis, Tom Lichtenheld, Loren Long, Cedelia Marley, Julianne Moore, Lauren Myracle, Jane O’Connor, Matthew Reinhart, John Rocco, Mark Pett and Gary Rubenstein, Ellen Sabin, Bob Shea and Lisa Yee;
• Teens: Cassandra Clare, Susan Cooper, Sarah Dessen, Jack Gantos, Gordon Korman, Uma Krishaswami, Patricia McKissack, Shelia P. Moses, Kadir Nelson, Katherine Paterson, Gary D. Schmidt, Brian Selznick and Rita Williams-Garcia;
• Fiction & Mystery: Sherman Alexie, Russell Banks, Louis Bayard, Steve Berry, Jennifer Egan, Margaret George, Laura Lippman, Gregory Maguire, Terry McMillan, Toni Morrison, Sara Paretsky, Esmeralda Santiago and Neal Stephenson;
• Poetry & Prose: Michael Cunningham, Rita Dove, Dave Eggers, Claudia Emerson, Mary Gordon, Kimiko Hahn, Terrance Hayes, Garrison Keillor, Yusef Komunyakaa, Linda Pastan, John Milliken Thompson, Poetry Out Loud and Jonathan Yardley;
• History & Biography: Eric Foner, Adam Goodheart, Maya Jasanoff, David McCullough, Justin Martin, Candice Millard, Kristie Miller, Edmund Morris, Carla L. Peterson, Eugene Robinson, James Swanson, Douglas Waller and Isabel Wilkerson;
• Contemporary Life: Joel Achenbach, Amy Chua, Bob Edwards, Leon Fleisher (with Anne Midgette), Joshua Foer, Jessica Harris, Marc Kaufman, Hoda Kotb, Jim Lehrer, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Sylvia Nasar and Sarah Vowell;
• State Poets Laureate (Sunday only): Dolores Kendrick (District of Columbia), Kelly Cherry (Virginia), Stanley Plumly (Maryland), Wes McNair (Maine) and Carol Muske-Dukes (California);
• Graphic Novels: Kazu Kibuishi, Rachel Renee Russell, Richard Thompson, Allen Say and Eric Wight;
• “The Cutting Edge”: Eric Dezenhall, Eric Jerome Dickey, Kia DuPree, Amanda Houck and Kimberla Lawson Roby.
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are the honorary chairs of the event.
The festival takes place rain or shine Saturday, September 24 from 10 AM to 5:30 PM, and Sunday, September 25, from 1 PM to 5:30 PM. on the Mall between 9th and 14th Streets.
For more info: Library of Congress’ National Book Festival, www.loc.gov/bookfest.
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