No matter what your taste or interest, there is a pavilion (or two or three or more!) for you at the 2004 National Book Festival.

This year the festival pavilions, featuring more than 70 authors, illustrators, and poets, will again be conveniently located on the National Mall between 7th and 14th streets.  The popular “Children,” “Fiction & Imagination,” “History & Biography,” “Home & Family,” “Mysteries & Thrillers,” “Poetry” and “Teens & Children” pavilions will be joined by the first-ever “Science Fiction & Fantasy” pavilion, with a day-long program featuring well-known authors for this popular genre.

The 2004 “Let’s Read America” pavilion will offer a variety of fun-filled activities for children. Parents and children will both want to visit the “Pavilion of the States” and learn about their state’s literary heritage and its local libraries, book festivals and activities dedicated to promoting local authors and reading. Representatives from every state, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories will be on hand to talk about becoming a reading and literacy advocate.

Books from many of the participating authors and illustrators will be for sale, and you can leave the 2004 National Book Festival with an instant keepsake by having your favorite author or illustrator sign his or her book.

The Library of Congress pavilion will feature two oral history projects, Voices of Civil Rights and the Veterans History Project. Library of Congress staff will be there to record the stories and distribute information about preserving the personal accounts of ordinary people who have fought for civil rights in America and who were actively involved in supporting war efforts. Demonstrations of the Library’s acclaimed Web site (www.loc.gov) and its resources for parents, children, teachers and lifelong learners will occur in this pavilion throughout the day.

The activities in three pavilions – “Mysteries & Thrillers,” “Teens & Children” and “Home & Family” – will be cybercast live on the Library’s Web site (www.loc.gov/bookfest) on October 9. You will also be able to view author presentations in the History & Biography pavilion on C-SPAN’s “Book TV.” Check your local listings for times at www.booktv.org.