A good book draws you in. A good speaker entices you to appreciate his or her message and interests. For the ninth year in a row, the Library of Congress provides just those opportunities at the National Book Festival, on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., between 7th and 14th Streets from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (rain or shine). The event, for which the Honorary Chairs are President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, is free and open to the public. More than 120,000 people attended the festival last year.
Celebrating the joys of reading and lifelong literacy has always been the event’s platform. Scores of authors will join those quoted above in featured pavilions including Children, Teens & Children, History & Biography, Fiction & Fantasy, Mysteries & Thrillers and Poetry & Prose. In addition, festival-goers can meet and hear firsthand from their favorite authors, purchase books by festival authors, get books signed by authors, have photos taken with PBS storybook characters and participate in a variety of fun learning activities.
The Pavilion of the States will represent reading- and literacy-promotion programs and literary events in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. trusts and territories. The popular Let’s Read America pavilions will offer reading activities that are fun for the whole family.
The poster for the National Book Festival has been illustrated by noted author/artist Charles Santore of Philadelphia. His "William the Curious" won a Storytelling World honor in 1999 from Storytelling magazine, and he was awarded a gold medal from the Original Art Show in 2000 for his book "A Stowaway on Noah’s Ark." Santore’s work is included in the permanent collections of the Brandywine Museum and the Museum of Modern Art.