Brayden Harrington: National Book Festival 2021
Brayden Harrington discusses "Brayden Speaks Up: How One Boy Inspired the Nation" (HarperCollins), which tells the true story of how Harrington, a 13-year-old boy who stutters, met Joe Biden and was inspired to give an extraordinary speech that electrified the nation.
Contributor:
Harrington, Brayden
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Nikki Grimes: National Book Festival 2021
Nikki Grimes discusses "Legacy: Women Poets of the Harlem Renaissance" (Bloomsbury), a feminist-forward new collection of poetry celebrating the little-known women poets of the Harlem Renaissance.
Contributor:
Grimes, Nikki
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz: National Book Festival 2021
Ali Stroker and Stacy Davidowitz discuss "The Chance to Fly" (Harry N. Abrams), an uplifting story about following your dreams no matter what perceived obstacles may be in your way. When 13-year-old Nat stumbles upon the chance to be in a kids' production of "Wicked," she doesn't let the fact that she uses a wheelchair hold her back.
Contributor:
Stroker, Ali - Davidowitz, Stacy
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Lupita Nyong'o: National Book Festival 2021
Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o, author of "Sulwe" (Simon & Schuster), discusses the inspiration for her picture book, her personal struggles with self-image as a child and her experiences making films such as "12 Years a Slave," "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and "Black Panther," with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Bonus content: Dani Thurber, reference librarian in the Library's Hispanic Reading Room, explores the...
Ann Clare LeZotte: National Book Festival 2021
Ann Clare LeZotte discusses "Show Me a Sign" (Scholastic), a riveting story inspired by the true history of a thriving deaf community on Martha's Vineyard in the early 19th century. This book explores ableism, racism and colonialism, answering the call to dig deep, examine core beliefs and question what is considered normal. Bonus content: Katie Noethe and Derrick Dodson from the Library's Accessibility Program...
Contributor:
Dodson, Derrick - Richey, Pete - Lezotte, Ann Clare - Noethe, Katie
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Meg Medina and Jerry Pinkney: National Book Festival 2021
Meg Medina, author of "Merci Suárez Can't Dance" (Candlewick), and Jerry Pinkney, author of "The Little Mermaid" (Little, Brown), discuss their new books. In the sequel to "Merci Suárez Changes Gears," Merci takes on seventh grade with all its travails of friendship, family and love. Pinkney's book imaginatively reinvents the classic mermaid's tale. Bonus content: Library educator Andrea Lewis invites kids and families to...
Contributor:
Lewis, Andrea - Pinkney, Jerry - Medina, Meg
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Sharice Davids: National Book Festival 2021
Rep. Sharice Davids discusses "Sharice's Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman" (HarperCollins Kids), which tells the triumphant true story of how Davids became one of the first Native American women elected to Congress and the first LGBTQ Congress member to represent Kansas.
Contributor:
Davids, Rep. Sharice
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Dan Gutman: National Book Festival 2021
Dan Gutman discusses "Houdini and Me" (Holiday House). In this book, 11-year-old Harry Mancini is not Harry Houdini, but he does live in Houdini's old New York City home. When it seems that Houdini is communicating from beyond the grave, Harry is faced with a choice: ignore what must be a hoax, or take a chance on helping Houdini return from the dead.
Contributor:
Gutman, Dan
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz: National Book Festival 2021
Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas discuss "Wow in the World: The How and Wow of the Human Body: From Your Tongue to Your Toes and All the Guts in Between" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). Based on the No. 1 kids podcast, "Wow in the World," this book takes readers on a hilarious, fact-filled and highly illustrated journey through the human body - covering everything from...
Contributor:
Thomas, Mindy - Valentine, Monica - Raz, Guy
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Derrick Barnes: National Book Festival 2021
Derrick Barnes discusses "I Am Every Good Thing" (Nancy Paulsen). The confident Black narrator of this book is proud of everything that makes him who he is. He's got big plans, and no doubt he'll see them through - as he's creative, adventurous, smart, funny and a good friend.
Contributor:
Barnes, Derrick
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Kacen Callender: National Book Festival 2021
Kacen Callender discusses "King and the Dragonflies" (Scholastic). In this book, 12-year-old Kingston James is sure his brother Khalid, who recently passed away, has turned into a dragonfly. His grief takes him beyond the bayous of his backyard to rekindle an old friendship and learn that there is no right way to be yourself.
Contributor:
Callender, Kacen
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Kate DiCamillo and Sophie Blackall: National Book Festival 2021
Newbery winner Kate DiCamillo and Caldecott winner Sophie Blackall discuss "The Beatryce Prophecy" (Candlewick), which centers on Beatryce, a mysterious girl with a head full of stories, as she ventures into a dark wood in search of the castle of one who wishes her dead - armed with the knowledge that those who love her will never give up looking for her. Bonus content:...
Contributor:
Blackall, Sophie - Dicamillo, Kate - Dowdy, Sasha
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Roxane Gay: National Book Festival 2021
Roxane Gay, co-author of "The Sacrifice of Darkness" (Archaia), discusses her approach as a black feminist, her endeavor to write across genre and her path to become a professional writer, with Everdeen Mason, editorial director of New York Times Games. Bonus content: Megan Halsband, reference librarian in the Serial & Government Publications Division, reflects on the origins of graphic novels and the source material...
Kazuo Ishiguro: National Book Festival 2021
Description: Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro, author of "Klara and the Sun" (Knopf), discusses the inspiration for his new novel, what led him to become a writer and how humans offer their contributions to society, with author and former Library of Congress Literary Director Marie Arana. Bonus content: The Library of Congress Manuscript Division holds the personal papers of many individuals important to the...
Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Sarah Pearse: National Book Festival 2021
Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of "Mexican Gothic" (Del Rey) and "Velvet Was the Night" (Del Rey), and Sarah Pearse, author of "The Sanatorium" (Pamela Dorman), discuss the genre of the gothic novel, writing strong female characters and what comes next for each of them, with book critic Bethanne Patrick. Bonus content: Acting Director of the Latin American, Caribbean and European Division Suzanne Schadl considers Silvia...
Isabel Wilkerson: National Book Festival
Isabel Wilkerson, author of "Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents" (Random House), discusses the timeliness of her work, the historical foundations for her argument about caste in American society and the power of narrative nonfiction, with broadcaster, essayist and critic Bilal Qureshi. Bonus content: Historian Ryan Reft explores the language used in NAACP and Supreme Court Papers found in the Library's Manuscript Division to...
Yaa Gyasi: National Book Festival 2021
Yaa Gyasi, author of "Transcendent Kingdom" (Knopf), discusses the relationship between science and religion, her writing and research methods, as well as the ways she draws upon personal connections, especially her connection to the church, with Washington Post book critic Ron Charles. Bonus content: Drawing on Yaa Gyasi's references to Ghanaian culture and literature, Chief of the Library's African and Middle Eastern Division Lanisa...
Christopher Paolini and Martha Wells: National Book Festival 2021
Christopher Paolini, author of "To Sleep in a Sea of Stars" (Tor), his first science fiction novel, and Martha Wells, author of "Fugitive Telemetry" (Tor), the sixth in the Murderbot Diaries series, discuss the evolution of publicizing books throughout their careers and the unique speculative-fiction community, with New York Times Book Review science fiction and fantasy columnist Amal El-Mohtar. Bonus content: Fandom and conventions...
Contributor:
El-Mohtar, Amal - Paolini, Christopher - Burton, Levar - Metcalf, Meg - Wells, Martha
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Michael J. Fox: National Book Festival 2021
Michael J. Fox, award-winning actor and author of "No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality" (Flatiron), discusses his new memoir with Roswell Encina, chief communications officer at the Library of Congress. Fox speaks about learning gratitude and optimism during difficult times, the persistence of his film and television work across generations and how he finds connection and inspiration through the Michael J....
Contributor:
Fox, Michael J. - Burton, Levar - Chisholm, Kelly - Encina, Roswell
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Angie Thomas: National Book Festival 2021
Angie Thomas, author of "Concrete Rose" (Balzer + Bray), a prequel to her first novel, "The Hate U Give," discusses the importance of libraries in her youth, how hip-hop and the Black Lives Matter movement influenced her new book and her investment in young people's literacy and writing, with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Bonus content: The Library of Congress is for everyone, reference...
Adam Grant and Mishal Husain: National Book Festival 2021
Adam Grant, author of "Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know" (Viking), and Mishal Husain, author of "The Skills: From First Job to Dream Job - What Every Woman Needs to Know" (Harper Business), discuss the importance of rethinking "best practices" in our work, the transformation of the workplace during the COVID-19 pandemic and the benefits of thinking like a scientist...
Contributor:
Grant, Adam - Husain, Mishal - Burton, Levar - Terrell, Ellen
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Bill Gates: National Book Festival 2021
Bill Gates, author of "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need" (Knopf), discusses the history, implications and geopolitical ramifications of climate change, as well as the technology and investment required to address the crisis, with philanthropist and National Book Festival co-chairman David M. Rubenstein. Bonus content: John Hessler, curator of the Kislak Collection, presents meaningful historical...
Contributor:
Rubenstein, David M. - Burton, Levar - Gates, Bill - Hessler, John
Date:2021-09-17
Film, Video
Diane von Furstenberg: National Book Festival 2021
Diane von Furstenberg, fashion designer and author of the book "Own It: The Secret to Life" (Phaidon), reflects on her experiences, discussing what it means to live authentically and how she has used fashion as a source of empowerment for herself and other women, with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. Bonus content: Copyright Office attorney Jaylen Johnson explores Diane von Furstenberg's creative contributions and...
Tana French: National Book Festival 2021
Tana French, author of "The Searcher" (Viking), discusses her new mystery novel with Maureen Corrigan, book critic for NPR's "Fresh Air." French speaks on her approach to the mystery genre, what it's like to be an outsider in a new place and why she reread Agatha Christie's books during quarantine. Bonus content: The Library's Manuscript Division is home to the papers of many writers,...
Joy Williams: National Book Festival 2021
Joy Williams, author of "Harrow" (Knopf) and recipient of the 2021 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction, discusses her new book with Robert Casper, head of poetry and literature at the Library of Congress. Williams speaks to the process of writing the first novel she has published in 20 years and the importance of fiction in understanding our world. Bonus content: The pandemic...
Contributor:
Burton, Levar - Yochelson, Abby - Williams, Joy - Casper, Robert - Hayden, Carla
