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2021 National Book Festival

Create your National Book Festival experience with the Library of Congress in 2021 by engaging in author conversations online, watching the broadcast special on PBS, listening to NPR podcasts, tuning in to Washington Post Live author interviews and attending a ticketed event at the Library. Join us for an expanded Festival, Sept. 17-26, a 10-day event with the theme, “Open a Book, Open the World.”

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Experience the Festival

The Festival Near You Participate in Festival events close to you, and find great reads from your own state.
LeVar Burton Hosts PBS Special “Open a Book, Open the World” hour-long special introduces you to the 2021 Festival.
Frequently Asked Questions How do I watch live events? How can I submit questions to authors? This and more answered here.
Welcome! Full Author Lineup & Schedule The Librarian of Congress invites you to engage with 100+ authors in multiple venues.
Podcasts, Interviews and More Download podcasts from NPR and watch live author talks from the Washington Post and PBS Books.
2021 Festival Poster and Artist Artist Dana Tanamachi shares her inspiration for this year’s beautiful National Book Festival poster.

Featured Authors

Discover the many bestselling authors, novelists, historians, poets and children's writers featured in the 2021 Festival.

portrait of Jason Reynolds Jason Reynolds
portrait of Roxane Gay Roxane Gay
portrait of Silvia Moreno-Garcia Silvia Moreno-Garcia
portrait of Michael J. Fox Michael J. Fox
portrait of Angie Thomas Angie Thomas
See all authors

Highlighted Videos

Open a Book, Open the World: 2021 National Book Festival
The Visible Book: A Look Inside at Book Construction, Historic to Modern
Conversation with Adrienne Raphel and Will Shortz
Conversation with Meg Medina and Jerry Pinkney
Conversation with Jason Reynolds
Conversation with Sarah Frier and Anna Wiener
Conversation with Alice McDermott and George Saunders
Conversation with Noé Álvarez and Maria Hinojosa
Conversation with Rodney Scott and Trisha Yearwood
Conversation with francine j. harris and Patrick Rosal
Conversation with Matt Parker
Conversation with Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Sarah Pearse
See more videos