Schedule

The 2021 Library of Congress National Book Festival is Sept. 17-26, with live author conversations every day. On Sept. 17 at 10 a.m. ET, 35 video-on-demand programs will become available to watch anytime. This year’s Festival also features interactive presentations with Library of Congress experts, a national television special and related events on PBS, NPR podcasts, and author interviews on Washington Post Live. Check out Festival Near You to discover related events from local organizations.

Welcome to the 2021 National Book Festival! News4 Today journalist Eun Yang talks with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden about this year’s Festival.

Download a printable version of the complete live event schedule (PDF 895KB)

NOTE: Using the “Add to Calendar” tool places individual events in your personal calendar. It does not constitute a reservation or ticket to the event.

Friday September 17, 2021

Sunday September 19, 2021

  • Event | lectures and symposia

    Live Conversation with Katherine May

    Sunday
    September 19, 2021
    1:00 pm - 1:30 pm EDT
    Online Only
    Katherine May, author of “Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times” (Riverhead), discusses her new book about coping with circumstances beyond your control with 7News On Your Side anchor Alison Starling. Genre: Lifestyle
  • Event | lectures and symposia

    Live Conversation with Jennifer Ackerman and David Allen Sibley

    Sunday
    September 19, 2021
    5:00 pm - 5:30 pm EDT
    Online Only
    Jennifer Ackerman, author of “The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent and Think” (Penguin), and David Allen Sibley, author of “What It's Like to Be a Bird: From Flying to Nesting, Eating to Singing—What Birds Are Doing, and Why” (Knopf), discuss their new books with Joel Achenbach, science writer for The Washington Post. Genre: Lifestyle

Tuesday September 21, 2021

  • Event | lectures and symposia

    Live Conversation with Adrienne Raphel and Will Shortz

    Tuesday
    September 21, 2021
    7:00 pm - 8:00 pm EDT
    Coolidge Auditorium (LJ-G45A)
    Adrienne Raphel, author of “Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures with Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can't Live Without Them” (Penguin), and Will Shortz, author of “The New York Times Hardest Crosswords Volume 8” (St. Martin’s Griffin) and “The New York Times Super Sunday Crosswords Volume 10” (St. Martin’s Griffin), discuss crosswords with NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro. Genre: Lifestyle

Thursday September 23, 2021

  • Event | lectures and symposia

    Live Conversation with Hawa Hassan and Marcus Samuelsson

    Thursday
    September 23, 2021
    4:00 pm - 4:30 pm EDT
    Online Only
    Hawa Hassan, author of “In Bibi's Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean” (Ten Speed), and Marcus Samuelsson, author of “The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food” (Voracious), discuss their new cookbooks with Robin Givhan, senior critic-at-large at The Washington Post. Genre: Lifestyle
  • Event | lectures and symposia

    Live Conversation with Rodney Scott and Trisha Yearwood

    Thursday
    September 23, 2021
    7:00 pm - 7:30 pm EDT
    Online Only
    Rodney Scott, author of “Rodney Scott's World of BBQ: Every Day Is a Good Day” (Clarkson Potter), and Trisha Yearwood, author of “Trisha's Kitchen: Easy Comfort Food for Friends and Family” (Mariner), discuss their new books, cooking and community with Jummy Olabanji, co-anchor of NBC4’s "News4 Today" morning news show. Genre: Lifestyle