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.

  • Film, Video

    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…
  • Film, Video

    Adrienne Raphel and Will Shortz: National Book Festival 2021

    Crossword puzzle enthusiast Adrienne Raphel, author of "Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures with Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can't Live Without Them" (Penguin), and puzzlemaster Will Shortz, author of "The New York Times Hardest Crosswords Volume 8: 50 Friday and Saturday Puzzles to Challenge Your Brain" (St. Martin's Griffin) and "The New York Times Super Sunday Crosswords Volume 10: 50 Sunday Puzzles External"…
  • 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.
  • Film, Video

    Alice McDermott and George Saunders: National Book Festival 2021

    Alice McDermott, author of "What About the Baby?: Some Thoughts on the Art of Fiction" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), and George Saunders, author of "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading and Life" (Random House), discuss their new books with Washington Post book critic Ron Charles.
  • 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…
  • Film, Video

    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…
  • Film, Video

    Annette Gordon-Reed: National Book Festival 2021

    Annette Gordon-Reed, author of "On Juneteenth" (Liveright), discusses the autobiographical approach to her new book, and the importance and impact of learning the whole truth about slavery, white supremacy and Juneteenth, with Eric Deggans, NPR's TV critic and media analyst-contributor for MSNBC and NBC News. Bonus content: With the help of Civil War-era holdings from the Library's Manuscript Division, historian Michelle Krowl explores the…
  • Film, Video

    Avi Loeb: National Book Festival 2021

    Avi Loeb discusses "Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) with science journalist Sarah Scoles.
  • 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…
  • Film, Video

    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.
  • Film, Video

    Brit Bennett and Robert Jones Jr.: National Book Festival 2021

    Brit Bennett, author of "The Vanishing Half" (Riverhead), and Robert Jones Jr., author of "The Prophets" (Putnam's), discuss their new books with Lauren Christensen, senior staff editor for The New York Times Book Review.
  • Film, Video

    Catherine Belton and Joshua Yaffa: National Book Festival 2021

    Catherine Belton, author of "Putin's People: How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took On the West" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), and Joshua Yaffa, author of "Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition and Compromise in Putin's Russia" (Tim Duggan), discuss their new books with Jeff Pegues, chief justice and homeland security correspondent for CBS News.
  • Film, Video

    Chang-rae Lee and Viet Thanh Nguyen: National Book Festival 2021

    Chang-rae Lee, author of "My Year Abroad" (Riverhead), and Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of "The Committed" (Grove), discuss their early experiences as immigrants to the United States, the complexities of displacement and belonging, and the various ways their novels confront history and culture, with Elizabeth Blair, senior producer/reporter on the NPR News arts desk. Bonus content: Ryan Wolfson-Ford, Southeast Asia reference librarian from the…
  • Film, Video

    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…
  • Film, Video

    Claudia Rankine, Phillip B. Williams and Kevin Young: National Book Festival 2021

    Claudia Rankine, author of "Just Us: An American Conversation" (Graywolf), and Phillip B. Williams, author of "Mutiny" (Penguin), discuss their new books with Kevin Young, editor of "African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle & Song" (Library of America). Young is director of the National Museum of African American History & Culture.
  • Film, Video

    Copyright: The Engine of Free Expression: 2021 National Book Festival

    You are an owner of copyright-protected material. Learn how writing a story, creating a work of art, composing or recording music, or simply taking a picture engages with copyright. Find out more about how this automatic right affects your work and what it covers. Learn about the U.S. Copyright Office and the work it does to encourage creativity.
  • Film, Video

    Creative Collaborations at the Library of Congress: National Book Festival 2021

    Many modern and contemporary artists have found singular joy in illustrating, interpreting and reimagining the legend, symbol and sentiment within literature and poetry. Beginning with early 20th-century livres d'artiste and concluding with contemporary graphic and book artists, Library of Congress curators discuss the many different creative unions between art and the written word over the past century.
  • 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.
  • Film, Video

    Daniel Kahneman and Cass R. Sunstein: National Book Festival 2021

    Daniel Kahneman and Cass R. Sunstein, co-authors of "Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment" (Little, Brown), discuss their new book with New York Times Book Review writer and editor Gal Beckerman.
  • Film, Video

    Danielle Evans and Charles Yu: National Book Festival 2021

    Danielle Evans, author of "The Office of Historical Corrections" (Riverhead), and Charles Yu, author of "Interior Chinatown" (Pantheon), discuss their new books with Amy Stolls, director of Literary Arts at the National Endowment for the Arts.
  • Film, Video

    David Nasaw and Sonia Shah: National Book Festival 2021

    David Nasaw, author of "The Last Million: Europe's Displaced Persons from World War to Cold War" (Penguin), and Sonia Shah, author of "The Next Great Migration: The Beauty and Terror of Life on the Move" (Bloomsbury), discuss their new books with CBS News' "60 Minutes+" correspondent Enrique Acevedo.
  • 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.
  • 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…
  • Film, Video

    Elizabeth Hand and Alex Michaelides: National Book Festival 2021

    Elizabeth Hand, author of "The Book of Lamps and Banners" (Mulholland), and Alex Michaelides, author of "The Maidens" (Celadon), discuss their new books with NPR Books editor Petra Mayer.
  • Film, Video

    Elliot Ackerman and Adm. James Stavridis: National Book Festival 2021

    Elliot Ackerman and Adm. James Stavridis, co-authors of "2034: A Novel of the Next World War" (Penguin), discuss their novel with philanthropist and National Book Festival co-chairman David M. Rubenstein.
  • Film, Video

    Eric Eyre and Patrick Radden Keefe: National Book Festival 2021

    Eric Eyre, author of "Death in Mud Lick: A Coal Country Fight Against the Drug Companies That Delivered the Opioid Epidemic" (Scribner), and Patrick Radden Keefe, author of "Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty" (Doubleday), discuss their new books with Washington Post reporter Sari Horwitz.
  • Film, Video

    francine j. harris and Patrick Rosal: National Book Festival 2021

    francine j. harris, author of "Here Is the Sweet Hand" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), and Patrick Rosal, author of "The Last Thing: New & Selected Poems" (Persea), discuss their new works with Ydalmi Noriega, director of programs and community engagement at the Poetry Foundation.
  • Film, Video

    Hawa Hassan and Marcus Samuelsson: National Book Festival 2021

    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.
  • Film, Video

    Heather McGhee: National Book Festival 2021

    Heather McGhee discusses her new book, "The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together" (One World), with Errin Haines, editor-at-large of The 19th and a contributor at MSNBC.
  • Film, Video

    Honorée Fanonne Jeffers and Deesha Philyaw: National Book Festival 2021

    Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, author of "The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois" (Harper), and Deesha Philyaw, author of "The Secret Lives of Church Ladies"(West Virginia University), discuss their new books with Karen Grigsby Bates, senior correspondent for NPR's "Code Switch."
  • Film, Video

    Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam: National Book Festival 2021

    Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam discuss "Punching the Air" (Balzer + Bray) with Library of Congress teen interns Eti Gulati and Karen Yang. Co-authored by Zoboi and prison reform activist Salaam of the Exonerated Five, the book is a novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated.
  • Film, Video

    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…
  • Film, Video

    Jason Reynolds: National Book Festival 2021

    Jason Reynolds, Library of Congress National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, discusses his ambassador platform, GRAB THE MIC: Tell Your Story, and his award-winning book "Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks" (Atheneum), with teen interviewers Courtney Kim and Brandon Marshall.
  • Film, Video

    Jay Coles: National Book Festival 2021

    Jay Coles discusses "Things We Couldn't Say" (Scholastic), a novel about a bi Black boy finding first love while facing the return of his absent mother, with Library of Congress teen interns Courtney Kim and Christina Lu. Bonus content: Teen interns from the Library's summer teen intensive internship introduce their peers to a few of their favorite resources from the Library's website, including Chronicling…
  • Film, Video

    Jennifer Ackerman and David Allen Sibley: National Book Festival 2021

    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.
  • Film, Video

    Joseph J. Ellis: National Book Festival 2021

    Joseph J. Ellis discusses "The Cause: The American Revolution and Its Discontents, 1773-1783" (Liveright) with philanthropist and National Book Festival co-chairman David M. Rubenstein.
  • Film, Video

    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…
  • Film, Video

    Julia Sweig and Karen Tumulty: National Book Festival 2021

    Julia Sweig, author of "Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight" (Random House), and Karen Tumulty, author of "The Triumph of Nancy Reagan" (Simon & Schuster), discuss their new books with Colleen Shogan, a senior vice president and the director of the David Rubenstein Center for White House History at the White House Historical Association.
  • 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.
  • Film, Video

    Kai Bird, James Oakes and David O. Stewart: National Book Festival 2021

    Kai Bird, author of "The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter" (Crown); James Oakes, author of "The Crooked Path to Abolition: Abraham Lincoln and the Antislavery Constitution" (Norton); and David O. Stewart, author of "George Washington: The Political Rise of America's Founding Father" (Dutton), discuss their presidential biographies with Nancy Cordes, chief White House correspondent for CBS News.
  • 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:…
  • Film, Video

    Katherine May: National Book Festival 2021

    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.
  • Film, Video

    Katie Zhao: National Book Festival 2021

    Katie Zhao discusses "How We Fall Apart" (Bloomsbury), a thriller in which students at an elite prep school are forced to confront their secrets when their ex-best friend turns up dead, with teen interviewer Brandon Marshall. Bonus content: Teen interns from the Library's summer teen intensive internship introduce their peers to a few of their favorite resources from the Library's website, including Chronicling America,…
  • Film, Video

    Kekla Magoon: National Book Festival 2021

    Kekla Magoon discusses "Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party's Promise to the People" (Candlewick) with Liv Aspholm, student ambassador from 2020-2021 National Ambassador Jason Reynolds' GRAB THE MIC program. The book relays an essential retelling of the Black Panthers as both militant revolutionaries and human rights advocates working to defend and protect Black communities. Bonus content: Teen interns from the Library's summer…
  • Film, Video

    Kelli Jo Ford and Toni Jensen: National Book Festival 2021

    Kelli Jo Ford, author of "Crooked Hallelujah" (Grove), and Toni Jensen, author of "Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land" (Ballantine), discuss their new books with Nick Martin, the Indigenous Affairs desk editor at High Country News and a contributing editor at The New Republic.
  • Film, Video

    Kristen Arnett and Raven Leilani: National Book Festival 2021

    Kristen Arnett, author of "With Teeth" (Riverhead), and Raven Leilani, author of "Luster" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), discuss their new books with New Republic writer Jo Livingstone.
  • Film, Video

    Kristin Hannah and Maggie Shipstead: National Book Festival 2021

    Kristin Hannah, author of "The Four Winds" (St. Martin's), and Maggie Shipstead, author of "Great Circle" (Knopf), discuss their new books with Washington Post book critic Ron Charles.
  • Film, Video

    Lawrence Wright: National Book Festival 2021

    Lawrence Wright discusses "The Plague Year: America in the Time of COVID" (Knopf) with philanthropist and National Book Festival co-chairman David M. Rubenstein.
  • Film, Video

    LeVar Burton: National Book Festival 2021

    Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden talks with actor and children's literacy advocate LeVar Burton, host of the television special "Open a Book, Open the World: The Library of Congress National Book Festival" on PBS, about the power of reading, story and connection. They also discuss the LeVar Burton Book Club, launched in May 2021, and his time as host and executive producer of the…
  • 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…
  • Film, Video

    Margot Livesey and Sue Miller: National Book Festival 2021

    Margot Livesey, author of "The Boy in the Field" (Harper), and Sue Miller, author of "Monogamy" (Harper), discuss their new books with New York Times Book Review editor Elisabeth Egan.
  • Film, Video

    Mary Roach and Suzanne Simard: National Book Festival 2021

    Mary Roach, author of "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law" (Norton), and Suzanne Simard, author of "Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest" (Knopf), discuss their new books with Sarah Kaplan, climate reporter for The Washington Post.
  • Film, Video

    Matt Parker: National Book Festival 2021

    Matt Parker discusses his new book, "Humble Pi: When Math Goes Wrong in the Real World" (Riverhead), with Roswell Encina, chief communications officer at the Library of Congress.
  • 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…
  • 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.…
  • 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…
  • Film, Video

    Navigating Unexpected Genealogical Finds: National Book Festival 2021

    Genealogy is a popular topic, and more people than ever want to find their roots. However, many do not think about the emotional fallout from learning or exposing family history. Explore resources you can use to deal with what happens when you discover unexpected information about ancestors. This session goes beyond how to discover who your ancestors are and focuses on the aftermath of…
  • Film, Video

    Nikki Giovanni: National Book Festival 2021

    Nikki Giovanni discusses her new collection, "Make Me Rain: Poems & Prose" (William Morrow), with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
  • 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.
  • Film, Video

    Noé Álvarez and Maria Hinojosa: National Book Festival 2021

    Noé Álvarez, author of "Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America's Stolen Land" (Catapult), and Maria Hinojosa, author of "Once I Was You: A Memoir of Love and Hate in a Torn America" (Atria), discuss their new books with Maria Elena Salinas, journalist and principal of MES Multi-Media LLC.
  • Film, Video

    Olivia Campbell and Janice P. Nimura: National Book Festival 2021

    Olivia Campbell, author of "Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine" (Park Row), and Janice P. Nimura, author of "The Doctors Blackwell: How Two Pioneering Sisters Brought Medicine to Women and Women to Medicine" (Norton), discuss their new books with journalist Melody Schreiber, editor of "What We Didn't Expect: Personal Stories About Premature Birth."
  • Film, Video

    Open a Book, Open the World: 2021 National Book Festival

    Watch the introduction to the 2021 Library of Congress National Book Festival and its exciting lineup of authors, poets and writers in a one-hour special from PBS with hosts LeVar Burton and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. This program will offer a timely celebration of the power of books and discussions on some of the big topics of the day.
  • Film, Video

    P. Djèlí Clark: National Book Festival 2021

    P. Djèlí Clark discusses "A Master of Djinn" (Tor) and "Ring Shout" (Tor) with Amal El-Mohtar, science fiction and fantasy columnist for The New York Times.
  • Film, Video

    Patricia Engel and Rivka Galchen: National Book Festival 2021

    Patricia Engel, author of "Infinite Country" (Avid Reader), and Rivka Galchen, author of "Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), discuss their new books with Kevin Larimer, editor-in-chief of Poets & Writers.
  • Film, Video

    Peter Godfrey-Smith: National Book Festival 2021

    Peter Godfrey-Smith discusses his new book, "Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind" (Farrar, Straus & Giroux), with New York Times Book Review writer and editor Gal Beckerman.
  • Film, Video

    Pre-Festival Briefing for Educators: National Book Festival 2021

    During the 2021 National Book Festival, educators and students have the opportunity to engage with authors like never before. This pre-Festival briefing is the perfect opportunity for teachers and librarians to learn about this year's Festival opportunities and share ideas about how the Festival events can be included in instructional planning. Attendees in the live, one-hour educator seminar are eligible to receive a certificate… Genres: Your Library of Congress
  • Film, Video

    Q&A with Dan Gutman: National Book Festival 2021

    Dan Gutman, author of "Houdini and Me" (Holiday House), answers your questions. Don't forget to check out Dan Gutman's video where he discusses his book.
  • Film, Video

    Q&A with Derrick Barnes: National Book Festival 2021

    Derrick Barnes, author of "I Am Every Good Thing" (Nancy Paulsen), answers your questions. Don't forget to check out Derrick Barnes' video where he discusses his book.
  • Film, Video

    Q&A with Jerry Pinkney: National Book Festival 2021

    Jerry Pinkney, author of "The Little Mermaid" (Little, Brown), answers your questions. Don't forget to check out Jerry Pinkney's video where he discusses his book in conversation with Meg Medina.
  • Film, Video

    Q&A with Kekla Magoon: National Book Festival 2021

    Kekla Magoon, author of "Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party's Promise to the People" (Candlewick), answers your questions. Don't forget to check out Kekla Magoon's video where she discusses her book.
  • Film, Video

    Q&A with Mindy Thomas: National Book Festival 2021

    Mindy Thomas, co-author of "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), answers your questions. Don't forget to check out Mindy Thomas' video where she discusses her book with co-author Guy Raz.
  • Film, Video

    Q&A with Rep. Sharice Davids: National Book Festival 2021

    Rep. Sharice Davids, author of "Sharice's Big Voice: A Native Kid Becomes a Congresswoman" (HarperCollins Kids), answers your questions. Don't forget to check out Rep. Sharice Davids' video where she discusses her book.
  • Film, Video

    Q&A with Tahereh Mafi: National Book Festival 2021

    Tahereh Mafi, author of "An Emotion of Great Delight" (HarperCollins), answers your questions. Don't forget to check out Tahereh Mafi's video where she discusses her book.
  • Film, Video

    Q&A with Traci Chee: National Book Festival 2021

    Traci Chee, author of "We Are Not Free" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), answers your questions. Don't forget to check out Traci Chee's video where she discusses her book.
  • Film, Video

    Q&A with Trung Le Nguyen: National Book Festival 2021

    Trung Le Nguyen, author of "The Magic Fish" (Random House), answers your questions. Don't forget to check out Trung Le Nguyen's video where he discusses his book.
  • Film, Video

    Rodney Scott and Trisha Yearwood: National Book Festival 2021

    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.
  • 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…
  • Film, Video

    Sarah Frier and Anna Wiener: National Book Festival 2021

    Sarah Frier, author of "No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram" (Simon & Schuster) and Anna Wiener, author of "Uncanny Valley" (MCD), discuss their new books with CBS News' "60 Minutes+" correspondent Laurie Segall.
  • 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.
  • Film, Video

    Sharon G. Flake: National Book Festival 2021

    Sharon G. Flake discusses "The Life I'm In" (Scholastic), a companion novel to her bestseller "The Skin I'm In," with Library of Congress teen intern Neena Dzur. The novel presents the unflinching story of Char, a young woman trapped in the underworld of human trafficking.
  • Film, Video

    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…
  • Film, Video

    Simon Winchester: National Book Festival 2021

    Simon Winchester discusses "Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World" (Harper) with Osita Nwanevu, a contributing editor at The New Republic.
  • Film, Video

    The Spider-Man Origin Story in Art & Comic Books: National Book Festival 2021

    Before Spider-Man leaped off the pages of comic books into the movies, Steve Ditko, a cartoonist, and Stan Lee, a scriptwriter, sat down at their desks and invented him. The Library of Congress possesses the original drawings for their collaboration, which appeared in the August 1962 issue of "Amazing Fantasy." Together we look at the moment the radioactive spider bit Peter Parker, turning him…
  • Film, Video

    Tahereh Mafi: National Book Festival 2021

    Tahereh Mafi discusses "An Emotion of Great Delight" (HarperCollins), a novel about a Muslim teenager living in post-9/11 America, navigating a dual identity and reclaiming a right to joy, with Ava Schifferns and Bailey Carbary, student ambassadors from 2020-2021 National Ambassador Jason Reynolds' GRAB THE MIC program.
  • Film, Video

    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,…
  • Film, Video

    Traci Chee: National Book Festival 2021

    Traci Chee discusses "We Are Not Free" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), the fictional account of second-generation Japanese American citizens whose lives are irrevocably changed by the mass U.S. incarcerations of World War II, with Library of Congress teen intern Adeline Yu. Bonus content: Teen interns from the Library's summer teen intensive internship introduce their peers to a few of their favorite resources from the Library's…
  • Film, Video

    Trung Le Nguyen: National Book Festival 2021

    Trung Le Nguyen discusses "The Magic Fish" (Random House), a graphic novel addressing the complexity of family and how stories bring us together, with Sean Basran and Lexi Montoya, student ambassadors from 2020-2021 National Ambassador Jason Reynolds' GRAB THE MIC program.
  • Film, Video

    The Visible Book: A Look Inside at Book Construction, Historic to Modern: 2021 National Book Festival

    Look inside the covers and learn how books are constructed. The Library's Conservation Division shows you how to identify the influences of historic book structures in the modern bindings of today. From papyrus to parchment to paper, from Gutenberg's Bible to the pulp paperback, we'll show you - with models and examples from the Library's collections - how bookbinding has evolved through the centuries.…
  • Film, Video

    Welcome by Carla Hayden & Eun Yang: 2021 National Book Festival

    Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and News4 Today journalist Eun Yang discuss the 2021 Library of Congress National Book Festival: Open a Book, Open the World, which takes place in various formats from Sept. 17-26.
  • Film, Video

    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…
  • Film, Video

    Yiyun Li and Douglas Stuart: National Book Festival 2021

    Yiyun Li, author of "Must I Go" (Random House), and Douglas Stuart, author of "Shuggie Bain" (Grove), discuss their new books with Alexander Chee, author and contributing editor at The New Republic.