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2022 National Book Festival

Books bring us together. Diverse people formed of geometric shapes and bold colors gather around and on top of a stack of books. One figure reads to the others.

Books bring us together! The National Book Festival returned to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center over Labor Day weekend in 2022 for a day of free talks and activities. Videos of all talks are available here.

Don't miss the Festival blog: For news, author updates and more, make sure you subscribe to our blog.

Experience the Festival

A portrait collage of images featuring authors Nick Offerman, Janelle Monáe, Sabaa Tahir, Leslie Jordan, Geraldine Brooks, and Nyle DiMarco Watch the Festival Watch programs from the Main Stage, Society & Culture stage, Young Adult stage and more.
Image of people walking in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center for the National Book Festival, including a Library of Congress information booth and banners indicating stage names, including Genre Fiction and Fiction. Festival Blog Get the latest updates about this year's Festival, and subscribe for updated news as it happens.
Volunteer holds up a sign that reads 'Ask Me.' Frequently Asked Questions Where is it? When is it? How do I get there? Here are the answers to your questions.
PBS Books Author Talk Watch on PBS Books Catch a sneak peek of the festival on PBS Books with interviews from 11 authors.
Map of the United States The Festival Near You Find watch parties close to you and discover great reads from your own state.
Pavilions on the National Mall at the 2013 National Book Festival. Explore Past Festivals Browse photo galleries and watch videos from 20 years of the National Book Festival.

Featured Authors

Discover the many bestselling authors, novelists, historians, poets and children's writers featured in the 2022 Festival.

Tahir posed outside in brick alleyway Sabaa Tahir
Offerman hiking in forest Nick Offerman
Janelle Monáe
Headshot of DiMarco Nyle DiMarco
Brooks posed outside with horse Geraldine Brooks
See all authors

Highlighted Videos

Women Leaders of the Civil Rights Movement with Tomiko Brown-Nagin and Kate Clifford Larson
Nick Offerman Goes Where the Deer and the Antelope Play
What Happens Next in Sequelland? with Victoria Aveyard, Namina Forna and Chloe Gong
Time to Meet Her Majesty the Queen of Kindergarten! with Derrick Barnes and Vanessa Brantley-Newton
Who Do You Trust? Conspiracies in America with Brendan McConville and Elizabeth Williamson
Past Pain, Future Hope with Tomás Q. Morín and Morgan Talty
Black Girls Sew with Hekima Hapa and Lesley Ware
Memories, Maladies, Mysteries and Murders with Rob Hart and Victor Manibo
Latinitas: Celebrating 40 Big Dreamers! with Juliet Menéndez
See more videos