Schedule | 2022 National Book Festival | Events at the Library of Congress

Event | lectures and symposia

Believe in Yourself: What We Learned from Arthur with Marc Brown

Saturday
September 3, 2022
9:30 am - 9:55 am EDT
Add to calendar Hall A (Lower Level) It’s the 25th anniversary of the award-winning “Arthur” TV series! Creator Marc Brown celebrates this milestone with the publication of his book, “Believe in Yourself: What We Learned from Arthur,” a collection of the best quotes and life lessons from the longest-running children’s show in US history, all carefully compiled to inspire readers of all ages. Moderated by Alison Starling. Stage: Please Read Me a Story Interests: Animals, Fiction, Fun and Funny, Inspiring and Educational

Event | lectures and symposia

Did You Know That the First Cat in Space Ate Pizza? with Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris

Saturday
September 3, 2022
9:30 am - 9:55 am EDT
Add to calendar Hall B (Lower Level) Rats are eating the moon! Only one hero is right for the job: a cat. Blasted into space and joined only by the bossy Moon Queen and a toenail clipping robot, can these unlikely heroes save the world? Join Mac Barnett and Shawn Harris as they discuss their hilarious new action-packed graphic novel, “The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza.” Moderated by Sasha Dowdy. Stage: KidLit Interests: Adventure, Animals, Book Series, Fiction, Fun and Funny, Science Fiction

Event | lectures and symposia

How Racism Happens with Robert Samuels and Linda Villarosa

Saturday
September 3, 2022
9:30 am - 10:15 am EDT
Add to calendar Ballroom B (Level 3, South Building) What is systemic racism? In “Under the Skin,” Linda Villarosa exposes forces in our healthcare system that cause Black people to "live sicker and die quicker." In “His Name is George Floyd,” Robert Samuels draws upon hundreds of interviews to illustrate how inequalities in housing, education, health care, criminal justice, and policing affected Floyd’s life and legacy. Moderated by Eric Deggans.

This event will be livestreamed on loc.gov.

Event | lectures and symposia

Memories, Maladies, Mysteries and Murders with Rob Hart and Victor Manibo

Saturday
September 3, 2022
10:00 am - 11:00 am EDT
Add to calendar West Salon GHI (Street Level, South Building) What do you do when you can’t trust your memories and people are dying? Keep looking for answers! In Rob Hart’s “The Paradox Hotel,” January Cole, security director at a time traveler hotel, finds a body no one can see, and in Victor Manibo’s debut, “The Sleepless,” journalist Jamie Vega is the main suspect for a suspicious suicide he’s investigating. Moderated by Miwa Messer. Stage: Science Fiction & Fantasy Interests: BIPOC Authors, Debut, Fiction, LGBTQ+, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller

Event | lectures and symposia

Nick Offerman Goes Where the Deer and the Antelope Play

Saturday
September 3, 2022
10:00 am - 11:00 am EDT
Add to calendar Hall D (Level 2, North Building) Nick Offerman feels a particular affection for the Land of the Free—not just for the people but to the land itself: the bedrock, the topsoil, and everything in between. In “Where the Deer and the Antelope Play,” Offerman travels through America to talk to people who inhabit the land about what that means to them. Moderated by National Park Service ranger Millie Jimenez.

This event will be livestreamed on loc.gov.

Saturday
September 3, 2022
10:35 am - 11:20 am EDT
Add to calendar Ballroom B (Level 3, South Building) Despite recent efforts to destigmatize mental illness, it’s still not something everyone feels free to discuss. Why is that? And what effect does America’s health care system have on how mental health is treated? Rachel Aviv, author of “Strangers to Ourselves,” and Daniel Bergner, author of “The Mind and the Moon,” have been thinking about these questions.

This event will be livestreamed on loc.gov.

Saturday
September 3, 2022
11:00 am - 11:45 am EDT
Add to calendar Room 202 (Level 2, South Building) Join us as we get magical and mythical! In Anna-Marie McLemore’s “Lakelore,” two non-binary teens are pulled into a magical world under a lake but can they keep their worlds above water intact? R.M. Romero’s “The Ghosts of Rose Hill” channels the spirit of myth into an original tale inspired by her experiences restoring Jewish cemeteries in Eastern Europe. Moderated by Meg Metcalf.

This event will be livestreamed on loc.gov.

Anna-Marie McLemore Book Signing

Saturday
September 3, 2022
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Add to calendar Hall C (Lower Level) Anna-Marie McLemore signs "Lakelore" in book signing line 11. Stage: Book Signings

Event | special events

Daniel Bergner Book Signing

Saturday
September 3, 2022
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Add to calendar Hall C (Lower Level) Daniel Bergner signs "The Mind and the Moon: My Brother's Story, the Science of Our Brains and the Search for Our Psyches" in book signing line 10. Stage: Book Signings

Event | lectures and symposia

Meet Me in the Winner's Circle: Award-Winning Writers with Donna Barba Higuera, Darcie Little Badger and Malinda Lo

Saturday
September 3, 2022
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Add to calendar Room 202 (Level 2, South Building) A storyteller in space, a cotton-mouth between worlds, and two women fighting for love and citizenship: Each of these characters share the prestige of starring in an award-winning book. Join Donna Barba Higuera, author of “The Last Quentista;” Darcie Little Badger, author of “A Snake Falls to Earth;” and Malinda Lo, author of “Last Night at the Telegraph Club" in conversation with Dhonielle Clayton.

This event will be livestreamed on loc.gov.

Saturday
September 3, 2022
12:45 pm - 1:30 pm EDT
Add to calendar Ballroom B (Level 3, South Building) These writers want to create tangible community in our rapidly changing public sphere. In “The Quiet Before,” Gal Beckerman traces the origins of radical thought, arguing that today’s social movements, often mobilized online, wither and burn out. In “Direct,” Kathryn Judge investigates surprising ways that middlemen control our economy and argues for what she calls a return to “direct exchange.” Moderated by Sewell Chan.

This event will be livestreamed on loc.gov.

Saturday
September 3, 2022
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
Add to calendar Hall D (Level 2, North Building) At the Library of Congress, we know that in addition to being a beloved writer, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jason Reynolds is also an excellent mentor to other writers, so we asked him to moderate this program to spotlight two talented writers he’d like you to know more about: Candice Iloh’s new novel is “Break This House;” Ebony LaDelle’s is “Love Radio.”

This event will be livestreamed on loc.gov.

Saturday
September 3, 2022
1:15 pm - 2:15 pm EDT
Add to calendar Room 202 (Level 2, South Building) Move over, Carrie and Heathers: We’ve ramped it up with Maddie Washington and The Honeys. In “The Weight of Blood,” Tiffany D. Jackson exposes racism and bullying in a Georgia high school, culminating in a hair-raising prom night, and in “The Honeys,” Ryan La Sala exposes the rot behind the glittering group of popular girls in a dark academia setting. Moderated by Sasha Dowdy.

This event will be livestreamed on loc.gov.

Stage: Young Adult Interests: Asian and Pacific Islander Interest, BIPOC Authors, Family, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Understanding Racism, Young Adult

Event | lectures and symposia

The Power of Laughter with Nuar Alsadir

Saturday
September 3, 2022
2:35 pm - 3:20 pm EDT
Add to calendar East Salon ABC (Street Level, South Building) Taking laughter’s revelatory capacity as a starting point, and rooted in Nuar Alsadir’s experience as a poet and psychoanalyst, “Animal Joy” seeks to recover the sensation of being present. A bold and insatiably curious prose debut, “Animal Joy“ is an ode to spontaneity and feeling alive. Moderated by Anya Creightney. Stage: Writers Studio Interests: BIPOC Authors, Debut, Inspiring and Educational, Nonfiction, Poetry

Event | concerts and performances

Literature to Life Presents a Performance from Richard Wright's "Black Boy"

Saturday
September 3, 2022
2:50 pm - 3:35 pm EDT
Add to calendar Hall A (Lower Level) Join us for a performance of Richard Wright’s “Black Boy,” presented by Literature to Life. Your favorite book comes to life before your eyes: one person telling the story, performing all of the characters, and transforming an important work of American literature into a live theatrical experience shared by all. Stage: Please Read Me a Story Interests: Black and African American Interest, Memoir, Nonfiction, Performances and Special Programs, Understanding Racism

Event | lectures and symposia

Under Water: Climate Change and Me with Juli Berwald and Edith Widder

This event will be livestreamed on loc.gov.

Stage: Young Adult Interests: BIPOC Authors, Debut, Fiction, Fun and Funny, Hispanic Interest, LGBTQ+, Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Event | lectures and symposia

Get Into the School for Good and Evil with Soman Chainani!

Saturday
September 3, 2022
3:50 pm - 4:15 pm EDT
Add to calendar Hall B (Lower Level) Hear about Soman Chainani’s exciting new prequel to the bestselling series School for Good and Evil. “Rise of the School for Good and Evil” follows the story of the two brothers who founded the school as they watch over the Endless Woods, choose students, and train. When something powerful and unexpected happens, who will survive? Who will rule the school? Moderated by Natalie Miller. Stage: KidLit Interests: Adventure, Asian and Pacific Islander Interest, BIPOC Authors, Book Series, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult

Event | concerts and performances

Literature to Life Presents a Performance from James Baldwin's "If Beale Street Could Talk"

Saturday
September 3, 2022
3:50 pm - 4:35 pm EDT
Add to calendar Hall A (Lower Level) Join us for a performance of James Baldwin’s “If Beale Street Could Talk,” presented by Literature to Life. Your favorite book comes to life before your eyes: one person telling the story, performing all of the characters, and transforming an important work of American literature into a live theatrical experience shared by all. Stage: Please Read Me a Story Interests: Black and African American Interest, Fiction, Performances and Special Programs, Romance, Understanding Racism

Event | lectures and symposia

The All-Stars of "Blackout" with Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk and Nicola Yoon

Saturday
September 3, 2022
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT
Add to calendar Hall D (Level 2, North Building) Six young adult writers, six fictional couples, and now one novel that’s been called “a celebration of Black teen love and the magic of possibility.” All six writers—Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk and Nicola Yoon—will be in conversation with Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden about “Blackout” and the forthcoming sequel, “Whiteout” during this program.

This event will be livestreamed on loc.gov.

Saturday
September 3, 2022
4:00 pm - 4:45 pm EDT
Add to calendar Ballroom B (Level 3, South Building) In a whirlwind of headlines and tweets, the essay has become a mode of deep thinking and indelible critique. In this program, Liberties Journal contributors Morten Høi Jensen (“The Fiction That Dare Not Speak Its Name”), Shawn McCreesh (“The Hatboro Blues”) and Becca Rothfeld (“Sanctimony Literature”) will discuss the power of the modern essay. Moderated by Celeste Marcus.

This event will be livestreamed on loc.gov.

This event will be livestreamed on loc.gov.

Any Interests
Adventure
Animals
Asian and Pacific Islander Interest
BIPOC Authors
Biographies
Black and African American Interest
Book Launch
Book Series
Debut
Family
Fantasy
Fiction
Fun and Funny
Health and Wellness
Hispanic Interest
Historical Fiction
History
Inspiring and Educational
LGBTQ+
Literary Collections
Memoir
Mystery
Native American Interest
Nature
Nonfiction
Performances and Special Programs
Poetry
Romance
Science Fiction
Science
Social Justice
Sports
Thriller
Understanding Racism
Young Adult

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