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2023 National Book Festival

“National Book Festival” surrounded by pencil, pens, lamp, coffee mug, arrow, heart, thumbtack and bookmark.

Join us in the nation’s capital at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Saturday, August 12, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. (doors open at 8:30 a.m.). If you can't join us in Washington, D.C. for a day of free talks and activities, several programs will be livestreamed, and video of all talks can be viewed online after the Festival concludes.

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Experience the Festival

Image of people walking in the Library of Congress for the National Book Festival, including a Library of Congress information booth and banners indicating stage names, including Genre Fiction and Fiction. Follow “Bookmarked” for Festival News Get the latest news about the 2023 Festival and subscribe to our blog on books and literature.
A question mark in a speech bubble, over a background grid of small four-petaled flowers. Frequently Asked Questions Where is it? When is it? How do I get there? Here are the answers to your questions.
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.

Highlights from Past Festivals

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