Schedule

The 2023 Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on August 12, 2023. A selection of programs will be livestreamed online and videos of all programs will be available shortly after the Festival. Plan your day using our website or download the Festival program and map.

Search for Events

To search for events, select one or more options from the fields and then click the Apply button. Navigate results using heading level 2 for dates and heading level 3 for event names.

Date:

Stage:

Event Type: Livestream Available or Online Only

Genres: Hold ctrl/cmd to select multiple items

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.

Wednesday August 9, 2023

Event | lectures and symposia

Library of Congress National Book Festival Author Talk: Luis Alberto Urrea
Wednesday
August 9, 2023
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm EDT Online Only PBS Books, in collaboration with MPT in Maryland, is hosting a conversation with Luis Alberto Urrea, author of “Good Night, Irene,” to discuss his work and involvement in the Festival. The author will be interviewed by PBS Books' Heather-Marie Montilla.
This event will be livestreamed on pbsbooks.org .
Event Type(s): Partner Events Genres: Family, Fiction, Hispanic, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mexican

Saturday August 12, 2023

Event | lectures and symposia

How Can We Deal with the World's Injustices? Ask a Teen! with Lesa Cline-Ransome and Jennifer De Leon
Saturday
August 12, 2023
9:30 am - 10:30 am EDT Room 202 (Level 2, South Building) Teens aren’t immune to the world’s injustices; they might have ideas about some solutions. Join Lesa Cline-Ransome and Jennifer De Leon as they discuss their newest releases. Lesa Cline-Ransome’s “For Lamb” pays homage to female victims of white supremacy. Jennifer De Leon’s “Borderless” follows Maya and her mom as they travel to cross the border. Moderated by Austin Ferraro,
Watch the event recording
Stage: Curiosity Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For Teens and Adults, Panels Genres: Black and African American, Family, Fiction, Guatemalan, Hispanic, Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Event | lectures and symposia

Hauntings Aren't Just for Houses: Horror Fiction with Tananarive Due and Grady Hendrix
Saturday
August 12, 2023
10:30 am - 11:30 am EDT Ballroom A (Level 3, South Building) Horror can take countless forms: monsters, strangers, our inner demons. In Tananarive Due’s “The Wishing Pool and Other Stories,” supernatural horror intersects with chillingly real themes of trauma, racism and family conflict. In Grady Hendrix’s “How to Sell a Haunted House,” protagonist Louise clashes with her brother while trying to sell their sinister childhood home. Moderated by NPR’s B.A. Parker.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Inspiration Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations, Panels Genres: Black and African American, Family, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction
Event | lectures and symposia

A Poem Is a Pocket That Can Hold Your Dreams with Joy Harjo and Michaela Goade
Saturday
August 12, 2023
10:45 am - 11:45 am EDT Room 202 (Level 2, South Building) Former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo’s poem “Remember” invites us to reflect on our relationships with nature, our heritage and the expansive world around us. Illustrator Michaela Goade brings the words of Harjo’s iconic poem to life in this lush new picture book adaptation. Harjo and Goade will talk with the chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Shelly C. Lowe.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Curiosity Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For All Ages Genres: Family, Inspiring and Educational, Native American, Nature, Picture Book, Poetry
Event | lectures and symposia

Adults Are the Worst, Especially on the Ancient Silk Road with Daniel Nayeri
Saturday
August 12, 2023
11:00 am - 11:25 am EDT Room 204 (Level 2, South Building) Road trip! Two words that bring out the best or worst in anyone, especially when the adult leading the trip is a scammer whose victims want him dead. In Daniel Nayeri’s “The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams” it falls on a little orphan boy called Monkey to protect his guardian’s life.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Discovery Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For All Ages Genres: Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade
Event | special events

Jennifer De Leon Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
11:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Jennifer De Leon signs "Borderless" in book signing line 15. Event Type(s): Book Signings, For Teens and Adults Genres: Family, Fiction, Guatemalan, Hispanic, Young Adult
Event | special events

Lesa Cline-Ransome Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
11:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Lesa Cline-Ransome signs "For Lamb" in book signing line 14. Event Type(s): Book Signings, For Teens and Adults Genres: Black and African American, Family, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Event | lectures and symposia

Saving Your Stories
Saturday
August 12, 2023
11:00 am - 11:30 am EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) A how-to program for young children based on our family history for kids guide, this presentation will focus on oral histories (interviewing your family), family trees and family history fiction (see these sections in the guide). Participants can get started with a fillable family tree and learn tips for preserving family photos for albums and scrapbooks from the Library's preservation staff.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Library of Congress Pavilion Event Type(s): For All Ages, Library Expert Presentations Genres: Family, History, Inspiring and Educational
Event | lectures and symposia

Me, My Story, My Pictures with Jarrett J. Krosoczka and Pedro Martín
Saturday
August 12, 2023
11:40 am - 12:10 pm EDT Room 204 (Level 2, South Building) What’s it like to not only divulge the details of your life but also draw them for everyone to see?! Jarret J. Krosoczka’s “Sunshine” follows his experience working at a camp for terminally ill children. “Mexikid” tracks Pedro Martín’s journeys to Mexico to visit his grandfather. Through memorable text and art, we know more about these writers—and maybe ourselves. Moderated by Kahîn Mohammad.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Discovery Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations, Book Launches, For All Ages, Panels Genres: Adventure, Debut, Family, Graphic Novel, Hispanic, Inspiring and Educational, Memoir, Mexican, Middle Grade, Nonfiction
Event | special events

Daniel Nayeri Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Daniel Nayeri signs "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" in book signing line 11. Event Type(s): Book Signings, For All Ages Genres: Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade
Event | special events

Grady Hendrix Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Grady Hendrix signs "How to Sell a Haunted House" in book signing line 6. Event Type(s): Book Signings Genres: Family, Fiction, Horror
Event | special events

Joy Harjo and Michaela Goade Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Joy Harjo and Michaela Goade sign "Remember" in book signing line 10. Joy Harjo also signs "Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: Fifty Poems for Fifty Years." Event Type(s): Book Signings, For All Ages Genres: Family, Inspiring and Educational, Native American, Nature, Picture Book, Poetry
Event | lectures and symposia

Will and Jane 2.0: Classics Updated with Sayantani DasGupta and Brittany N. Williams
Saturday
August 12, 2023
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT Room 202 (Level 2, South Building) Who says classics can’t be revamped? A modern retelling of Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility,” Sayantani DasGupta’s “Rosewood: A Midsummer Meet Cute” follows teenage drama at a regency-themed summer camp. Sprinkled with Shakespearean references, Brittany N. Williams’ “That Self-Same Metal” follows 16-year-old swordsmith Joan as she navigates a fae uprising in 16th-century London. Moderated by NBC’s Eun Yang.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Curiosity Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For Teens and Adults, Panels Genres: Asian and Pacific Islander, Black and African American, Book Series, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ+, Romance, Young Adult
Event | lectures and symposia

AI: They Just Want To Be Our Friends with TJ Klune
Saturday
August 12, 2023
12:15 pm - 1:00 pm EDT Ballroom BC (Level 3, South Building) Recent media coverage of AI has focused on the worrisome aspects of technology going rogue. But what if we asked another question: What possibilities are there for humans to build relationships, friendships, with AI? TJ Klune’s “In the Lives of Puppets” explores the journey one human will take to protect the androids he loves. Moderated by Archivist of the United States Colleen Shogan.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Creativity Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations Genres: Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction
Event | special events

Pedro Martín Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Pedro Martín signs "Mexikid" in book signing line 15. Event Type(s): Book Launches, Book Signings, For All Ages Genres: Adventure, Debut, Family, Graphic Novel, Hispanic, Inspiring and Educational, Memoir, Mexican, Middle Grade, Nonfiction
Event | lectures and symposia

What If?: Time Travel, Supervillains and Other Everyday Things with Jamar Nicholas and Nisi Shawl
Saturday
August 12, 2023
1:05 pm - 1:35 pm EDT Room 204 (Level 2, South Building) What happens when magic becomes your everyday? Set in a world where superheroes and ordinary people coexist, Jamar Nicholas’ graphic novel “Leon the Extraordinary” follows superpower-less Leon’s mission to save his fifth grade class from an app that turns them into zombies. In Nisi Shawl’s “Speculation,” 10-year-old Winna embarks on a quest to break a family curse using wish-granting spectacles. Moderated by Megan Halsband.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Discovery Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For All Ages, Panels Genres: Adventure, Black and African American, Book Series, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, LGBTQ+, Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Event | lectures and symposia

Lie, Fight, Gatekeep: Girls vs. the Power with Angeline Boulley and Amélie Wen Zhao
Saturday
August 12, 2023
1:15 pm - 2:15 pm EDT Room 202 (Level 2, South Building) Youth are some of society’s strongest fighters (and innovators) and these protagonists are no exception. Angeline Boulley (“Warrior Girl Unearthed”) and Amélie Wen Zhao (“Song of Silver, Flame Like Night”) write about girls who have courage to stand up against power—against regimes, colonizers and the violence of unjust laws—to reclaim what is rightfully theirs and their community’s. Moderated by Heather-Marie Montilla.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Curiosity Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For Teens and Adults, Panels Genres: Asian and Pacific Islander, Book Series, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, Native American, Young Adult
Event | special events

Sayantani DasGupta Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Sayantani DasGupta signs "Rosewood: A Midsummer Meet Cute" in book signing line 7. Event Type(s): Book Signings, For Teens and Adults Genres: Asian and Pacific Islander, Family, Fiction, Romance, Young Adult
Event | special events

TJ Klune Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) TJ Klune signs "In the Lives of Puppets" in book signing line 2. Event Type(s): Book Signings Genres: Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction
Event | lectures and symposia

Gary D. Schmidt Talks About the Herculean Challenges of Seventh Grade
Saturday
August 12, 2023
1:50 pm - 2:15 pm EDT Room 204 (Level 2, South Building) Seventh grade can feel like performing in the Olympics, especially at a new school with teachers and assignments that challenge you to live up to your name: Hercules. “The Labors of Hercules Beal” by Gary D. Schmidt follows the smallest kid in the class, Herc Beal, as he attempts to duplicate the twelve feats performed by the mythical demigod, Hercules. Moderated by Stephanie Handy.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Discovery Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For All Ages Genres: Adventure, Family, Fiction, Inspiring and Educational, Middle Grade
Event | special events

Nisi Shawl Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Nisi Shawl signs "Speculation" in book signing line 14. Event Type(s): Book Signings, For All Ages Genres: Adventure, Black and African American, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, LGBTQ+, Middle Grade
Event | lectures and symposia

Redacting and Retelling: New Ways of Confronting Systemic Racism with Shane McCrae and Nicole Sealey
Saturday
August 12, 2023
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT West Salon GHI (Street Level, South Building) Poetry and poets confront racism in this panel. In his memoir “Pulling the Chariot of the Sun,” poet Shane McCrae pieces together the story of his childhood kidnapping by his white grandparents—and the fragments of his biracial identity. Nicole Sealey’s poetry collection “The Ferguson Report” reimagines the eponymous report on racially-biased policing in Missouri. Moderated by Anya Creightney.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Understanding Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations, Book Launches, Panels Genres: Black and African American, Family, Memoir, Nonfiction, Poetry, Social Justice
Event | special events

Angeline Boulley Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Angeline Boulley signs "Warrior Girl Unearthed" in book signing line 10. Event Type(s): Book Signings, For Teens and Adults Genres: Family, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Native American, Young Adult
Event | special events

Gary D. Schmidt Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Gary D. Schmidt signs "The Labors of Hercules Beal" in book signing line 5. Event Type(s): Book Signings, For All Ages Genres: Adventure, Family, Fiction, Inspiring and Educational, Middle Grade
Event | lectures and symposia

The Family You Need, the Family You Create: Literary Fiction with Esmeralda Santiago and Luis Alberto Urrea
Saturday
August 12, 2023
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT Ballroom A (Level 3, South Building) What makes someone family? Join Esmeralda Santiago and Luis Alberto Urrea as they discuss their new novels, “Las Madres” (Santiago) and “Good Night, Irene” (Urrea). Santiago’s novel follows Marysol as she seeks to understand her mother’s past; Urrea’s novel transports us to World War II in a story highlighting women’s heroism during the era. Moderated by The Washington Post’s Maria Sacchetti.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Inspiration Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations, Book Launches, Panels Genres: Caribbean, Family, Fiction, Hispanic, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mexican
Event | special events

Shane McCrae Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Shane McCrae signs "Pulling the Chariot of the Sun: A Memoir of a Kidnapping" in book signing line 14. Event Type(s): Book Launches, Book Signings Genres: Black and African American, Family, Memoir, Nonfiction
Event | lectures and symposia

Elizabeth Acevedo on Her New Novel “Family Lore”
Saturday
August 12, 2023
3:45 pm - 4:30 pm EDT Room 202 (Level 2, South Building) What happens when someone who can predict the exact day of someone’s death hosts their own wake? Join Elizabeth Acevedo as she discusses her debut adult novel, “Family Lore,” in conversation with former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jason Reynolds. The novel follows the stories that define the lives of the maternal members of a single family as their secrets begin to unravel.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Curiosity Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations, Book Launches Genres: Caribbean, Family, Fiction, Hispanic, Literary Fiction
Event | lectures and symposia

When Lies and Secrets Come Into the Light with Linda Kao and Mark Oshiro
Event has been updated
Saturday
August 12, 2023
4:25 pm - 5:25 pm EDT Room 204 (Level 2, South Building) What if those you love the most keep you in the dark? In Mark Oshiro’s “Into the Light,” Manny questions his memories while searching for his sister; in Linda Kao’s “A Crooked Mark,” Matt hunts for those marked by the devil – while questioning those closest to him. Lies, truths, fantasy, reality: what else will come into the light? Moderated by Sasha Dowdy.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Discovery Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For Teens and Adults Genres: Debut, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, Guatemalan, Hispanic, Horror, LGBTQ+, Mexican, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult
Event | special events

Esmeralda Santiago Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Esmeralda Santiago signs "Las Madres: A Novel" in book signing line 11. Event Type(s): Book Launches, Book Signings Genres: Caribbean, Family, Fiction, Hispanic, Literary Fiction
Event | special events

Luis Alberto Urrea Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
4:30 pm - 5:30 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Luis Alberto Urrea signs "Good Night, Irene: A Novel" in book signing line 12. Event Type(s): Book Signings Genres: Family, Fiction, Hispanic, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mexican
Event | lectures and symposia

My Life, Considered: Memoir with Mary Louise Kelly
Saturday
August 12, 2023
4:30 pm - 5:15 pm EDT Ballroom BC (Level 3, South Building) Join Mary Louise Kelly, a co-host of the culture-savvy NPR podcast “All Things Considered” in a discussion of her memoir, “It. Goes. So. Fast.: The Year of No Do-Overs.” Kelly grapples with the death of her father and the realization that her children are growing up: she is facing act three of her life head-on. Moderated by NPR’s Andrew Limbong.
Watch the event recording
Stage: Creativity Stage Event Type(s): Author Presentations Genres: Family, Memoir, Nonfiction
Event | special events

Elizabeth Acevedo Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Elizabeth Acevedo signs "Family Lore: A Novel" in book signing line 8. Event Type(s): Book Launches, Book Signings Genres: Caribbean, Family, Fiction, Hispanic, Literary Fiction
Event | special events

Mary Louise Kelly Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Mary Louise Kelly signs "It. Goes. So. Fast.: The Year of No Do-Overs" in book signing line 3. Event Type(s): Book Signings Genres: Family, Memoir, Nonfiction
Event | special events

Mark Oshiro Book Signing
Saturday
August 12, 2023
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm EDT Hall DE (Level 2, North Building) Mark Oshiro signs "Into the Light" in book signing line 13. Event Type(s): Book Signings, For Teens and Adults Genres: Family, Fantasy, Fiction, Guatemalan, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, Mexican, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult

Wednesday August 23, 2023

Event | lectures and symposia

Library of Congress National Book Festival Author Talk: TJ Klune
Wednesday
August 23, 2023
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm EDT Online Only PBS Books, in collaboration with South Florida PBS, is hosting a conversation with TJ Klune, author of “In the Lives of Puppets,” to discuss his work and involvement in the Festival. The author will be interviewed by "Between the Covers" host Ann Bocock.
This event will be livestreamed on pbsbooks.org .
Event Type(s): Partner Events Genres: Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, LGBTQ+, Science Fiction

Thursday August 31, 2023

Event | lectures and symposia

Library of Congress National Book Festival Author Talk: Angeline Boulley and Trang Thanh Tran
Thursday
August 31, 2023
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm EDT Online Only PBS Books, in collaboration with Kansas City PBS and KERA in Dallas, Texas, is hosting a conversation with Angeline Boulley, author of “Warrior Girl Unearthed,” and Trang Thanh Tran, author of “She Is a Haunting,” to discuss their work and involvement in the Festival. The authors will be interviewed by PBS Books' Heather-Marie Montilla.
This event will be livestreamed on pbsbooks.org .
Event Type(s): For Teens and Adults, Panels, Partner Events Genres: Asian and Pacific Islander, Debut, Family, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ+, Mystery, Native American, Thriller, Young Adult

All Genres
Adventure
Asian and Pacific Islander
Biography
Black and African American
Book Series
Caribbean
Debut
Family
Fantasy
Fiction
Fun and Funny
General Nonfiction
Graphic Novel
Guatemalan
Hispanic
Historical Fiction
History
Horror
Inspiring and Educational
LGBTQ+
Literary Fiction
Memoir
Mexican
Middle Grade
Mystery
Native American
Nature
Nonfiction
Picture Book
Poetry
Romance
Science
Science Fiction
Social Justice
Thriller
Young Adult