July 24, 2002 2002 National Book Festival to be Held October 12

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington and Laura Bush today announced that the second National Book Festival will be held on Saturday,Oct. 12, 2002. The festival is free and open to the public and is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hosted by Laura Bush and sponsored by the Library of Congress, the event will take place on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The festival is made possible by charter sponsors AT&T, WorkPlace USA and The Washington Post with additional support from patron sponsors the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress, PBS, Target and other contributors.

"America was transformed three days after the first National Book Festival was held Sept. 8, 2001," said Mrs. Bush. "But one thing that did not change was our love of spending time with friends and family--especially our children. The second annual book festival will give us an opportunity to celebrate and share our love of books, reading and storytelling."

Building on the success of last year's inaugural National Book Festival at the Library of Congress, this year's event will feature more than 70 award-winning authors, illustrators and storytellers (see attached list). Events will include: author readings and book discussions; performances by storytellers; book sales and signings; appearances by children's storybook characters such as Clifford The Big Red Dog; a conservation clinic for books, family letters and albums; and, performances representing a wide range of America's musical traditions.

"Reading and libraries are crucial to our national well-being. We want this National Book Festival to stimulate interest in authors, reading and the world of books and ideas," Librarian of Congress James Billington said.

Author and storytelling presentations and other activities will take place in pavilions on the West Lawn of the Capitol, thanks to support from the U.S. Congress. Pavilions will be devoted to: "Storytelling," "Fiction & Imagination," "Mysteries & Thrillers," and "History & Biography," with two pavilions for "Children & Young Adults." Players from the National Basketball Association and Women's National Basketball Association's "Read to Achieve" program will again be participating in one of the children's pavilions. A Library of Congress pavilion will include information on its popular Web site and other services to the public.

The areas between the reflecting pool and 4th Street N.W. on the National Mall will house tents for food sales, musical performances, book signings and sales, as well as a "Pavilion of States" (which will highlight state reading programs and local libraries) and a "Let's Read America" pavilion that will provide practical information about reading and literacy promotion activities throughout the United States. The festival was moved from its 2001 location on the East Lawn of the U.S. Capitol due to the construction of the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center.

In late summer and early fall, the National Book Festival will be promoted across the country at events sponsored by 22 state centers for the book, which are affiliated with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. These events will be supported by grants from AT&T and the Carnegie Corporation.

About the Library of Congress

The Library of Congress, the world's largest repository of knowledge and creativity, has been sustained for more than 200 years by Congress and serves all Americans in a variety of ways. It is the research arm of Congress through the Congressional Research Service and the Law Library; the protector of creativity through the Copyright Office; an unparalleled collector of more than 124 million items, including 28 million books and other print materials, millions of prints, photographs, films, maps, recordings, broadcasts, and manuscripts. It promotes reading through its Center for the Book and Children's Literature Center. The Library creates catalog records for libraries worldwide and serves as a library for people with disabilities nationwide. The Library of Congress has become an international digital library on the Internet, serving the world at www.loc.gov.

For more information about the National Book Festival, call toll-free (888) 714-4696 or visit the festival's Web site at www.loc.gov/bookfest.

2002 National Book Festival
AUTHORS AND STORYTELLERS
Arrangement by Pavilion
[TENTATIVE as of 7/23/02]

Children & Young Adults
(2 pavilions)

• Norman Bridwell
• Ashley Bryan
• Eric Carle
• Bryan Collier
• Carmen Agra Deedy
• Kate DiCamillo
• Shane Evans
• Jules Feiffer
• Joy Hakim
• Pat Mora
• Linda Sue Park
• Jerry Pinkney*
• Gloria Jean Pinkney*
• Brian Pinkney*
• Andrea Davis Pinkney*
• Myles Pinkney*
• Sandra L. Pinkney*
• Allen Say
• Brian Selznick
• Cynthia Leitich Smith
• Rosemary Wells
• David Wiesner
• Ed Young

* family group of authors and illustrators/ one hour presentation

Fiction & Imagination

• Jimmy Santiago Baca
• Andrea Barrett
• Barbara Taylor Bradford
• Christopher Buckley
• Billy Collins
• Diana Gabaldon
• Dagoberto Gilb
• Ha Jin
• Judith Martin
• Tim O'Brien
• Anita Shreve
• Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve
• Luci Tapahonso

History & Biography

• Gail Buckley
• Neal Conan**
• Vine Deloria, Jr.
• Bob Edwards**
• Henry Louis Gates
• David Halberstam
• Haynes Johnson
• Sebastian Junger
• James McPherson
• Edmund Morris
• Sylvia Jukes Morris
• Sharon Robinson**
• Scott Simon**
• Dava Sobel
• Nancy Milford
• Erik Weihenmayer

** group discussion of baseball books moderated by Sharon Robinson

Mysteries & Thrillers

• David Baldacci
• Edna Buchanan
• Carol Higgins Clark
• Mary Higgins Clark
• Linda Fairstein
• Tony Hillerman
• Jim Lehrer
• Ridley Pearson

Storytelling

• Roslyn Bresnick-Perry
• Peter Cook
• Cambodian American Heritage
• Georgia Sea Island Singers
• Chuna McIntyre
• Waddie Mitchell
• Antonio Sacre
• Tom Weakley
• The Wild Zappers