National Book Festival Presents Videos

Experience the National Book Festival all year long with a series featuring outstanding authors, books and related Library treasures.

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    Film, Video
    Wine and Diplomacy: A Conversation with Frederick Ryan Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden talks with Frederick Ryan Jr., author of "Wine and the White House: A History," about how U.S. presidents have used wine as a tool of diplomacy.
    • Contributor: Library of Congress
    • Date: 2021
  • Film, Video
    U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland To kick off Native American Heritage Month, Joy Harjo, the first Native American U.S. Poet Laureate, joins Deb Haaland, the first Native American cabinet secretary, in a conversation with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
    • Contributor: Library of Congress. Literary Initiatives Office - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2021
  • Film, Video
    Poetry Spotlight: Victoria Chang and Brenda Shaughnessy In honor of National Poetry Month, poets Victoria Chang and Brenda Shaughnessy discuss their poetry collections, which address issues of loss, fear and the future of the planet.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2021
  • Film, Video
    Walter Isaacson on the Biomedical Future Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of "Leonardo da Vinci," "Einstein" and "Steve Jobs," discusses his new book, "The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race," with award-winning journalist Katherine Eban.
    • Contributor: Library of Congress. Literary Initiatives Office - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2021
  • Film, Video
    Cathy Park Hong & Wayétu Moore: The Art of Memoir Poet Cathy Park Hong and novelist Wayétu Moore discuss how their memoirs give voice to history and speak to the present moment.
    • Contributor: Library of Congress. Informal Learning Office - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2021
  • Film, Video
    Giants of Racial Justice: Malcolm X & Martin Luther King Jr In an event celebrating African American History Month, Peniel E. Joseph ("The Sword and the Shield") and Tamara Payne ("The Dead Are Arising") will discuss their books on Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. with NPR television critic Eric Deggans.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2021
  • Film, Video
    War, Combat and the American Soldier Two of the most prominent historians of war, Margaret MacMillan ("War: How Conflict Shaped Us") and Rick Atkinson ("The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775-1777"), spoke with philanthropist David M. Rubenstein about their work.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2021
  • Film, Video
    Lupita Nyong'o and Carla Hayden A fascinating conversation for young people with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and Lupita Nyong'o, Oscar-winning actor and author of the number one best-selling children's book "Sulwe."
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2021
  • Film, Video
    Fearless: A Tribute to Irish American Women This event celebrated the powerful role of history and tradition among generations of Irish American women, with three pillars in the fields of literature, media and politics: Alice McDermott, Margaret Brennan, and Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon. The event was co-sponsored ith the Embassy of Ireland in the United States in honor of St. Brigid's Day (Feb. 1).
    • Contributor: Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    Rosa Parks: The History and the Heart "Rosa Parks: The History and the Heart" was a panel conversation featuring Parks biographers Douglas Brinkley ("Rosa Parks: A Life") and Jeanne Theoharis ("The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks"), moderated by NPR host Michel Martin.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    John M. Barry on "The Great Influenza" John M. Barry, author of "The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History," talks with David Rubenstein about the 1918 influenza pandemic, how the world responded and lessons to be learned during the present COVID-19 crisis.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    No One Was Immune: Mapping the Great Pandemics from Columbus to COVID-19 The Library's John Hessler and Marie Arana discuss the sweep of history from the 1500s smallpox pandemic that decimated the indigenous population of the Americas to the meticulous work that is being done now to map COVID-19.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    Spillover: Animal Infections & the Next Pandemic Prize-winning science writer David Quammen discusses his book "Spillover," in which he tracks the animal origins of human diseases through the centuries, with National Book Festival Co-Chairman David Rubenstein.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    How One Pandemic, SARS, Predicted Another, COVID-19 Author and journalist Karl Taro Greenfeld discusses his prescient book on the SARS epidemic, which foreshadowed the more devastating COVID-19 pandemic, with Roswell Encina, chief of communications at the Library of Congress.
    • Contributor: Library of Congress. Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives - National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    Home Alone in a Simulated Mars NASA astronaut and scientist Kate Greene discusses her forthcoming book, "Once Upon a Time I Lived on Mars: Space, Exploration and Life on Earth," with the Library's Marie Arana. Greene lived in a simulated Martian environment located on the slopes of Mauna Loa in Hawai'i and spent several months in isolation, doing research. She has a lot to say about the stress, loneliness and…
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    Jason Reynolds: National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Inauguration Jason Reynolds was inaugurated by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden as the seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature at a ceremony at the Library of Congress. For his two-year term as National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Reynolds will visit small towns across America to have meaningful discussions with young people. The National Ambassador program was established by the Library of Congress, the…
    • Contributor: Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    Jill Lepore on How This Pandemic Will Go Down in History As part of our "National Book Festival Presents" series, Jill Lepore (bestselling historian and Harvard professor) and John Haskell (director of the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress) discuss how the current pandemic, its effects and our reaction to them say something very real about America in this moment and in the historical record that will emerge from it.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    Eric Cervini on Celebrating 50 Years of LGBTQ Pride In honor of LGBTQ Pride month (June) and the 50th anniversary of Pride celebrations, Eric Cervini discusses his book "The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America," with Roswell Encina, Library of Congress chief communications officer.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    Richard Ford: A Good Story Knows No Borders As part of our National Book Festival Presents series for June, "Connecting the World With Words," this spring event honors 2019 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction winner Richard Ford, in conversation with Marie Arana, Library of Congress literary director. Ford, whose work has been translated into dozens of languages, will speak on the universality of fiction. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden selected…
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    Carla Hayden & Lonnie Bunch: Cultural Institutions at Times of Social Unrest Carla Hayden and Lonnie Bunch discuss the future of their institutions and how they remain accessible and relevant during a period of global pandemic coupled with nationwide protests against injustice.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    Ha Jin on the Legendary Poet Li Bai National Book Award winner Ha Jin discusses his new book, "The Banished Immortal: A Life of Li Bai," in which he draws on a range of historical and literary sources to weave the life story of the eighth-century Chinese poet Li Bai, with the Library's Rob Casper.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    Winston Churchill: The Right Words at the Right Time As part of our National Book Festival Presents series for June, "Connecting the World With Words," Erik Larson discusses his latest book, "The Splendid and the Vile," which tells the story of Winston Churchill during the London Blitz of World War II, with philanthropist and National Book Festival co-chairman David Rubenstein.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    Race in America: Jason Reynolds & Jacqueline Woodson To commemorate Juneteenth, the holiday marking the end of slavery, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden chats with current National Ambassador for Young People's Literature Jason Reynolds and former National Ambassador Jacqueline Woodson about ways to hear and support kids during a period of nationwide protest against injustice.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    Poetry Ancestors: How Invention Meets Influence As part of our National Book Festival Presents series for June, "Connecting the World With Words," American Book Award winner Kimiko Hahn and fellow award-winning poet Rajiv Mohabir talk about invention and influence across borders, and how poetry serves as a model for our moment, with Washington Post Book World critic Ron Charles.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020
  • Film, Video
    Race in America: Joy Harjo & Tracy K. Smith Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden talks with her U.S. Poets Laureate appointees, Tracy K. Smith (2017-2019) and Joy Harjo (2019-current), about poetry in times of crisis as well as its enduring power to promote social justice.
    • Contributor: National Book Festival (U.S.) - Library of Congress
    • Date: 2020