Featured Videos

Keep up with our literary programming—no matter where you live. Dive in to discover writers and performances featured at the Library of Congress.

  • Film, Video
    Great American Editors: Nan Talese in Conversation with Margaret Atwood Nan Talese talks with author Margaret Atwood as part of our "Great American Editors" segment in the "Behind the Book" series. These interviews focus on leading gatekeepers in publishing who bring great works to fruition -- from the germ of an idea to the production of a physical book. Talese is one of the unsung heroes of the publishing world who transform promising but...
    • Contributor: Talese, Nan - Atwood, Margaret
    • Date: 2020-12-17
  • Film, Video
    2020 Bobbitt Prize: Terrance Hayes & Natasha Trethewey The biennial Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry was given in 2020 to Terrance Hayes for his poetry collection "American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin" and to former U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey for lifetime achievement. The winners read from their work, and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden conferred the prize.
    • Contributor: Trethewey, Natasha - Hayes, Terrance - Hayden, Carla
    • Date: 2020-12-10
  • Film, Video
    Great American Editors: Robert Gottlieb & Robert Caro This interview with editor/publisher Robert Gottlieb and author Robert Caro is the first in a new "Behind the Book" series. These interviews focus on leading gatekeepers in publishing who bring great works to fruition, from the germ of an idea to the production of a physical book.
    • Contributor: Caro, Robert - Gottlieb, Robert
    • Date: 2020-12-03
  • Film, Video
    Timely Topic: Anne Applebaum & Carlos Lozada Two Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, Anne Applebaum ("Twilight of Democracy") and Carlos Lozada ("What Were We Thinking"), discuss the current American frame of mind, the tenuous state of democracy and the 2020 presidential election.
    • Contributor: Applebaum, Anne - Haskell, John - Lozada, Carlos
    • Date: 2020-11-17
  • Film, Video
    Jon Meacham on John Lewis and the Power of Hope Jon Meacham discusses his new book, "His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope," in conversation with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
    • Contributor: Meacham, Jon - Hayden, Carla
    • Date: 2020-10-29
  • Film, Video
    Celebrating American Ingenuity: Danielle Allen & Walter Isaacson Danielle Allen and Walter Isaacson speak to the spirit of the 20th anniversary National Book Festival with their conversation on American ingenuity.
    • Contributor: Allen, Danielle - Isaacson, Walter
    • Date: 2020-10-22
  • Film, Video
    Write a Newspaper Headline Jason Reynolds, seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, challenges kids to write six word headlines in the 30th installment of the "Write. Right. Rite." video series.
    • Contributor: Reynolds, Jason
    • Date: 2020-09-01
  • Film, Video
    Imagine a New Writing Device Jason Reynolds, seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, challenges kids to imagine and describe a futuristic writing device in the 29th installment of the "Write. Right. Rite." video series.
    • Contributor: Reynolds, Jason
    • Date: 2020-08-25
  • Film, Video
    Create a Bobble Head Jason Reynolds, seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, challenges kids to describe who in their family is a bobble head in the 28th installment of the "Write. Right. Rite." video series.
    • Contributor: Reynolds, Jason
    • Date: 2020-08-18
  • Film, Video
    Imagine Yourself as a Book Casing Jason Reynolds, seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, challenges kids to imagine themselves as book casings in the 27th installment of the "Write. Right. Rite." video series.
    • Contributor: Reynolds, Jason
    • Date: 2020-08-11
  • Film, Video
    Create a Refrigerator Magnet Jason Reynolds, seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, challenges kids to create a refrigerator magnet that encapsulates the best moment of their lives in the 26th installment of the "Write. Right. Rite." video series.
    • Contributor: Reynolds, Jason
    • Date: 2020-08-04
  • Film, Video
    Create a TikTok Dance Jason Reynolds, seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, challenges kids create a new TikTok dance and explain it someone using only words in the 25th installment of the "Write. Right. Rite." video series.
    • Contributor: Reynolds, Jason
    • Date: 2020-07-28
  • Film, Video
    Devise a Good Luck Charm Jason Reynolds, seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, challenges kids to devise their own good luck charm in the 24th installment of the "Write. Right. Rite." video series.
    • Contributor: Reynolds, Jason
    • Date: 2020-07-21
  • Film, Video
    Race in America: Colson Whitehead Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden talks to two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and National Book Festival veteran (2009, 2012, 2016 and this year) Colson Whitehead about the need for stories from our past to help us contend with the present, especially at moments of great change.
    • Contributor: Whitehead, Colson - Hayden, Carla
    • Date: 2020-07-16
  • Film, Video
    Pitch a "Write. Right. Rite." Prompt to Jason Jason Reynolds, seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, challenges kids to pitch a "Write. Right. Rite." prompt that Jason will complete himself in the 23rd installment of the "Write. Right. Rite." video series.
    • Contributor: Reynolds, Jason
    • Date: 2020-07-14
  • 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: Smith, Tracy K. - Harjo, Joy - Hayden, Carla
    • Date: 2020-07-09
  • Film, Video
    Customize a Face Mask Jason Reynolds, seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, challenges kids to customize a face mask with a kind or inspirational message in the 22nd installment of the "Write. Right. Rite." video series.
    • Contributor: Reynolds, Jason
    • Date: 2020-07-07
  • Film, Video
    Find Treasure at the Pool Jason Reynolds, seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, challenges kids to write a story about finding treasure at a swimming pool in the 21st installment of the "Write. Right. Rite." video series.
    • Contributor: Reynolds, Jason
    • Date: 2020-06-30
  • 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: Charles, Ron - Hahn, Kimiko - Mohabir, Rajiv
    • Date: 2020-06-25
  • Film, Video
    Create a New Ice Cream Treat Jason Reynolds, seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, challenges kids to imagine a new and wild ice cream treat in the 20th installment of the "Write. Right. Rite." video series.
    • Contributor: Reynolds, Jason
    • Date: 2020-06-23
  • 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: Woodson, Jacqueline - Reynolds, Jason - Hayden, Carla
    • Date: 2020-06-19
  • 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: Rubenstein, David - Larson, Erik
    • Date: 2020-06-18
  • Film, Video
    Take an Imaginary Road Trip Jason Reynolds, seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, challenges kids to describe the best and worst parts of an imaginary road trip with a person they admire in the 19th installment of the "Write. Right. Rite." video series.
    • Contributor: Reynolds, Jason
    • Date: 2020-06-16
  • Film, Video
    Create Your Own Roller Coaster Jason Reynolds, seventh National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, challenges kids to create their own unique roller coaster in the 18th installment of the "Write. Right. Rite." video series.
    • Contributor: Reynolds, Jason
    • Date: 2020-06-11
  • 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: Jin, Ha - Casper, Robert
    • Date: 2020-06-11