This is a guest post by Literary Initiatives intern Jacob Sharp.
The Library of Congress National Book Festival will celebrate its 25th year on September 6, 2025. For this year’s festival information, visit the 2025 National Book Festival website.
To honor the occasion, we are taking the 24 weeks leading up to this year’s festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center to highlight two videos each week from past National Book Festivals, from the festival’s first year in 2001 to 2024. Each week, we’ll highlight a past festival year with a video from an adult writer and one from a children’s writer. We hope you enjoy scrolling through the past with us! Check out videos from the 2001 festival here and 2002 here.
James McBride is the author of the bestselling novel “Deacon King Kong,” “The Good Lord Bird,” which was winner of the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction, “The Color of Water,” “Song Yet Sung,” the story collection “Five-Carat Soul,” and the James Brown biography “Kill ’Em and Leave.” His debut novel, “Miracle at St. Anna,” was turned into a 2008 film, and “Good Lord Bird” was turned into a mini-series. His latest novel, “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store,” received the 2023 Kirkus Prize for Fiction and was named Barnes & Noble’s 2023 Book of the Year. McBride was awarded the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction in 2024.
McBride’s journey as a writer is shaped by his experiences, from his early struggles as a journalist learning the craft of reporting to his immersive research for novels like “Miracle at St. Anna” and spending time abroad in Italy. Watch him speak as he reflects on these formative moments, offering insight into his writing process.
James McBride begins speaking at 40:43, and the video proceeds as follows:
- 40:55: McBride begins speaking on his various careers as a struggling young writer; learning the importance of reporting as a journalist
- 54:06: Speaking on his novel “Miracle at St. Anna,” writing and research process, living in Italy
- 1:00:07: Speaking on his writing process; thoughts on writing fiction
- 1:02:22: Q&A begins
Mary Pope Osborne is the author of the New York Times number one bestselling “Magic Tree House” series as well as co-author of the “Magic Tree House Fact Tracker” series, along with her husband Will and her sister Natalie Pope Boyce. As of 2017, Osborne’s “Magic Tree House” series has sold over 134 million copies worldwide, making it one of the bestselling children’s book series of all time.
Osborne’s remarkable career as a children’s author is deeply intertwined with the imagination of her young readers, whose ideas and enthusiasm continue to shape the “Magic Tree House” series. Watch as she engages with her audience, inviting them to vote on book titles and even taking direct suggestions from children:
Mary Pope Osborne begins speaking at :45, and the video proceeds as follows:
- 1:31: How she began her career as a writer, how “The Magic Treehouse” series started
- 9:56: How children have inspired her to continue “The Magic Treehouse” series with their ideas and feedback
- 13:54: Asking audience to vote on ideas for “Merlin Missions” series book title, speaking on the plot for upcoming book, “Winter of the Ice Wizard”
- 19:00: Asking audience to vote once again on ideas for plots for “The Magic Treehouse” series, asking if children want to read more fantasy or history in her books
- 22:30: Taking ideas directly from children in the audience
Come back next week for highlights from 2004!