19th Annual National Book Festival Recap

On August 31, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center was packed with thousands of book lovers for the 19th Annual National Book Festival. More than a hundred best-selling authors, novelists, historians, poets, and children’s writers took the stage in front of a record-breaking audience. The festival featured 12 stages, including a brand new main stage, where the highlight of the day was an interview to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who took the stage to talk about her life, career, and her latest book, “My Own Words.”

Among other law-related presentations during the day, at the History and Biography stage, Elaine Weiss spoke about her new book “The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote” and Evan Thomas discussed the life of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

The Law Library of Congress was present at the James Madison Area of the Exhibit Floor. At the table, attendees learned more about the Law Library in a trivia game. Many people were most surprised to learn that the Manuscripts Division of the Library of Congress holds many of the papers of the U.S. Supreme Court justices. Attendees interacted one-on-one with our legal research librarians and took home some of our giveaways, including gavel pencils.

Join us next year for the twentieth anniversary of the National Book Festival!