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The National Book Festival – Be There, Sept. 22-23

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Heads up, all you fans of the Library of Congress National Book Festival – it’s going to be two days again this year, with more than 100 authors, following last year’s successful launch of the full-weekend approach.

The festival will be held on the National Mall between 9th and 14th Streets on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Sept. 23 from noon to 5:30 p.m., rain or shine. As in all its 12-year history, the event will be free and open to the public.

The delightful Rafael López, whose work summons imagery of Mexican street life, surrealism and myths, is this year’s artist for the festival commemorative poster.

Rafael López
Rafael López, a man seen (and seeing) through his art

His illustrations for “Book Fiesta!” written by Pat Mora, won the 2010 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award.

Additional festival-related events will take place in the days and weeks preceding the much-anticipated yearly gathering, which celebrates the joys of books and reading. More information, including authors who will attend, will be posted as planning for the festival continues at the festival’s website.

The 2012 Library of Congress National Book Festival will feature award-winning authors, poets and illustrators in several pavilions dedicated to categories of literature. Festival-goers can meet and hear firsthand from their favorite authors, get books signed, have photos taken with mascots and storybook characters and participate in a variety of learning activities.

Here’s a sampling of one of the popular children’s events launched at last year’s festival: the Okee Dokee Brothers (Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing), singing on the Family Storytelling Stage sponsored by Target, one of the festival’s longest-term sponsors.

More author talks and performances for kids from last year’s festival can be found here.

Who are the authors and illustrators you’d like to see at the 2012 Library of Congress National Book Festival?

Comments (8)

  1. I would love to see Patricia Cornwell, Alex Kava, and Stephen King!!!

  2. How about:

    Elmore Leonard
    Randall Kenan
    Anne Patchett
    Michael Chabon
    Junot Diaz
    Touré
    Stephen King
    Rita Dove
    Wade Davis
    Carson Ellis & Colin Meloy
    Seth Grahame-Smith

    (Just to name a few!)

  3. Would love to see Laurie King, Rita Mae Brown in the Mytery pavillion! And Rick Riordan, please!

  4. I’ve been going to the Festival for many years. I would like the author selection to be similar to that of 2009. The 2011 had too many poets, and secondary writers. You had maybe 5 writers of quality McCullough, Morrison, Egan, Foner and Cunningham.

    In 2009 they had, for example, Connelly, Patterson, Sparks, Irving, Child, Diaz, Grisham, Tim O’Brien, Pelecanos, Marilynne Robinson, and Wrobelewski. Makes a book collector salivate just to think of ‘those good old days ‘when political correctness’ didn’t enter into the selection. Even 2010 was better then 2011.

  5. For me: Brandon Sanderson! Terry Goodkind, Jim Butcher, agree with the other comments Stephen King would be nice, particularly since I’m finsihing the Dark Tower series, and a slew of other authors. I’m not really picky but pleasseeee, start leaking out some names soon.

    My son: Sherrilyn Kenyon, Cindy Williams Chimera, M. L. Forman, Holly Black, Michael Grant, Robert Muchamore, it goes on and on.

    My mother: Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs, Martha Grimes (again).

  6. I think we need Joyce Carol Oates back.

  7. I’m curious as to whether or not there will be long lines. I’d like to meet T.C. Boyle and have him sign a novel but I can just imagine the line-ups. Should you get to a line an hour or two hours BEFORE the scheduled reading? Any veteran attendees out there who could help me out?

  8. Iza Trapani, who is a wonderful author and illustrator. She gives the most incredible explanation and demonstration of how a book is developed by an author.

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