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Category: National Book Festival

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

National Book Festival: Thousands Spent the Holiday with a Good Book

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

The Library's 2022 National Book Festival was the first in-person festival in three years, since COVID shut down much of public life in D.C, and thousands of readers and fans thronged the Convention Center in search of a good read. Celebrities such as Janelle Monae, Nick Offerman, Leslie Jordan and Megan Mullally were there to greet them. So were big names in fiction, non-fiction and children's books, including Geraldine Brooks, Karen Joy Fowler and Mitch Albom.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

“Blackout” Brings Black Teen Romance to the NBF

Posted by: Neely Tucker

“Blackout,” the hit YA romance novel of interlinked stories written by six Black authors, is coming to the National Book Festival’s main stage. It’s sure to be one of the festival’s highlights, as the event will put five of those authors on one stage: Dhonielle  Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Ashley Woodfolk and Nicola …

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Just in Time for the National Book Festival, it’s Leslie Jordan!

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Leslie Jordan, the Emmy Award winning comic actor turned Instagram star turned author, brings his "How Y'all Doing?" to the National Book Festival. His short video riffs on being short, Southern and gay have charmed millions of viewers since he started posting them during the COVID-19 pandemic. The 67-year-old has more than 100 film and television credits, including turns on hit series such as "Will and Grace" and "American Horror Story." He's currently starring in "Call Me Kat" with Mayim Bialik.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

25 Years Later, “Tuesdays with Morrie” Still Resonates

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Mitch Albom, the sportswriter and novelist, sits down at the National Book Festival to talk about the 25th anniversary of "Tuesdays with Morrie," his 1997 memoir that has sold more than 17 million copies, been turned into a movie and a stage play and been published in more than 45 countries. Albom has gone on to write a string of No. 1 bestselling novels, each drawing on religious faith and inspiration. His latest, "The Stranger in the Lifeboat," was published late last year.

Image of an ornate clock showing 2:05 with sculpted male figures sitting on each side of the clock face

Mississippi Author Jesmyn Ward: Winner of the 2022 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced today that the 2022 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction will be awarded to Jesmyn Ward. The 45-year-old Mississippian is the two-time winner of the National Book Award for the novels "Salvage the Bones" and "Sing, Unburied, Sing" among other major literary awards.