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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

10 Great Things About #NatBookFest 2018

Posted by: John Sayers

What? You haven’t decided whether or not you’re going to be coming to Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Sept. 1 for the Library of Congress National Book Festival? Well, here’s ten things about the festival that should help you make up your mind: A Spectacular Setting. Washington, D.C. is a great city to visit, and the …

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

This Day in History: Wright Brothers Take Flight

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

On a dark and windy morning on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, 114 years ago this Sunday, Orville Wright took flight in a tiny airplane he and his brother Wilbur had painstakingly constructed. The 605-pound craft flew all of 120 feet and remained airborne only 12 seconds. After Orville’s first success, Wilbur set the …

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

Watch Live in Support of Literacy

Posted by: Gayle Osterberg

On January 31, award-winning author and literacy advocate Stephen King helped the Library launch our annual call for nominations for the Library of Congress Literacy Awards honoring organizations working to promote literacy and reading in the United States and worldwide. Throughout the winter, 18 additional authors, including Kwame Alexander, Ken Burns and Margo Jefferson added …

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

Prize for American Fiction to Be Awarded Posthumously to Denis Johnson

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced today that Denis Johnson, author of the critically acclaimed collection of short stories “Jesus’ Son” and the novel “Tree of Smoke,” will posthumously receive the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction during the 2017 Library of Congress National Book Festival, Sept. 2. The National Book Festival and the …

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

2017 Main Stage Authors Announced!

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

(The following is a repost from the National Book Festival blog. The author is Lola Pyne of the Library’s Office of Communications.) Earlier this week, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden made an exciting video announcement detailing the stellar authors who will headline this year’s Library of Congress National Book Festival. She was joined in front of a …

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

National Book Festival: 2017 Poster Depicts Delightful World of Books

Posted by: Wendi Maloney

(The following is a repost from the National Book Festival blog. The author is Lola Pyne of the Library’s Office of Communications.) Spring is in the air and with it begins anticipation for our summer celebration of books and reading—the Library of Congress National Book Festival—which this year will take place on Sept. 2. Two weeks ago, …

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

Support the 2017 Book Festival

Posted by: Erin Allen

(The following is a guest post from Sue Siegel, director of development at the Library of Congress.) To Stephen King, the master of horror, a truly frightening scenario is the emergence of a world of non-readers. King, a champion of literacy recognized by the Library of Congress, says that reading is critical to opening up …