Welcome to our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival. Each weekday, we will feature a video presentation from among the thousands of authors who have appeared at the National Book Festival and as part of our new year-long series, National Book Festival Presents. Mondays will feature topical nonfiction; Tuesday: poetry or literary fiction; Wednesday: history, biography, memoir; Thursday: popular fiction; and Friday: authors who write for children and teens. Please enjoy, and make sure to explore our full National Book Festival video collection!
Karin Slaughter came to the Fiction & Mystery stage of the 2010 Library of Congress National Book Festival to talk about her books, such as “Broken,” featuring Special Agent Will Trent. But immediately after Washington Post fiction reviewer Patrick Anderson introduces Slaughter, the author begins (at 1:20) with a tribute relating to her youth in small-town Georgia: “I don’t know any writers who didn’t get a start in the library. … The library is the center of every community. The people who use it in many cases can’t afford books otherwise. … Librarians … gave me the gift of my life.” Q&A begins at 14:20.
The 2020 Library of Congress National Book Festival will celebrate its 20th birthday this year. You can get up-to-the-minute news, schedule updates and other important festival information by subscribing to this blog. The festival is made possible by the generosity of sponsors. You too can support the festival by making a gift now.