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Three seated women talking on a stage in front of a curtain and a National Book Festival backdrop
Moderator Desiree Woodard, Hekima Hapa and Lesley Ware discuss "Black Girls Sew" at the 2022 National Book Festival, Sept. 3. (Ralph Small/Library of Congress)

Best of the Fest 2022: Life/Style

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The new Life/Style stage gathered together makers, how-to experts, and guides on the practical and inspirational. Today, we’re releasing the footage for this stage on our site and our YouTube channel. Here’s what you’ll find among the insightful conversations that took place on the Life/Style stage at the recent Festival:

  • Writers and fashion designers Hekima Hapa and Lesley Ware began the day discussing their book “Black Girls Sew” and helping young people shape their own fashion narrative with the Library of Congress’ Desiree Woodard.
  • Psychiatrist Ellen Vora (“The Anatomy of Anxiety”) and psychologist Tracy Dennis-Tiwary (“Future Tense”) explored new and different ways of thinking about anxiety—a condition that affects more than 40 million Americans—in conversation with Tara Parker-Pope, consumer health editor at the Washington Post.
  • In the afternoon, Celeste Headlee (“Do Nothing”) confronted the concept that our worth depends on how hard we work and talked about how we can learn to take time for ourselves with Mary Beth Albright, correspondent and editor at the Washington Post.
  • After years of personal experience and many interviews with great investors, David M. Rubenstein (“How to Invest”) discussed the personal qualities and habits that he believes are integral to successful investing with Neil Irwin, chief economic correspondent for Axios.
  • In a program that can brighten your day, Todd Doughty talked about his new book, “Little Pieces of Hope,” a collection designed to allow readers to take thoughtful breaks and appreciate the small joys in life, with NBC Washington news anchor Jummy Olabanji.
  • In an appropriate finale for a festival with the theme “Books Bring Us Together,” Geoffrey L. Cohen (“Belonging”) appeared in conversation with Crosby Kemper, director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and discussed how individuals can overcome differences, forge lasting connections and decrease polarization.

We hope you enjoy the events from this year’s Life/Style stage!

This is a guest post by Deziree Arnaiz, a program specialist in the Literary Initiatives Office.