In celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival, the Indiana State Library will welcome authors Candace Fleming and Ryan Cole in August and September, respectively. Fleming and Cole have been chosen by the Indiana Affiliate Center for the Book to represent Indiana at the National Book Festival, which will take place on Saturday, Aug. 22, in Washington, D.C. The Indiana Center for the Book is one of 56 centers affiliated with the Library of Congress Center for the Book. The affiliates promote reading, libraries and literacy across the country.

Fleming’s picture book “Imogene’s Last Stand” and Cole’s adult nonfiction book “The Last Adieu: Lafayette’s Triumphant Return, the Echoes of Revolution, and the Gratitude of the Republic” will be part of the festival’s Great Reads from Great Places program. Each year, each Center for the Book selects one juvenile and one adult Great Reads title. Selections are written by authors from their state or territory, take place in their state or territory or celebrate local culture and heritage.

Candace Fleming.

Fleming, originally from Indiana, will share her passion for storytelling, writing and history on Saturday, Aug. 8, at 2 p.m., at the Indiana State Library. Her book tells the tale of a young girl from a small town who discovers the town’s abandoned historical society and works to restore it and save it. Fleming is the author of more than 50 books for children and young adults, including the 2021 Sibert Medal-winning “Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera” and the 2021 American Library Association YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award-winning “The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh.”

Ryan Cole.

Cole will visit the Indiana State Library on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 2 p.m. Cole, an Indiana University graduate, has delivered talks at venues such as George Washington’s Mount Vernon and the Library of Congress and his writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal. He lives in Indiana. Cole will discuss his book, which details the Marquis de Lafayette’s return to the U.S. in 1824 as an aging hero of the American Revolution.

Both programs are free and will take place at the Indiana State Library with an option to attend virtually. Registration is required for the virtual presentations and can be completed here and here.

“We are excited to celebrate these ‘Great Reads’ and great authors with people in Indianapolis and across Indiana via Zoom,” said Tammie Buchanan, director of the Indiana Affiliate Center for the Book at the Indiana State Library.

More information about the Indiana State Library’s involvement in the National Book Festival will be published in a blog post in August. Stay tuned!

This post was written by John Wekluk, communications director at the Indiana State Library.