It’s August, and that means the National Book Festival, presented by the Library of Congress, is right around the corner. This 25th annual festival will take place in person on Sept. 6 from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public. A selection of programs will be livestreamed online, and videos of all programs will be available shortly after the festival. If you love books and reading, then this festival is for you!
Over 90 of the nation’s best authors, poets and illustrators will discuss their work and answer questions at the National Book Festival, including Indiana authors like John Green, Leah Johnson and Susan Choi. In addition, you can find the Indiana State Library at the festival by visiting the Roadmap to Reading area of the festival where representatives from all 50 states – plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U. S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and Northern Marianas – will be available to talk to visitors about their community’s local literary heritage.
Indiana is celebrating two books at this year’s festival. “Everything is Tuberculosis” by John Green is the adult selection from Indiana, and “The Night War” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley is the Indiana selection for children and teens. Explore the program guide for more resources for these two titles plus a wide array of program ideas to support the National Book Festival.
The Indiana booth at the National Book Festival is always exciting to set up. Last year Indiana had a “map” theme to celebrate Gabrielle Balkan’s book “What a Map Can Do.” Pictured below (left to right) is Anna Bowman, communications manager at Indiana Humanities, and Suzanne Walker, director of the Indiana Center for the Book, at the 2024 festival.
Please reach out to Suzanne Walker, director of the Indiana Center for the Book with any questions or queries you might have about the National Book Festival and happy reading!
This blog post was submitted by Indiana Young Readers Center librarian Suzanne Walker.