It's that time of year again. The National Book Festival (started by Laura Bush when she lived in D.C.) happens on September 26 and the Texas Book Festival is scheduled for the end of October. I doubt I'll ever be fortunate enough to get to Washington D.C. for its book festival but I'm really starting to get excited about spending some time in Austin for the one in Texas.
Click here to get to the festival homepage. The site includes lots of information pertaining to this year, great links to prior festivals, and links to digitized historical newspapers and author podcasts.
(Click on the poster for a better look - it's great.)
Those who plan to attend the National Book Festival will have the opportunity to meet and hear a large, diverse group of author/speakers:
MYSTERIES & THRILLERS
- David Baldacci
- Lee Child
- Mary Jane Clark
- Margaret Coel
- Michael Connelly
- Craig Johnson
- Walter Mosley
- James Patterson
- George Pelecanos
- S.J. Rozan
- Lisa Scottoline
- Daniel Silva
HISTORY & BIOGRAPHY
Sponsored by James Madison Council
- Dan Balz
- Douglas Brinkley
- Ken Burns
- Kirstin Downey
- Dayton Duncan
- Annette Gordon-Reed
- Gwen Ifill
- Haynes Johnson
- Sue Monk Kidd
- Mark Kurlansky
- Jon Meacham
- Rickey Minor
- Simon Schama
- Patricia Sullivan
- Ann Kidd Taylor
- David A. Taylor
POETRY & PROSE
Sponsored by National Endowment for the Arts
- W. Ralph Eubanks
- Julia Glass
- Edward Hirsch
- Jane Hirshfield
- Valerie Martínez
- Ana Menendez
- Azar Nafisi
- Tim O'Brien
- Poetry Out Loud student winners
- Marilynne Robinson
- Kay Ryan, U.S. Poet Laureate
- Patricia Smith
CHILDREN
Sponsored by AT&T
- *Special Presentation*
- Mary Brigid Barrett
- Holly Black
- Kate DiCamillo
- Tony DiTerlizzi
- Nikki Grimes
- Shannon Hale
- Craig Hatkoff
- Steven Kellogg
- Lois Lowry
- Megan McDonald
- Charles Santore
- Jon Scieszka
- David Shannon
- Mo Willems
TEENS & CHILDREN
Sponsored by Target
- Judy Blume
- Patrick Carman
- Sharon Creech
- Carmen Agra Deedy
- Paula Deen
- Kate DiCamillo
- Shannon Hale
- Liz Kessler
- Jeff Kinney
- Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah
- Kadir Nelson
- James Patterson
- Jerry Pinkney
- Rick Riordan
- Sharon Robinson
- James L. Swanson
- Jacqueline Woodson
FICTION & FANTASY
Sponsored by Target
- Sabiha Al Khemir
- Julia Alvarez
- Junot Díaz
- John Grisham
- John Irving
- Katherine Neville
- Jodi Picoult
- Nicholas Sparks
- Jeannette Walls
- Colson Whitehead
- David Wroblewski
This is my first year that I'll be going. I actually timed my visit home to my family to coincide, which I thought was very clever of me!
ReplyDeleteI asked off of work months ago so I could go. I loved it last time I went.
ReplyDeleteI just finished planning my day to hear/see the authors I want to see. :)
You should come up for it sometime, Sam.
Hey Sam -
ReplyDeleteI'm actually going to the one in Austin too. We (my sister and me) are definitely going to see Jane Smiley and P.C. and Kristin Cast. Any advice for a first timer?
Clever, indeed, Rhapsody. I've only been to D.C. a couple of times and that was before the existence of the festival. I'll make it one day - something to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteI'll meet you up there one of these years, Annie. I can't fly anymore so I'll have to time it around a vacation or after I've retired from racing all the other rats.
ReplyDeleteErin, my advice would be to pick your spots carefully because of the overlap in sessions. Last year I had a couple of difficult choices to make and I still regret one of them.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the setting is beautiful, so make sure that you schedule at least one session for the House Chambers and one for the Senate Chambers. You actually get to sit at the desks in the room if you get there early enough. Otherwise, you are seated upstairs in the viewing area or on benches surrounding the walls downstairs.
It's a great festival even if they don't seem to have any ARCs to handout. I met some interesting folks there last year - authors and fellow readers alike.