National Book Festival 2009

(National Mall b/w 7th & 14th Sts; September 26, 2009; 10a.m.-5:30p.m.)
The National Book Festival is an annual celebration which is sponsored by the Library of Congress and is hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The festival allows visitors to meet with over 70 award winning authors, poets, and illustrators. The Library of Congress Pavilion will showcase a variety of interactive family-friendly activities which signify the importance of literacy, cultural preservation, and the digital culture.

2009 National Book Festival Participants

Children's Authors - Mary Brigid Barrett, Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, Kate DiCamillo, Shannon Hale, Craig Hatkoff, Nikki Grimes, Steven Kellogg, Lois Lowry, Megan McDonald, Charles Santore (illustrator of the festival poster), Jon Scieszka and David Shannon, and Mo Willems

Teens & Children Authors - Judy Blume, Pat Carman, Sharon Creech, Paula Deen, Carmen Agra Deedy and Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, Shannon Hale, Liz Kessler, Jeff Kinney, James Patterson, Jerry Pinkney, Rick Riordan, Sharon Robinson and Kadir Nelson, James L. Swanson and Jacqueline Woodson

History & Biography Authors - Dan Balz, Douglas Brinkley, Ken Burns, Dayton Duncan, Kirstin Downey, Annette Gordon-Reed, Gwen Ifill, Haynes Johnson, Sue Monk Kidd, Mark Kurlansky, Jon Meacham, Rickey Minor, Simon Schama, Patricia Sullivan, Ann Kidd Taylor and David A. Taylor

Fiction & Fantasy Authors- Sabiha Al Khemir, Julia Alvarez, Junot Díaz, John Grisham, John Irving, Katherine Neville, Jodi Picoult, Nicholas Sparks, Jeannette Walls, Colson Whitehead and David Wroblewski

Mysteries & Thrillers Authors - David Baldacci, Lee Child, Mary Jane Clark, Margaret Coel, Michael Connelly, Craig Johnson, Walter Mosley, James Patterson, George Pelecanos, S.J. Rozan, Lisa Scottline and Daniel Silva

Poetry & Prose Authors - W. Ralph Eubanks, Julia Glass, Edward Hirsch, Jane Hirshfield, Ana Menendez, Azar Nafisi, student winners in the Poetry Out Loud competition Marilynne Robinson and Kay Ryan, Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.