The 20th edition of DC’s National Book Festival will take place online from September 25-27 as part of measures against the spread of the coronavirus.
The Library of Congress had announced in May that the festival would be held virtually.
With this year’s theme “American Ingenuity,” the event will be hosting over 120 renowned writers, poets and artists. The genre-specific stages will remain as virtual stages.
Among the participants are Tomi Adeyemi, Madeleine Albright, Dan Brown, Chelsea Clinton, Rita Dove, Jenna Bush Hager, Juan Felipe Herrera, Ibram X. Kendi, Jason Reynolds, Colson Whitehead and more.
The new online “venue” will include a new content feature – Timely Topic Threads.
“The three topics, ‘Fearless Women,’ ‘Hearing Black Voices’ and ‘Democracy,’ have particular resonance in today’s world, further tying the festival to our experiences and realities,” wrote Lola Pyne, who manages outreach and special projects in the Library’s Office of Communications.
Highlights of the 20th National Book Festival are as follows:
- Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead will receive the Library’s Prize for American Fiction and discuss his lifelong career in writing.
- Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on her memoir, “Hell and Other Destinations.”
- National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Jason Reynolds on his book “Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You,” which he co-wrote with Ibram X. Kendi.
- “Today” show co-host Jenna Bush Hager on “Everything Beautiful in Its Time,” a collection of stories about her grandparents, Barbara and George H.W. Bush, and her book club “Read With Jenna.”
- Chelsea Clinton on her new book for young readers, “She Persisted in Sports: American Olympians Who Changed the Game.”
- John Grisham, master of the legal thriller, on his latest books, “Camino Winds” and “The Guardians.”
- Melinda Gates on her new book, “The Moment of Lift: How Empowering Women Changes the World.”
- Mo Willems, creator of “The Pigeon” books, “Because” and other bestsellers for children, on his work and creative process.
- Parker Curry and her mother, Jessica Curry, on their book, “Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment,” recounting a visit to the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery and viewing a portrait of first lady Michelle Obama.
- Dan Brown, author of “The Da Vinci Code,” makes his children’s book debut with “Wild Symphony.”
- Ibram X. Kendi and Saeed Jones on ways to confront racism and bigotry, as described in Kendi’s book “How to Be an Antiracist” and Jones’ memoir, “How We Fight for Our Lives.”
- Rebecca Boggs Roberts and Lucinda Robb on their new book, “The Suffragist Playbook.”
- Veronica Chambers on her children’s book “Finish the Fight!: The Brave, Unruly, and Radical Women Who Fought for the Right to Vote.”
- Thomas Frank and Christopher Caldwell on “The Road to Populism” and their related books.