A Look Back at the 2007 National Book Festival
The Library of Congress Hosted the 7th Annual Event
Jul 13, 2008
The annual National Book Festival was held on September 29, 2007 at the National Mall in Washington D.C. The yearly event, which is sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by First Lady Mrs. Laura Bush, attracted a diverse audience of 120,000 and included something for every book-lover.
The yearly event attracts readers from across the country and promotes a lifetime of reading and according to Dr. James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congess, inspires "all of those who value creativity and the power of the written word" .
Literary Events for Adults
Eleven different pavilions were setup with plenty to offer even the most discriminating literary connoisseur. Some popular adult events included:
- Autograph Sessions. Best selling authors, poets and illustrators signed books for fans.
- Discussion and Presentations. The Library's Veterans History Project hosted a discussion with some of the veterans who were featured in Ken Burns' PBS documentary film, The War, as well as four other presentations including a discussion on The Library's World War II Companion, The Coldest Winter: American & Korean War author David Halberstam hosted a discussion about his book, the 2008 Veterans History Project calendar discussion and The Veterans History Project in the Classroom presentation.
- Demonstrations. Participants were treated to a preview of the Library's upcoming interactive New Visitors Experience.
Literary Events for Children
The festival had many designated areas and activities set up for the younger crowd. Some of the most popular children's events included:
- Readings. Sports stars such as the NBA's Al Harrington and the WNBA's Ruth Riley were in attendance to read to the youngsters and promote the Read to Achieve Program, which encourages adults to read to children.
- Photo Opportunities. Some of the most popular children's book characters, like Clifford, Curious George and Caillou, posed with their young fans for pictures.
- Reading Area. A bilingual "cozy corner" provided English and Spanish books for parents to read to their children.
Authors in Attendance for the 2007 National Book Festival
Best-selling authors from genres such as Children's, Young Adult, Fiction & Fantasy, Mystery & Thriller, History & Biography, Home & Family and Poetry were in attendance and signed books for their fans. Some of the over 70 authors who participated in the 2007 festival included: Miss Manners' Judith Martin, Joyce Carol Oates, Terry Pratchett, Jodi Picoult, Harry Turtledove, Ken Burns, Geoffrey Ward, David Wiesner, Holly Black, M.T. Anderson, Rosemary Wells, Megan McDonald, J.A. Jance, Lisa Scottoline, David Baldacci, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Cat Cora, Jack Prelutsky, Mercer Mayer and Ann Amernick.
The 2008 Festival is tentatively scheduled for September 27 and, as always, is free and open to the public.
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