More than 70 award-winning authors and first lady Laura Bush will be joined by tens of thousands of book lovers Saturday on the National Mall for the 2006 National Book Festival.
The event features at least five Pulitzer Prize-winning authors and best-selling children, mystery and science-fiction writers. The seven-block festival is free and open to the public.
“The goal is to introduce well-known authors with their fans and to celebrate the joy of reading,” said John Cole, the festival’s author coordinator and reading promoter for the Library of Congress. “There really is something for everyone.”
Authors will speak for 30 minutes and sign autographs for an hour. In the festival’s first year, 20,000 people attended; last year there were more than 100,000.
Authors include best-selling novelist Khaled Hosseini, “The Kite Runner;” 2006 Pulitzer Prize fiction winner Geraldine Brooks, “March;” historians Taylor Branch, Douglas Brinkley and Doris Kearns Goodwin; award-winning illustrator Bryan Collier; best-selling mystery and thriller authors Michael Connelly, Alexander McCall Smith and Scott Turow; science-fiction writers Spider and Jeanne Robinson; and Elmer Kelton, author of more than 40 novels and voted “the best Western author of all time” by the Western Writers of America.
The one-day festival will have plenty of activities for readers of all ages.
Kevin Clash, a puppeteer best known for his portrayal of the Sesame Street character Elmo, will be at the Home & Family Pavilion, for photos and to promote the book “My Life as a Furry Red Monster.”
The Pavilion of the States will promote the literary traditions of all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories, and a number of authors will visit the tent to greet fans from their home state. Maps will be handed out and children can get stamps from each state.
The Library of Congress Pavilion will feature interactive activities about the importance of lifelong literacy, cultural preservation and preserving digital culture.
Festival hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, on the National Mall, between 7th and 14th streets.
