The National Book Festival is Saturday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Northwest D.C. It will, of course, feature dozens of authors discussing their work, as regular attendees have come to expect.
But this year, there’s more than just books and authors being celebrated.
“We want people to understand the magic and the vastness of the collections at the Library of Congress,” Clay Smith, literary director of the Library of Congress told WTOP. His team puts the festival together each year.
The festival is aiming to give attendees a broader look at American culture beyond books and the written word, Smith said.
“Cynthia Erivo is coming to talk about her life as an artist and musician,” Smith said of the actress who recently starred in the “Wicked” film franchise. Erivo will also be presenting her new memoir.
Famed film director Martin Scorsese will be talking about the importance of film preservation, which is “a major thing that we do here at the library,” Smith said.
And actress and comedian Kate McKinnon will also be speaking at the daylong event.
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Other non-literary speakers include NPR’s Kitchen Sisters and author Max Brooks, who will be presenting a radio play of his graphic novel, “The Harlem Hellfighters.” The book is about a unit of African American soldiers in World War I. Brooks also happens to be the son of actors Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft.
Altogether, the festival will feature over 80 speakers, family-friendly activities, interactive programs and workshops.
It all begins at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Tickets are required. To get your free tickets and see a complete rundown of speakers and events, go to the Library of Congress’ website.
If you can’t make it in person, the events on the main stage will be livestreamed.
WTOP’s Terik King contributed to this report.
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