LOC National Book Festival Slated for Sept. 21-22
February 19, 2013—Library of Congress National Book Festival Slated for Sept. 21-22.
Book-Lovers Invited to Take “Books That Shaped the World” Survey
The 13th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held on the National Mall between 9th and 14th Streets on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013 from noon to 5:30 p.m., rain or shine. The event is free and open to the public.
Festival fans and other lovers of the printed word are invited to take a "Books That Shaped the World" survey on the Library of Congress National Book Festival website, www.loc.gov/bookfest/. The Library, which invited public comment on "Books That Shaped America" in 2012, will continue its multi-year Celebration of the Book with a look at Books That Shaped the World in 2013.
Additional festival-related events will take place in the days and weeks preceding the much-anticipated yearly festival, which celebrates the joys of books and reading. More information will be posted as planning for the festival continues at the festival website.
"Last year’s festival drew more authors and more readers than ever before" said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. "The excitement is building once again as we invite a public conversation about the power of books to change the world."
The 2013 Library of Congress National Book Festival will feature award-winning authors, poets and illustrators in several pavilions dedicated to categories of literature. Festival-goers can meet and hear firsthand from their favorite authors, get books signed, have photos taken with mascots and storybook characters, and participate in a variety of learning activities.
The Pavilion of the States will represent reading- and library-promotion programs and literary events in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. trusts and territories.
The popular Let's Read America Pavilion will offer reading activities that are fun for the whole family. The Library of Congress Pavilion will highlight cultural treasures to be found in the Library's vast online collections and offer information about popular Library programs.
There are also plans to bring back and broaden the reach of the popular "A Book That Shaped Me" essay contest for rising 5th- and 6th-graders. Schoolchildren in the Mid-Atlantic region - the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania - will be invited to submit essays to the contest, telling how a book shaped their lives, and why.
The 2013 Library of Congress National Book Festival is made possible through the support of David Rubenstein, co-chairman of the National Book Festival Board; Target, The Washington Post and many other generous supporters.
The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may be accessed through the Library’s website, www.loc.gov.
