Top of page

2020 National Book Festival

Explore the 2020 National Book Festival

Watch presentations by more than 120 authors!

The 20th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival celebrated “American Ingenuity” with more than 120 of the nation’s most gifted authors in a virtual festival the weekend of Sept. 25-27. For news and updates, follow the festival blog and subscribe to latest updates.

News from the Festival

Explore the History of the Festival Since the first National Book Festival on September 8, 2001, the Festival has become one of the most prominent literary events in the United States.
Watch Author Q&As Throughout the Festival weekend, authors participated in live Q&A discussions with festivalgoers.
National Book Festival Presents Experience the Festival all year long with National Book Festival Presents, a series featuring outstanding authors, books and related Library treasures.

Featured Authors

Discover the many best-selling authors, novelists, historians, poets and children's writers featured in the 2020 Festival.

Colson Whitehead
Sandra Cisneros
Jason Reynolds
Amy Tan
John Grisham
See all authors

Highlights from Past Festivals

José Andrés: 2019 National Book Festival
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: 2019 National Book Festival
Henry Louis Gates Jr.: 2019 National Book Festival
Cece Bell: 2019 National Book Festival
David McCullough: 2019 National Book Festival
Poetry of Place: 2019 National Book Festival
See more videos