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Started in 2001 by librarian and First Lady Laura Bush with support from the Library of Congress, the National Book Festival has grown steadily, from a small fair set on the east lawn of the U.S. Capitol near the Library of Congress, to multiple tents on the National Mall, to the convention center. This year’s NBF is scheduled for Saturday, September 5.

Since 2011, there’s been a graphic novel pavilion, spotlighting numerous creators, most from outside the superhero genre. SPX is a sponsor.

In 2013, citing extensive damage to the National Mall grounds, the National Park Service banished the popular National Book Festival.  Since 2014, it has been held indoors, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, hosting over 150 authors, and attracting over 200,000 attendees!

jefferson library locThis year, in addition to celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Festival, the Library of Congress is also celebrating the bicentennial of Thomas Jefferson selling his personal library of 6,487 books (the largest library in America at that time) to the Library of Congress, to replace the Library’s holdings which were destroyed by British troops on August 24, 1814. (The full story on the current display is quite amazing!) Ironically, some of those volumes were destroyed in another fire, in 1851. Those 6400+ books have now become 17000000+.

The Library of Congress records every panel at the NBF, and you can see your tax dollars at work at the Library of Congress’ website.  I created a master list of videos and audios dating from 2000-2013, and an update including all of 2014’s videos!

There’s an app, a Facebook page, and an Online Planner.nbf patch 2015

Also a merit badge, for anyone!

C-SPAN2 will have live coverage, via Book TV. (Although their archive doesn’t feature many graphic novels…)

Here’s the author line-up: I’ve highlighted those which appeal to geeks in general:

Following are the festival pavilions and presenters in each of them:

Children: Buzz Aldrin, Mac Barnett, Cece Bell, Gennifer Choldenko, National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Kate DiCamillo, U.S. Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, Jennifer Holm, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Naomi Shihab Nye, Lin Oliver, Lynne Rae Perkins, Trevor Pryce, Rachel Renee Russell, Jon Scieszka

Teens: Kwame Alexander, David Baldacci, Libba Bray, Michael Buckley, Jenny Han, Phillip Hoose, Cynthia Levinson, Sonia Manzano, Ellen Oh, Laura Amy Schlitz, Sabaa Tahir, Meg Wolitzer, “Letters About Literature” and the “A Book That Shaped Me” contest winners

Picture Books: Tom Angleberger, Cale Atkinson, Tad Hills, William Joyce, Tom Lichtenheld, Steve Light, Diane Muldrow, Elise Parsley, Jean Reagan, Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Dan Santat, Stephen Savage, Peter Sís, Hervé Tullet, Audrey Wood, Don Wood

Biography & Memoir: Maureen Corrigan, Harlyn Geronimo, Walter Isaacson, Mary Jordan, David McCullough, John Riordan, Bryan Stevenson, Kevin Sullivan, Jeanne Theoharis, Evan Thomas, Amy Wilentz, Richard Zoglin

Contemporary Life: Manuel Castells, Yochi Dreazen, Robin Givhan, Tom Gjelten, Morton Kondracke, Nicholas Kristof, Erika Lee, David Maraniss, Shelia P. Moses, Al Roker, Lisa Scottoline, Francesca Serritella, Ray Suarez, Barry Svrluga, Héctor Tobar, Sheryl WuDunn, Julia G. Young

Food: Najmieh Batmanglij, Bridget Lancaster, Patrick O’Connell, Nora Pouillon, Bryan Roof

History: Danielle Allen, Joseph Ellis, Elizabeth A. Fenn, Edward J. Larson, Anne-Marie O’Connor, Evan Osnos, Cokie Roberts, Jan Jarboe Russell, Jay Winik, Lawrence Wright

Science: Norman Doidge, Judy Foreman, Paul Halpern, Terrence Holt, David Quammen, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Casey Schwartz, Rachel Swaby, Edward O. Wilson, Andrea Wulf

Fiction: Stephen L. Carter, Library of Congress Fiction Prize winner Louise Erdrich, Ha Jin, Ward Just, Phil Klay, Thomas Mallon, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Marilynne Robinson, Jane Smiley, Lalita Tademy

Graphic Novels: Lalo Alcaraz, Keith Knight, Miss Lasko-Gross, Diane Noomin, Stephan Pastis, Trina Robbins, Scott Stantis

Mysteries, Thrillers & Science Fiction: David Baldacci, Jeffery Deaver, David Ignatius, Marlon James, Jane Lindskold, Laura Lippman, Walter Mosley, Lisa Scottoline, David Weber, Dan Wells

Poetry & Prose: Daniel Alarcón, Jerome Charyn, Marilyn Chin, Lynn Freed, Jane Hirshfield, Azar Nafisi, Eric Pankey, Claudia Rankine, Ishmael Reed, Kevin Young, Poetry Out Loud, Poetry Slam featuring young poets from Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C.

Romance Fiction: Sarah MacLean, Beverly Jenkins, Paige Tyler

International: Homero Aridjis, Álvaro Enrigue, Cristina Rivera Garza, David Good, John Hemming, Donald S. Lopez Jr., Valeria Luiselli, Jane McAuliffe, Jack Miles, María José Navia, Andrés Neuman, Mark Plotkin, Santiago Roncagliolo, Juan Gabriel Vásquez, Alejandro Zambra

First Nations Authors of Australia: Tony Birch, Jeanine Leane, Dub Leffler, Melissa Lucashenko, Bruce Pascoe, Jared Thomas, Ellen van Neerven

The Human Side of War: Elliot Ackerman, Christian G. Appy, Rick Atkinson, Tom Brokaw, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Joseph Ellis, Annette Gordon-Reed, Phil Klay, Jon Meacham, Roxana Robinson, Elizabeth D. Samet, Henry Wiencek

Books to Movies: A. Scott Berg, Anne-Marie O’Connor, Lawrence Wright

Most of the graphic novel events will be in Salon ABC, on the street level, near the main entrance on Mount Vernon Place.

Here’s the schedule for the Graphic Novel Pavilion, held in the evening:

Saturday, 7:15 PM
  • Graphic Novels Part 1: Knight, Alcaraz, Stantis Graphic Novels (Salon ABC, Street Level)
Saturday, 8:10 PM
  • Graphic Novels Part 2: Noomin, Lasko-Gorss, Robbins Graphic Novels (Salon ABC, Street Level)
Saturday, 9:00 PM
  • Stephan Pastis Presentation Graphic Novels (Salon ABC, Street Level)

And other related stuff:

Saturday, 10:00 AM
  • Peter de Sève Presentation Special Programs (Ballroom B, Third Level)
11:00 AM
  • Peter de Sève Book Signing Book Signing (Expo Floor, Lower Level)
11:20 AM
  • William Joyce Presentation Picture Books (Room 152, Street Level)
12:30 PM

William Joyce Book Signing Book Signing (Expo Floor, Lower Level)

2:30 PM
  • Tom Angleberger Book Signing Book Signing (Expo Floor, Lower Level)
2:40 PM
  • Jon Scieszka Presentation Children (Room 151, Street Level)
  • Libba Bray Presentation Teens (Room 150, Street Level)
3:30 PM
  • Libba Bray Book Signing Book Signing (Expo Floor, Lower Level)
4:00 PM
  • Cece Bell Presentation Children (Room 151, Street Level)
  • Dan Santat Presentation Picture Books (Room 152, Street Level)
5:00 PM
  • Cece Bell Book Signing Book Signing (Expo Floor, Lower Level)
  • Dan Santat Book Signing Book Signing (Expo Floor, Lower Level)
5:20 PM
  • Sonia Manzano Presentation Teens (Room 150, Street Level)
6:00 PM
  • Jennifer L. Holm Presentation Children (Room 151, Street Level)
  • Keith Knight Book Signing Book Signing Area 22 (Street Level)
  • Lalo Alcaraz Book Signing Book Signing Area 22 (Street Level)
  • Miss Lasko-Gross Book Signing Book Signing Area 21 (Street Level)
  • Scott Stantis Book Signing Book Signing Area 22 (Street Level)
  • Stephan Pastis Book Signing Book Signing Area 23 (Street Level)
  • Tom Angleberger Presentation Picture Books (Room 152, Street Level)
  • Trina Robbins Book Signing Book Signing Area 21 (Street Level)
6:30 PM
  • Sonia Manzano Book Signing Book Signing (Expo Floor, Lower Level)
7:00 PM
  • Jennifer L. Holm Book Signing Book Signing (Expo Floor, Lower Level)
7:15 PM
  • Graphic Novels Part 1: Knight, Alcaraz, Stantis Graphic
    Novels (Salon ABC, Street Level)
  • knightlifea-most-imperfect-unionprickly-city-fifty-shades
8:10 PM
  • Graphic Novels Part 2: Noomin, Lasko-Gross, Robbins Graphic Novels (Salon ABC, Street Level)
  • glitz-2-gowimmen slipcasehenni
9:00 PM
  • Stephan Pastis Presentation Graphic Novels (Salon ABC, Street Level)

Michael Cavna profiles this year’s poster designerPeter de Sève, who as a child wanted to draw comics, and as an adult, has drawn numerous covers for the New Yorker, and designed countless animated characters. For the poster, he took inspiration from his 10-year-old daughter, Fia.

Poster NBF 2015