Wednesday, September 09, 2026
NBF panel with Frank Miller online
Friday, August 21, 2026
Aug 22: Cartoonists at National Book Festival from Library of Congress
- Frank Miller (Memoir) – The award-winning comic book writer, artist, novelist, inker, screenwriter, film director and producer, best known for “Sin City” and “300,” his comics featuring Marvel superhero Daredevil, and his miniseries “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns,” discusses his new memoir, “Push the Wall,” which also serves as a masterclass for aspiring creators.
- Max Brooks (Genre Fiction) – The bestselling author presents a radio play adaptation of his graphic novel “The Harlem Hellfighters” and discusses the value of firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans.
John Gallagher
Photo credit: Bruce Guthrie
John Gallagher is an art teacher, an art director, a cofounder of the literacy organization Kids Love Comics and a leader of workshops teaching kids how to create their own comics. Gallagher lives in Virginia with his family, including a cat, Millie, and dog, Cody (who appears in the “Max Meow” books). His new graphic novel, “Rex Rocket: Cosmic Wiener Dog,” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival and is the first volume of the series.
Selected Works at the Library of Congress
John Patrick Green
Photo credit: Ellen B. Wright
John Patrick Green is a human with the human job of making books about animals with human jobs, notably the graphic novel series “InvestiGators.” Green is a New York Times bestselling human author and not just a bunch of animals in a trench coat pretending to have a human job. With over four million copies of “InvestiGators” in print, Green is a successful human being with only two hands and a normal amount of fur. He lives in New York City. The most recent addition to the series, “InvestiGators: Weather or Not,” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival.
Selected Works at the Library of Congress
Photo credit: Jenn Florence
Shannon Hale is a New York Times bestselling author of over 50 books for preschoolers, kids, teens and adults. Her award-winning novels include “The Goose Girl,” “Book of a Thousand Days,” “Dangerous” and Newbery Honor recipient “Princess Academy.” Hale is the cocreator of the popular “Princess in Black” illustrated chapter books with Dean Hale and LeUyen Pham. Her graphic novels include Eisner-nominee “Rapunzel's Revenge,” cocreated with Dean Hale and Nathan Hale, as well as her bestselling memoirs with art by LeUyen Pham, “Real Friends,” “Best Friends” and “Friends Forever,” along with many other titles. Hale lives in Utah with her four magnificent children and two ridiculous cats. The new graphic novel edition of “Princess Academy” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival.
Selected Works at the Library of Congress
Dan Santat
Dan Santat is a children's book writer, a commercial illustrator and the creator of Disney's animated hit, “The Replacements.” He lives in California with his wife, two kids, a rabbit, a bird and a cat. His new graphic novel and start of a new series, “A Fishboy Named Sashimi,” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival.
Selected Works at the Library of Congress
The lineup of more than 80 authors can be found here.
Please note that the author lineup is subject to change.
Attend the Festival: New This Year, Tickets Required
Click on this image to register for your free tickets!
The National Book Festival will take place on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. The festival is free and open to everyone. For the first time this year, free tickets will be required for festival entry, but not for individual programs within the festival. Tickets can be reserved at loc.gov/bookfest.
Tuesday, July 07, 2026
Aug 22: Cartoonists at National Book Festival from Library of Congress
John Gallagher
Photo credit: Bruce Guthrie
John Gallagher is an art teacher, an art director, a cofounder of the literacy organization Kids Love Comics and a leader of workshops teaching kids how to create their own comics. Gallagher lives in Virginia with his family, including a cat, Millie, and dog, Cody (who appears in the “Max Meow” books). His new graphic novel, “Rex Rocket: Cosmic Wiener Dog,” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival and is the first volume of the series.
Selected Works at the Library of Congress
John Patrick Green
Photo credit: Ellen B. Wright
John Patrick Green is a human with the human job of making books about animals with human jobs, notably the graphic novel series “InvestiGators.” Green is a New York Times bestselling human author and not just a bunch of animals in a trench coat pretending to have a human job. With over four million copies of “InvestiGators” in print, Green is a successful human being with only two hands and a normal amount of fur. He lives in New York City. The most recent addition to the series, “InvestiGators: Weather or Not,” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival.
Selected Works at the Library of Congress
Photo credit: Jenn Florence
Shannon Hale is a New York Times bestselling author of over 50 books for preschoolers, kids, teens and adults. Her award-winning novels include “The Goose Girl,” “Book of a Thousand Days,” “Dangerous” and Newbery Honor recipient “Princess Academy.” Hale is the cocreator of the popular “Princess in Black” illustrated chapter books with Dean Hale and LeUyen Pham. Her graphic novels include Eisner-nominee “Rapunzel's Revenge,” cocreated with Dean Hale and Nathan Hale, as well as her bestselling memoirs with art by LeUyen Pham, “Real Friends,” “Best Friends” and “Friends Forever,” along with many other titles. Hale lives in Utah with her four magnificent children and two ridiculous cats. The new graphic novel edition of “Princess Academy” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival.
Selected Works at the Library of Congress
Dan Santat
Dan Santat is a children's book writer, a commercial illustrator and the creator of Disney's animated hit, “The Replacements.” He lives in California with his wife, two kids, a rabbit, a bird and a cat. His new graphic novel and start of a new series, “A Fishboy Named Sashimi,” is featured at the 2026 National Book Festival.
Selected Works at the Library of Congress
The lineup of more than 80 authors can be found here.
Please note that the author lineup is subject to change.
Attend the Festival: New This Year, Tickets Required
Click on this image to register for your free tickets!
The National Book Festival will take place on Saturday, Aug. 22, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. The festival is free and open to everyone. For the first time this year, free tickets will be required for festival entry, but not for individual programs within the festival. Tickets can be reserved at loc.gov/bookfest.
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Long delayed report from the National Book Festival
During the 2024 event, I photographed way too many sessions (50?) -- taking pictures for at most 5 minutes and then moving on to the next one. (If you're ADHD, this is a perfect hobby!) but that didn't work out this time because I lost a lot of time traipsing off to the first floor sessions in the north building. The trip from the ballrooms to those rooms involved walking the equivalent of three blocks and taking multiple escalators. The signing lines and bookstore had been moved to the basement this time -- another 10-minute trip so I only made it there only once.
Unlike in 2024, I actually sat through two complete sessions -- “Insectopolis”: Interactive Coloring Workshop with Peter Kuper and, my very last session, Rick Atkinson on the Latest in His American Revolution Trilogy. I have to admit I was so exhausted by the last one (15,000 steps with some heavy equipment) that I fell asleep during it.
Peter Kuper's talk (despite the billing, I can't say it was a workshop although they provided drawing sheets that folks could color if they wanted to) was fun. He talked about working on his Insectopolis book at The New York Public Library as one of fifteen Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center Fellows. Part of the idea of the fellowship is to put you in close physical contact with library experts but his fellowship started in 2020 just as COVID-19 was hitting. So he spent much of his time totally alone in the building. He said there was an advantage in that because he had time to appreciate the architecture of the building and heavily incorporated that into his work, as you can see by the cover of the book.
He said he was always fascinated by bugs so this was a major love of his. He talked about his career. The interviewer, Debra Alfarone, was enthusiastic although her question about how he created the Spy vs. Spy series for MAD Magazine was a little embarrassing. (Peter said he was 3 years old when Antonio ProhÃas created the comic in 1961.)
Of the more standard author sessions, I enjoyed the "J vs. K" session with Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft. Their friendship was obvious and their repartee and jibes at each other were great. The audience for their book was very enthusiastic and it was clear that they knew and loved these authors.
Partway through their talk, Kwame talked about all of the side ventures he had set up and stared briefly at Jerry before asking if he was wearing one of Kwame's branded eyeglass frames. Yep. They have quotemarks in the corners.
| Megan Halsband, Craft, and Alexander |
| Jerry Craft |
I saw Raúl the Third at two talks that I visited. He happily posed for photos which I appreciated. He was the moderator for discussion between Leigh Bardugo and John Picacio about their new picture book "The Invisible Parade" . John has done some amazing artwork, specializing in science fiction, fantasy and horror. He's got lots of awards -- Spectrum Award, International Horror Guild Award for Best Artist, Artist Guest of Honor at the 2003 ArmadilloCon, World Fantasy Award for Best Artist, two Chesley Awards, the Locus Award, the Hugo Award, and SDCC's Inkpot Award. Frankly, a slide show of his work would have been appreciated.
| Raul the Third |
Actress Geena Davis was there promoting her new picture book "The Girl Who Was Too Big for the Page". She said she had been considered too tall in school and attended a school where kids were arranged by, of all things, height. Her interviewer was Mac Barnett, the LOC's National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. I loved how he actually took notes when his subjects were speaking. He moved around the festival all day as did the introducer of the event -- Robert Newlen, Acting Librarian of Congress.
The "big name" of the event was Supreme Court justice Amy Comey Barrett who Trump considered a worthy replacement to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (Similarities are that she has three names and is female. She calls herself an "originalist" because obviously the signers of the Constitution really wanted a dictator to rule the country.) She was interviewed by David Rubenstein -- another figure who, as co-chair of the NBF, was all over the place that day -- who worked for Jimmy Carter before founding The Carlyle Group which earned him billions before Elon Musk made that just be chump change.
You know that Rubenstein would have loved to ask her biting questions but he was the perfect gentleman. (Someone mentioned that his later interview Unleashing the Bomb: An Oral History, with Garrett M. Graff, which I didn't visit, included a mention of Nobel prizes for some of the participants including David asking if these folks had actively pursued getting the prize.) Unlike Barnett, Rubenstein never seems to need notes but his questions are well structured and direct.
Unlike with other sessions, we were only allowed to photograph for the first two minutes of her session. Given that I don't have any respect for her, I was fine with that so I left on time. As I went out, I passed someone coming in wearing a Handmaid's Tale outfit. We quietly high-fived. I had accidentally left my bag at my seat -- I wondered why I was in less pain than I had been earlier in the morning -- and when I returned to collect the bag, the woman was being held outside of the room. Obviously she had been tossed out.
I enjoyed seeing Colleen Shogan, the Archivist of the United States who was fired since she didn't believe in stealing government documents, moderating one of the panels.
I didn't spend long in most of the panels but I was in the talk "The Missing: Liz Moore and Chris Whitaker in Conversation About Their Blockbuster Novels" when Chris, who I was unfamiliar with, described how he got into writing. He said he had never planned on becoming a writer but when he was 19, someone tried to mug him to steal his smartphone. He figured the guy was smaller than him and resisted. The guy pulled out a knife and started stabbing him. He mentioned the blade had gone completely through his abdomen at one point. He survived but had PTSD. As a rehab project, he was told to start writing and... voila! That was fascinating as hell!
There were a number of things I disliked about the festival this time. Moving the signing lines and the Politics and Prose bookstore in the basement vs the main hall (Hall D) meant that Hall D had a lot of empty space.
One thing I really liked was that, since this was the 25th Festival, they had a display with all of the posters from the previous festivals. It turns out that year 2 was the only one with a horizontal poster. The first couple had a logo with the word "Book" in huge letters. If you remember, some years ago they changed the LOC logo to repeat the word "Library" in bold large letters -- "LIBRARY Library of Congress". They said they did this to remind people that it's an approachable library. After they did that, I joked that the logo for the NBF would be "National Book BOOK Festival". It was bizarre seeing that the first NBF ones used were pretty close to that.
The original National Book Festival was one of the projects of Laura Bush and "Hosted by First Lady Laura Bush" appears on the posters from 2001-2008. Barack and/or Michelle Obama are mentioned on the posters for 2010-2015. Target was the primary sponsor shown on the first poster but disappeared by 2014, at which point it's usually the Washington Post and Wells Fargo. The 2010 poster is the first to say that David M. Rubenstein is co-chair. The festival was a one-day event from 2001-2010. It was a two-day event from 2011-2013. In 2014, it went back to being a one-day event when it was moved to the DC convention center. People still bitch about the location change but, personally, I really appreciate bathrooms, air conditioning, and no mud.
In addition to the pictures interspersed above, there are lots more on my website. Try this link:
--
Photo obsessive
http://www.bguthriephotos.com
Thursday, September 18, 2025
"J vs. K," with Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft
"J vs. K," with Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Graphic novel events at the National Book Festival
10:30 AM
- EVENT | LECTURES AND SYMPOSIA
"Timid" by Jonathan Todd
Saturday
August 24, 2024
10:30 am - 11:00 am EDTHall DE (Level 2, North Building)Jonathan Todd reads excerpts from his graphic novel "Timid," which is based on the story of his own life (mostly) and is featured at this year's National Book Festival. Hear about this author's life as a kid who didn't fit in and struggled to find his voice, using his talent for drawing as a way to try to figure out where he belonged.Stage: Story DistrictEvent Type(s): For Children, Story ReadingsGenres: Black and African American, Debut, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Middle Grade
12:00 PM
- EVENT | LECTURES AND SYMPOSIA
How to Break a Love Curse: Graphic Novel Romance with Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham
Saturday
August 24, 2024
12:10 pm - 1:10 pm EDTRoom 209 (Level 2, South Building)When your favorite holiday is Valentine's Day, nothing in love can go wrong… right? Valentina (perfect name!) is looking for love, but her family's curse of broken hearts cannot be shaken. Explore the complexities of families, love, friendship and lion dancing in the new graphic novel "Lunar New Year Love Story" by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyan Pham. Moderated by Andrew Limbong.Stage: Room 209Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For Children, For TeensGenres: Asian and Pacific Islander, Family, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Romance, Young Adult
12:30 PM
- EVENT | LECTURES AND SYMPOSIA
Inside Access: How to Get YOUR Hands on History
Saturday
August 24, 2024
12:30 pm - 1:00 pm EDTHall DE (Level 2, North Building)Discover how the Library of Congress' Duplication Services aids authors, architects, historians, students, publishers, businesses, law firms, genealogists and members of Congress. Uncover the history of this essential service and learn how you can bring home some of the Library's historical treasures — from patriotic posters and picket signs to monumental documents and classic comic books.Stage: Library of Congress PavilionEvent Type(s): For Adults, For Teens, Library Expert PresentationsGenres: Democracy, Graphic Novel, History, Inspiring and Educational, Science and Technology
1:30 PM
- EVENT | SPECIAL EVENTS
Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham Book Signing
Saturday
August 24, 2024
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm EDTHall DE (Level 2, North Building)Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham sign "Lunar New Year Love Story" in book signing line 2.Stage: Book SigningEvent Type(s): Book Signings, For Children, For TeensGenres: Asian and Pacific Islander, Family, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Romance, Young Adult
2:30 PM
- EVENT | LECTURES AND SYMPOSIA
"Amulet" Series with Kazu Kibuishi
Saturday
August 24, 2024
2:30 pm - 3:00 pm EDTHall DE (Level 2, North Building)The "Amulet" series by Kazu Kibuishi, which first came out in 2008, concludes this year with the ninth book, "Waverider." How do we make a read-aloud out of a graphic novel series about brave kids in a world of monsters, robots and talking animals? Simple: we ask Kazu to do it for us, of course!Stage: Story DistrictEvent Type(s): For Children, Story ReadingsGenres: Adventure, Asian and Pacific Islander, Book Series, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Middle Grade - EVENT | LECTURES AND SYMPOSIA
Our Almost-True Stories with James Bird and Jonathan Todd
Saturday
August 24, 2024
2:50 pm - 3:20 pm EDTRoom 209 (Level 2, South Building)Have you been a fish out of water? Jonathan Todd has, as he tells in his graphic novel "Timid," about a shy Black kid trying to make friends in a new school. James Bird has too, feeling unmoored because he often didn't have a home, as he describes in "No Place Like Home." Hear real stories told through fiction. Moderated by Shanetia P. Clark.Stage: Room 209Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For Children, PanelsGenres: Black and African American, Debut, Family, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Middle Grade, Native American
3:30 PM
- EVENT | LECTURES AND SYMPOSIA
"Plain Jane and the Mermaid" by Vera Brosgol
Saturday
August 24, 2024
3:30 pm - 4:00 pm EDTHall DE (Level 2, North Building)What is it about mermaids that's so attractive? And mesmerizing? And hypnotic? And… scary? Hear author Vera Brosgol read excerpts from her National Book Festival-featured graphic novel, "Plain Jane and the Mermaid," a story of courage, inner beauty and figuring out the path that's right for you.Stage: Story DistrictEvent Type(s): For Children, For Teens, Story ReadingsGenres: Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Middle Grade, Young Adult - EVENT | SPECIAL EVENTS
James Bird and Jonathan Todd Book Signing
Saturday
August 24, 2024
3:45 pm - 4:45 pm EDTHall DE (Level 2, North Building)James Bird signs "No Place Like Home" and Jonathan Todd signs "Timid" in book signing line 10.Stage: Book SigningEvent Type(s): Book Signings, For ChildrenGenres: Black and African American, Debut, Family, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Middle Grade, Native American
4:00 PM
- EVENT | LECTURES AND SYMPOSIA
Sports and Why We Love Them: Graphic Novels with Pablo Cartaya and Hena Khan
Saturday
August 24, 2024
4:10 pm - 4:40 pm EDTRoom 209 (Level 2, South Building)Team sports demand dedication and grit. Many face even more challenges: pressure from parents, lack of self-confidence or weak teamwork. The hijabi basketball team in Hena Khan's "We Are Big Time" and Elena, the one girl on the baseball team in Pablo Cartaya's "Curveball," find how they can love the game and be excellent in and out of sports. Moderated by Neil Greenberg.Stage: Room 209Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For Children, PanelsGenres: Asian and Pacific Islander, Fiction, Fun and Funny, Graphic Novel, Hispanic, Middle Grade
4:30 PM
- EVENT | LECTURES AND SYMPOSIA
"The Books of Clash" by Gene Luen Yang
Saturday
August 24, 2024
4:30 pm - 5:00 pm EDTHall DE (Level 2, North Building)The town of JazzyPickles is in danger! Who will come to its aid? Surely not the no-good warrior Hog Rider and his companions? Find out by joining author Gene Luen Yang as he reads from his adventure graphic novel series "The Books of Clash"! For more of his work at the National Book Festival, check out "Lunar New Year Love Story."Stage: Story DistrictEvent Type(s): For Children, Story ReadingsGenres: Adventure, Asian and Pacific Islander, Book Series, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Middle Grade - EVENT | LECTURES AND SYMPOSIA
I Built This World, Come Visit! with Graphic Novelists Vera Brosgol and Kazu Kibuishi
Saturday
August 24, 2024
4:50 pm - 5:20 pm EDTRoom 209 (Level 2, South Building)Fantasy must-haves: great characters, expansive worlds, immersive moods. Graphic novels can get us there very effectively. But the main question is: will the story be a standalone or a series? Hear from Vera Brosgol ("Plane Jane and the Mermaid") and Kazu Kibuishi ("Waverider," finale of the "Amulet" series) on constructing fantastical worlds in stories told as graphic novels. Moderated by Megan Halsband.Stage: Room 209Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For Children, For Teens, PanelsGenres: Adventure, Asian and Pacific Islander, Book Series, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Middle Grade, Young Adult
5:00 PM
- EVENT | SPECIAL EVENTS
Pablo Cartaya and Hena Khan Book Signing
Saturday
August 24, 2024
5:00 pm - 6:00 pm EDTHall DE (Level 2, North Building)Pablo Cartaya signs "Curveball" and Hena Khan signs "We Are Big Time" in book signing line 10.Stage: Book SigningEvent Type(s): Book Signings, For ChildrenGenres: Asian and Pacific Islander, Fiction, Fun and Funny, Graphic Novel, Hispanic, Middle Grade
5:30 PM
- EVENT | SPECIAL EVENTS
Vera Brosgol and Kazu Kibuishi Book Signing
Saturday
August 24, 2024
5:45 pm - 6:45 pm EDTHall DE (Level 2, North Building)Vera Brosgol signs "Plain Jane and the Mermaid" and Kazu Kibuishi signs "Waverider" in book signing line 8.Stage: Book SigningEvent Type(s): Book Signings, For Children, For TeensGenres: Adventure, Asian and Pacific Islander, Book Series, Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Middle Grade, Young Adult