Schedule
The 2023 Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on August 12, 2023.
A selection of programs will be livestreamed
online and videos of all programs will be available shortly after the Festival. Plan your day using our website or download the Festival program and map.
To search for events, select one or more options from the fields and then click the Apply button. Navigate results using heading level 2 for dates and heading level 3 for event names.
NOTE: Using the “Add to Calendar” tool places individual events in your personal calendar. It does not constitute a reservation or ticket to the event.
Wednesday August 2, 2023
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Event | lectures and symposia Library of Congress National Book Festival Author Talk: Tananarive Due
- Wednesday, August 02, 2023 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm EDT
- Online Only
PBS Books, in collaboration with GPB in Atlanta, is hosting a conversation with Tananarive Due, author of “The Wishing Pool and Other Stories,” to discuss her work and involvement in the Festival. The author will be interviewed by PBS Books' Heather-Marie Montilla.This event will be livestreamed on pbsbooks.org.- Event Type(s): Partner Events
- Genre(s): Black and African American, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction
Saturday August 12, 2023
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Event | lectures and symposia Hauntings Aren't Just for Houses: Horror Fiction with Tananarive Due and Grady Hendrix
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 10:30 am - 11:30 am EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Ballroom A (Level 3, South Building)
Horror can take countless forms: monsters, strangers, our inner demons. In Tananarive Due’s “The Wishing Pool and Other Stories,” supernatural horror intersects with chillingly real themes of trauma, racism and family conflict. In Grady Hendrix’s “How to Sell a Haunted House,” protagonist Louise clashes with her brother while trying to sell their sinister childhood home. Moderated by NPR’s B.A. Parker.- Stage: Inspiration Stage
- Event Type(s): Author Presentations, Panels
- Genre(s): Black and African American, Family, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction
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Event | special events Grady Hendrix Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Grady Hendrix signs "How to Sell a Haunted House" in book signing line 6.- Event Type(s): Book Signings
- Genre(s): Family, Fiction, Horror
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Event | special events Tananarive Due Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Tananarive Due signs "The Wishing Pool and Other Stories" in book signing line 5.- Event Type(s): Book Signings
- Genre(s): Black and African American, Fiction, Horror, Science Fiction
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Event | lectures and symposia "Take a Trip," They Said. "You'll Have a Great Time!" They Said. with Trang Thanh Tran Event has been updated
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Room 202 (Level 2, South Building)
We don’t take a vacation just to worry about surviving the vacation. But in Trang Thanh Tran’s “She Is a Haunting,” a girl encounters a haunting while visiting family in Vietnam. Maybe let’s not take a vacation to the National Book Festival—what could happen to us? Moderated by Ashley Dickerson.- Stage: Curiosity Stage
- Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For Teens and Adults, Panels
- Genre(s): Asian and Pacific Islander, Debut, Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ+, Social Justice, Thriller, Young Adult
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Event | lectures and symposia Alone with a Secret: Novels That Provoke and Reveal with Victor LaValle and Kevin Wilson
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 3:15 pm - 4:15 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, West Salon GHI (Street Level, South Building)
Everyone has a dark secret…and then there are really dark secrets. Victor LaValle’s novel “Lone Women” follows a young woman who’s haunted by a secret sin that could burn many people. In Kevin Wilson’s “Now Is Not the Time to Panic,” a young woman’s life may fall apart due to a life-altering secret from her past. Moderated by The Washington Post’s John Williams.- Stage: Understanding Stage
- Event Type(s): Author Presentations, Panels
- Genre(s): Black and African American, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
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Event | special events Trang Thanh Tran Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Trang Thanh Tran signs "She Is a Haunting" in book signing line 7.- Event Type(s): Book Signings, For Teens and Adults
- Genre(s): Asian and Pacific Islander, Debut, Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ+, Thriller, Young Adult
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Event | lectures and symposia When Lies and Secrets Come Into the Light with Linda Kao and Mark Oshiro Event has been updated
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 4:25 pm - 5:25 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Room 204 (Level 2, South Building)
What if those you love the most keep you in the dark? In Mark Oshiro’s “Into the Light,” Manny questions his memories while searching for his sister; in Linda Kao’s “A Crooked Mark,” Matt hunts for those marked by the devil – while questioning those closest to him. Lies, truths, fantasy, reality: what else will come into the light? Moderated by Sasha Dowdy.- Stage: Discovery Stage
- Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For Teens and Adults
- Genre(s): Debut, Family, Fantasy, Fiction, Guatemalan, Hispanic, Horror, LGBTQ+, Mexican, Mystery, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult
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Event | special events Victor LaValle Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 4:30 pm - 5:30 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Victor LaValle signs "Lone Women: A Novel" in book signing line 13.- Event Type(s): Book Signings
- Genre(s): Black and African American, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
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Event | special events Linda Kao Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Linda Kao signs "A Crooked Mark" in book signing line 14.- Event Type(s): Book Signings, For Teens and Adults
- Genre(s): Debut, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult
Thursday August 31, 2023
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Event | lectures and symposia Library of Congress National Book Festival Author Talk: Angeline Boulley and Trang Thanh Tran
- Thursday, August 31, 2023 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm EDT
- Online Only
PBS Books, in collaboration with Kansas City PBS and KERA in Dallas, Texas, is hosting a conversation with Angeline Boulley, author of “Warrior Girl Unearthed,” and Trang Thanh Tran, author of “She Is a Haunting,” to discuss their work and involvement in the Festival. The authors will be interviewed by PBS Books' Heather-Marie Montilla.This event will be livestreamed on pbsbooks.org.- Event Type(s): For Teens and Adults, Panels, Partner Events
- Genre(s): Asian and Pacific Islander, Debut, Family, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ+, Mystery, Native American, Thriller, Young Adult