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.
Thursday July 20, 2023
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Event | lectures and symposia Library of Congress National Book Festival Author Talk: Claribel A. Ortega
- Thursday, July 20, 2023 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm EDT
- Online Only
PBS Books, in collaboration with WNET in New York, is hosting a conversation with Claribel A. Ortega, author of “The Golden Frog Games,” 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): For All Ages, Partner Events
- Genre(s): Adventure, Book Series, Caribbean, Fantasy, Fiction, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, Middle Grade, Mystery
Thursday August 3, 2023
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Event | lectures and symposia Library of Congress National Book Festival Author Talk: S.A. Cosby
- Thursday, August 03, 2023 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm EDT
- Online Only
PBS Books, in collaboration with VPM and WHRO in Virginia, is hosting a conversation with S.A. Cosby, author of “All the Sinners Bleed,” to discuss his work and involvement in the Festival. The author will be interviewed by "Another View" host Barbara Hamm.This event will be livestreamed on pbsbooks.org.- Event Type(s): Partner Events
- Genre(s): Black and African American, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Saturday August 12, 2023
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Event | lectures and symposia Body Count: Talking About Crime in Our Age of Reckoning with Rebecca Makkai and Sarah Weinman
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 9:30 am - 10:30 am EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, West Salon GHI (Street Level, South Building)
Which crime victims’ stories get told, retold and obsessed over? What if crime media were instead a catalyst for social change? Rebecca Makkai’s novel “I Have Some Questions for You” examines a fictional, distant murder. Sarah Weinman’s anthology “Evidence of Things Seen” features 14 essays about true crimes and asks readers to think about what justice looks like. Moderated by novelist Angie Kim.- Stage: Understanding Stage
- Event Type(s): Author Presentations, Panels
- Genre(s): Fiction, General Nonfiction, History, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Nonfiction, Social Justice, Thriller
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Event | lectures and symposia I'm Already Stressed About Homework. You Need Me to Solve a Mystery Too? with Nick Brooks and Karen M. McManus.
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 10:45 am - 11:45 am EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, West Salon GHI (Street Level, South Building)
Imagine needing to solve a mystery while juggling a mountain of schoolwork—not fun (but maybe more fun than homework?). Nick Brooks’ “Promise Boys” follows three teens of color who investigate their principal’s murder to clear their names. Karen M. McManus' “One of Us Is Back” follows the Bayview Crew who must investigate the sudden disappearance of a crew member.- Stage: Understanding Stage
- Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For Teens and Adults, Panels
- Genre(s): Black and African American, Book Series, Fiction, Mystery, Social Justice, Thriller, Young Adult
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Event | special events Rebecca Makkai Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 11:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Rebecca Makkai signs "I Have Some Questions for You: A Novel" in book signing line 7.- Event Type(s): Book Signings
- Genre(s): Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
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Event | special events Karen M. McManus Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Karen M. McManus signs "One of Us Is Back" in book signing line 8.- Event Type(s): Book Signings, For Teens and Adults
- Genre(s): Book Series, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult
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Event | special events Nick Brooks Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Nick Brooks signs "Promise Boys" in book signing line 7.- Event Type(s): Book Signings, For Teens and Adults
- Genre(s): Black and African American, Fiction, Mystery, Social Justice, Thriller, Young Adult
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Event | lectures and symposia Witchlings Go On a New Adventure with Claribel A. Ortega
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 12:25 pm - 12:50 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Room 204 (Level 2, South Building)
The golden frog games have arrived! Every four years these games return, but what happens when the competitors are affected by a hex that’s turning them to stone? Return to familiar characters and join Claribel A. Ortega as she discusses her second entry in the Witchlings series, “The Golden Frog Games.” Moderated by The Washington Post’s Amy Joyce.- Stage: Discovery Stage
- Event Type(s): Author Presentations, For All Ages
- Genre(s): Adventure, Book Series, Caribbean, Fantasy, Fiction, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, Middle Grade, Mystery
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Event | lectures and symposia Backroads and Buried Bodies: Southern Noir with S.A. Cosby
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, West Salon GHI (Street Level, South Building)
S.A. Cosby returns his readers to rural Virginia in his thriller “All the Sinners Bleed,” which follows a Black officer who must investigate the death of a former student responsible for murdering his teacher. Throughout the book, Cosby explores his protagonist’s inner world and what it means for him to be a Black officer in the South. Moderated by Erek L. Barron.- Stage: Understanding Stage
- Event Type(s): Author Presentations
- Genre(s): Black and African American, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
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Event | special events Claribel A. Ortega Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Claribel A. Ortega signs "The Golden Frog Games" in book signing line 12.- Event Type(s): Book Signings, For All Ages
- Genre(s): Adventure, Book Series, Caribbean, Fantasy, Fiction, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, Middle Grade, Mystery
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Event | special events S.A. Cosby Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
S.A. Cosby signs "All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel" in book signing line 15.- Event Type(s): Book Signings
- Genre(s): Black and African American, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
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Event | special events Angeline Boulley Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Angeline Boulley signs "Warrior Girl Unearthed" in book signing line 10.- Event Type(s): Book Signings, For Teens and Adults
- Genre(s): Family, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Native American, 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 | 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 Mark Oshiro Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Mark Oshiro signs "Into the Light" in book signing line 13.- Event Type(s): Book Signings, For Teens and Adults
- Genre(s): Family, Fantasy, Fiction, Guatemalan, Hispanic, LGBTQ+, Mexican, Mystery, 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