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.
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 Sarah Weinman Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 11:00 am - 12:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Sarah Weinman signs "Evidence of Things Seen: True Crime in an Era of Reckoning" in book signing line 8.- Event Type(s): Book Signings
- Genre(s): General Nonfiction, History, Nonfiction, Social Justice
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Event | lectures and symposia "Poverty, by America" with Matthew Desmond
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 11:45 am - 12:30 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Ballroom A (Level 3, South Building)
Poverty is expensive, not only for the people experiencing it but for America as a whole. Matthew Desmond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Evicted,” will discuss his new book, “Poverty, by America,” which asks why the richest nation on earth has more poverty than any other nation. Desmond will be in conversation with Frederick Wherry.- Stage: Inspiration Stage
- Event Type(s): Author Presentations
- Genre(s): General Nonfiction, History, Nonfiction, Social Justice
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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 Yards Between Us: Sports and American Culture with R.K. Russell
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, East Salon ABC (Street Level, South Building)
R.K. Russell’s sports life and personal life collided when he publicly identified as bisexual during his time in the NFL. In “The Yards Between Us,” he aims to shorten the distance between LGBTQ+ professional athletes and American communities. He shares his experience struggling with the secret of his sexuality while on his path towards the NFL. Moderated by Roswell Encina.- Stage: Insight Stage
- Event Type(s): Author Presentations
- Genre(s): Black and African American, General Nonfiction, LGBTQ+, Memoir, Nonfiction, Social Justice
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Event | special events Matthew Desmond Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Matthew Desmond signs "Poverty, by America" in book signing line 9.- Event Type(s): Book Signings
- Genre(s): General Nonfiction, History, Nonfiction, Social Justice
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Event | lectures and symposia Records of Survival: Escaping Genocide and Human Trafficking with Tahir Hamut Izgil and Saket Soni
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, East Salon ABC (Street Level, South Building)
These first-person accounts help us face worldwide human rights violations happening today. Uyghur poet Tahir Hamut Izgil’s “Waiting to Be Arrested at Night,” recounts his escape from genocide in China, while labor organizer Saket Soni’s “The Great Escape” details the story of Indian immigrants forced to work in America. Moderated by The Washington Post’s Jason Rezaian and joined by translator Joshua L. Freeman.- Stage: Insight Stage
- Event Type(s): Author Presentations, Book Launches, Panels
- Genre(s): Asian and Pacific Islander, Biography, History, Memoir, Nonfiction, Social Justice
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Event | special events R.K. Russell Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
R.K. Russell signs "The Yards Between Us: A Memoir of Life, Love and Football" in book signing line 4.- Event Type(s): Book Signings
- Genre(s): Black and African American, General Nonfiction, LGBTQ+, Memoir, Nonfiction, Social Justice
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Event | lectures and symposia Redacting and Retelling: New Ways of Confronting Systemic Racism with Shane McCrae and Nicole Sealey
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, West Salon GHI (Street Level, South Building)
Poetry and poets confront racism in this panel. In his memoir “Pulling the Chariot of the Sun,” poet Shane McCrae pieces together the story of his childhood kidnapping by his white grandparents—and the fragments of his biracial identity. Nicole Sealey’s poetry collection “The Ferguson Report” reimagines the eponymous report on racially-biased policing in Missouri. Moderated by Anya Creightney.- Stage: Understanding Stage
- Event Type(s): Author Presentations, Book Launches, Panels
- Genre(s): Black and African American, Family, Memoir, Nonfiction, Poetry, Social Justice
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Event | lectures and symposia Myths and Promises: Decoding "Latino" in America with José Olivarez and Héctor Tobar
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 2:15 pm - 3:15 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, East Salon ABC (Street Level, South Building)
What does it mean to be Latino in the U.S.? Join José Olivarez and Héctor Tobar as they discuss how their books explore this question. Tobar’s “Our Migrant Souls” examines the 21st century Latino experience and the meaning of identity. Olivarez’s poetry collection “Promises of Gold” grapples with the contradictions of the American dream. Moderated by The New York Times’ Jazmine Ulloa.- Stage: Insight Stage
- Event Type(s): Author Presentations, Panels
- Genre(s): Guatemalan, Hispanic, History, Memoir, Mexican, Nonfiction, Poetry, Social Justice
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Event | special events Saket Soni Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Saket Soni signs "The Great Escape: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America" in book signing line 7.- Event Type(s): Book Signings
- Genre(s): Asian and Pacific Islander, Biography, History, Social Justice
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Event | special events Tahir Hamut Izgil Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Tahir Hamut Izgil signs "Waiting to Be Arrested at Night: A Uyghur Poet's Memoir of China's Genocide" in book signing line 6.- Event Type(s): Book Launches, Book Signings
- Genre(s): Asian and Pacific Islander, Memoir, Social Justice
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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 | special events Héctor Tobar Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Héctor Tobar signs "Our Migrant Souls: A Meditation on Race and the Meanings and Myths of “Latino”" in book signing line 13.- Event Type(s): Book Signings
- Genre(s): Guatemalan, Hispanic, History, Memoir, Nonfiction, Social Justice
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Event | special events Nicole Sealey Book Signing
- Saturday, August 12, 2023 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm EDT
- Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Hall DE (Level 2, North Building)
Nicole Sealey signs "The Ferguson Report: An Erasure" in book signing line 15.- Event Type(s): Book Launches, Book Signings
- Genre(s): Black and African American, Poetry, Social Justice
Thursday August 24, 2023
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Event | lectures and symposia Library of Congress National Book Festival Author Talk: Matthew Desmond
- Thursday, August 24, 2023 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm EDT
- Online Only
PBS Books, in collaboration with WTTW in Chicago, is hosting a conversation with Matthew Desmond, author of “Poverty, By America,” to discuss his 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): General Nonfiction, History, Nonfiction, Social Justice
Wednesday August 30, 2023
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Event | lectures and symposia Library of Congress National Book Festival Author Talk: Héctor Tobar
- Wednesday, August 30, 2023 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm EDT
- Online Only
PBS Books, in collaboration with PBS SoCal, is hosting a conversation with Héctor Tobar, author of “Our Migrant Souls,” to discuss his work and involvement in the Festival. The author will be interviewed by PBS SoCal’s Maria Hall-Brown.This event will be livestreamed on pbsbooks.org.- Event Type(s): Partner Events
- Genre(s): Guatemalan, Hispanic, History, Memoir, Nonfiction, Social Justice