The National Book Festival, an annual event held each September on the National Mall in Washington, DC, is a celebration of the joy of books and reading is sponsored by the Library of Congress and gives attendees the opportunity to visit with more than 80 award-winning authors, illustrators and poets who will talk about and sign their books. National Book Festival Pavilions are set up for Fiction & Mystery, History & Biography, Children & Teens, Poetry, and Home & Family. In 2011, for the first time, the National Book Festival will be a two-day event. Two new genre pavilions will be added: Urban Fiction and Graphic Novels. The theme of the 2011 National Book Festival will be "Celebrating the joys of reading aloud."
The Library of Congress Pavilion features a variety of interactive family-centered activities about the importance of lifelong literacy, cultural preservation, and preserving digital culture. At the National Book Festival, visitors have the opportunity to learn about the reading programs and resources in libraries across the country. Representatives from every state and territory welcome families and children interested in that state's writers and reading programs.
