8th Annual National Book Festival

Allegra P. wrote me on behalf of the Library of Congress to tell me about the 8th annual National Book Festival that will take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on September 27th.I really hope to make it. I live nearby, and there are tons of great events for the entire family.

Here's what Allegra had to say:

It’s a great opportunity to meet in-person and interact with some of the nation’s best-selling authors, illustrators and poets, both at the event and online. This year, the festival is providing several online resources that are great for educational purposes!

This free event, featuring over 70 award-winning authors, attracts over 100,000 thousands of book lovers of all ages to the National Mall in Washington, DC to celebrate the joys of reading and lifelong literacy.

Sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by First Lady Laura Bush, this year the Festival will take place rain or shine Saturday, September 27^th 2008 from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on The National Mall (Between 3^rd and 7^thstreets) in Washington, DC. Additional details on the festival are housed here: http://www.loc.gov/bookfest.

Authors, illustrators and poets will interact with festival-goers at seven themed pavilions such as the Children pavilion. The Children’s pavilion will feature several participating authors, including Doreen Corin & Besty Lewin, who will sign books and give readings from their works.

In addition to the DC festivities, the Library is offering a variety of ways for people around the country to participate in the event online:

• The National Book Festival Young Readers’ Online Toolkit, features information about National Book Festival authors who write for children and teens, podcasts of their readings, teaching tools and activities for kids. This resource shows educators, parents and children how they can host their own book festival.
• Online chats hosted by washingtonpost.com featuring a select group of Festival authors. These live text-based discussions will take place throughout September leading up to the Festival at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/liveonline/index.html, where participants can submit questions and comments any time before or during the live chat.
• Podcasts, also available on iTunes, featuring interviews with some of the award-winning authors participating in the 2008 National Book Festival.

For additional details about participating authors, illustrators and poets please visit, www.loc.gov/bookfest.

View the full press release: http://www.prweb.com/releases/Library-of-Congress/Bookfest-Podcasts/prweb1207224.htm