2002 National Book Festival To Be Held October 12

Posted on August 2, 2002

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington and Laura Bush announced that the second National Book Festival will be held on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2002. The festival is free and open to the public and is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Hosted by Laura Bush and sponsored by the Library of Congress, the event will take place on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. The festival is made possible by charter sponsors AT&T, WorkPlace USA and The Washington Post with additional support from patron sponsors the James Madison Council of the Library of Congress, PBS, Target and other contributors.

"America was transformed three days after the first National Book Festival was held Sept. 8, 2001," said Mrs. Bush. "But one thing that did not change was our love of spending time with friends and family -- especially our children. The second annual book festival will give us an opportunity to celebrate and share our love of books, reading and storytelling."

Building on the success of last year's inaugural National Book Festival at the Library of Congress, this year's event will feature more than 70 award-winning authors, illustrators and storytellers. Some of the authors scheduled to attend include Sebastian Junger, Eric Carle, Anita Shreve, Mary Higgins Clark, Ridley Pearson, David Baldacci and Henry Louis Gates. Events will include: author readings and book discussions; performances by storytellers; book sales and signings; appearances by children's storybook characters such as Clifford The Big Red Dog; a conservation clinic for books, family letters and albums; and, performances representing a wide range of America's musical traditions.

"Reading and libraries are crucial to our national well-being. We want this National Book Festival to stimulate interest in authors, reading and the world of books and ideas," Librarian of Congress James Billington said.

Author and storytelling presentations and other activities will take place in pavilions on the West Lawn of the Capitol, thanks to support from the U.S. Congress. Pavilions will be devoted to: "Storytelling," "Fiction & Imagination," "Mysteries & Thrillers," and "History & Biography," with two pavilions for "Children & Young Adults." Players from the National Basketball Association and Women's National Basketball Association's "Read to Achieve" program will again be participating in one of the children's pavilions. A Library of Congress pavilion will include information on its website and other services to the public.

The areas between the reflecting pool and 4th Street N.W. on the National Mall will house tents for food sales, musical performances, book signings and sales, as well as a "Pavilion of States" (which will highlight state reading programs and local libraries) and a "Let's Read America" pavilion that will provide practical information about reading and literacy promotion activities throughout the United States. The festival was moved from its 2001 location on the East Lawn of the U.S. Capitol due to the construction of the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center.

In late summer and early fall, the National Book Festival will be promoted across the country at events sponsored by 22 state centers for the book, which are affiliated with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. These events will be supported by grants from AT&T and the Carnegie Corporation.