Jul 9, 2025 - Things to Do

National Book Festival is headed to D.C. with a packed author line-up

Mimi Montgomery

A photo showing attendees at the National Book Festival. — Attendees gather at the last year's National Book Festival. Photo: Shannon Finney/Getty Images

The Library of Congress National Book Festival is coming to D.C. again Sept. 6 with a stacked lineup of authors.

Why it matters: It's the 25th anniversary of the festival first hosted by former first lady Laura Bush, and it brings big-name writers to the District.

State of play: The event will take place at the convention center in downtown D.C. and feature convos with over 90 authors across a variety of genres.

Think: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Ron Chernow, Jenny Slate, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Geena Davis, John Green, R.L. Stine, Scott Turow, Joy Harjo, Ada Limón and Tracy K. Smith.

Plus: Check out other happenings like STEM-inspired literary activities, storytelling for littles and talks by Library of Congress experts.

💭 Thought bubble: I'm a huge reader, and I'm especially excited to check out talks with "The Rachel Incident" author Caroline O'Donoghue, "The God of the Woods" author Liz Moore and "The Wedding People" author Alison Espach — I loved all these books!

If you go: The free event takes place on Sept. 6 from 9am to 8pm at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Doors open at 8:30am.

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National Book Festival is headed to D.C. with a packed author line-up

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