The Library of Congress National Book Festival is an annual celebration that unites best-selling authors, poets, illustrators, and thousands of readers for book discussions, panels, book signings, and other literary activities. Over the past 20 years, the festival has grown into one of the most prominent literary events in the nation, evolving from its origins on the Library of Congress grounds and Capitol Hill to its current location at the Washington Convention Center. This year's festival theme, "Books Build Us Up," delves into how reading fosters connections, enriches our lives, and unlocks a world of possibilities, both real and imagined. A highlight of the festival will be a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the novel The House on Mango Street, written by Sandra Cisneros, 1981 and 1988 NEA Literature Fellow and 2015 National Medal of Arts Recipient.

As book lovers at the NEA, we are thrilled to support this year's festival, which kicks off tomorrow, August 24, 2024. And the best part? All the events are free and open to the public. The NEA-sponsored stage, West Salon GHI, will feature a series of engaging lectures and symposia throughout the day with authors Donna Hemans, Rachel Khong, Elizabeth Gonzalez James, Alexander Sammartino, Camonghne Felix, Safiya Sinclair, Edan Lepucki, Peng Shepherd, M.A.R. Habib, Emily Wilson, Ayana Mathis, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Renée Fleming, and Daniel Levitin. Attendees can explore intriguing topics such as family secrets in fiction, time travel novels, and the therapeutic power of music.

Because you can never have too much literary content, below is a playlist of our Art Works podcast interviews with a few of the authors that will be featured at the festival!

James McBride
This podcast episode features James McBride, author, musician, former National Council on the Arts member, and 2024 recipient of the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. McBride discusses his book Kill 'Em and Leave: Searching for James Brown and the American Soul and the conversation delves into musician James Brown's profound impact on music and society, particularly within the Black community, and explores the complexities of his character and life. McBride shares insights on Brown's southern roots, the cultural and social forces that shaped him, and the challenges of capturing the essence of such an enigmatic figure. The episode also touches on the experiences of those who knew and worked with Brown, offering a deeper understanding of the man behind the music.

Click here to listen to the podcast episode.

Peng Shepherd
Novelist and 2020 NEA Literature Fellow Peng Shepherd's novel The Cartographers is a speculative mystery that delves into the enchanting world of maps. For those who are captivated by maps, this book takes that magic quite literally. At the core of the novel lies not only the awe and potential of map-making but also a truly magical map that becomes a dangerous obsession for a group of cartographers. Shepherd discusses her deep fascination with maps, the intriguing phenomenon of phantom settlements that inspired the book’s premise, and the challenges that come with writing a second novel.

Click here to listen to the podcast episode.

Renée Fleming
Renowned opera singer and 2012 National Medal of Arts recipient Renée Fleming discusses her involvement in music therapy and its profound impact on healing, particularly through the Sound Health Network initiative, a partnership of the NEA with the University of California, San Francisco in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She highlights the scientific research behind music's ability to change brain function and improve conditions like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and speech impairments. Fleming also reflects on her career, her work to make opera more accessible, and the intersection of arts and science in fostering human creativity and well-being.

Click here to listen to the podcast episode.

Tiya Miles
Tiya Miles, historian, 2011 MacArthur Fellow, and the author of the 2021 National Book Award-winning nonfiction novel All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, A Black Family Keepsake, initially made her mark with The Cherokee Rose in 2015. This novel, now reissued with a new introduction, transitions between contemporary Georgia and the early 1800s to explore the complex and often painful histories of Indigenous peoples and enslaved Black communities, revealing their lasting impacts into the 21st century. Miles discusses the challenges she faced in writing fiction as a historian, how writing fiction allowed her to explore the intertwined histories of Indigenous peoples and enslaved Black communities, and how she finds inspiration in the creative resilience of the women she has dedicated her career to studying.

Click here to listen to the podcast episode.

Meg Medina
Meg Medina, a Newbery Award-winning author and the Library of Congress’s 2023-24 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, is known for books such as Burn, Baby, Burn and the Merci Suárez trilogy. Medina reflects on her upbringing in Queens, New York, as the first child born in North America to Cuban parents and her role as her family's linguistic and cultural translator. Growing up, her family’s storytelling influenced her writing, and although she could not see herself in the childhood books she read, she still found solace and an escape through books. Medina also discusses her transition from teaching to writing, her belief in the power of stories to foster empathy, and her “Cuéntame!: Let’s talk books ” initiative, which aims to celebrate the joy of reading.

Click here to listen to the podcast episode.