Uniting book lovers for 25 years, the Library of Congress National Book Festival will return on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Throughout the day, attendees will hear conversations with more than 90 authors whose literary genres range from fiction to nonfiction, picture book to biography, poetry to young adult, and more.
Throughout the last quarter century, the festival has drawn hundreds of thousands of book lovers together to hear from a variety of voices on myriad subjects – many familiar and others unexpected and new. That special National Book Festival experience, defined by the depth and breadth of storytelling, has grown to become one of the nation’s favorite literary traditions.
This year’s author lineup includes the following headliners:
- Justice Amy Coney Barrett (General Nonfiction) – Barrett provides a glimpse of her journey to the Supreme Court and an account of her approach to the Constitution in her new book “Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and Constitution.”
- Geena Davis (Picture Book) – Two-time Academy Award-winner Davis has written and illustrated her first picture book, “The Girl Who Was Too Big for the Pages.”
- Ron Chernow (Biography) – Pulitzer Prize-winner Chernow, whose exploration of Alexander Hamilton’s life became a Broadway musical sensation, discusses his latest biography, “Mark Twain.”
- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Fiction) – Award-winning author and MacArthur fellow, Adichie returns to fiction with “Dream Count,” her first novel in a decade.
- Jenny Slate (General Nonfiction) – Screen Actor Guild Award-winning actress and comedian, popular creator of “Marcel the Shell,” as well as New York Times bestselling author of “Little Weirds,” explores love, loss and motherhood in her new essay collection “Lifeform.”
- John Green (General Nonfiction) – Bestselling author and one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People in the World, Green shares his newest and deeply human nonfiction title, “Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection.”
- Joy Harjo, Ada Limón and Tracy K. Smith (Poetry and Translation) – The three most recent U.S. Poets Laureate discuss their latest books: “Washing My Mother’s Body: A Ceremony for Grief” (Harjo); “Startlement: New and Selected Poems” (Limón); and “To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul” (Smith).
- Mac Barnett (Middle Grade) – The current National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature returns to the festival with the third book in his popular graphic novel series, “The First Cat in Space.”
- Jill Lepore (History) – Prize-winning professor and award-winning author and essayist, Lepore appears at the National Book Festival for the first time with “We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution,” a deep dive into American constitutionalism and constitutional interpretation.
- Yuval Levin (History) – Scholar Levin explores the important history of the Constitution and its power to forge unity in a diverse society in his new book “American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation – and Could Again.”
- R.L. Stine (Middle Grade) – Back at the festival for the first time in 13 years, the legendary king of spine-tingling stories talks about his two chilling new books: “Stinetinglers 4: 3 Chilling Tales by the Master of Scary Stories” and “The Last Sleepover.”
- Scott Turow (Fiction) – From his appearance at the first National Book Festival to his fifth this year, fan favorite Turow returns with “Presumed Guilty,” the third novel in his bestselling legal thriller series “Presumed Innocent,” which was recently adapted for television by Apple TV+.
The full lineup of more than 90 authors by genre is listed below and can be found here.
For 25 years, the National Book Festival has gathered lovers of reading and the authors who inspire them for a day of conversations and discovery. The first festival, hosted on the Library of Congress grounds in 2001 by former first lady Laura Bush, was inspired by the highly successful Texas Book Festival that she founded. It included readings and book signings by more than 40 authors, musical performances, panel discussions, demonstrations of illustration and new technologies, storytelling, and special tours, with the hope of encouraging families to develop a lifelong love of reading.
Attend the Festival
The National Book Festival will take place on Saturday, Sept. 6 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m. The festival is free and open to everyone.
In addition to the vast array of author conversations, the festival offers a wide range of family-friendly activities, workshops and interactive programs for attendees of all ages that showcase the Library’s rich resources. These include storytelling at the Story District; literary activities to spark a passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics at the STEM District; hands-on learning opportunities at the Workshop Space; hearing from experts about the hidden gems, historic treasures and innovative work happening at the nation’s Library; and taking a literary trip around the country by visiting the Roadmap to Reading, featuring reading options from all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Marianas.
Visit loc.gov/bookfest to learn more about attending the festival. A comprehensive schedule will be available on the website and announced on the Library’s Bookmarked blog in the coming weeks. Subscribe to the blog for updates on festival plans and more.
Join the Festival Online and On Television
For book lovers unable to join the festival in person, the events on the Main Stage will be livestreamed on loc.gov/bookfest. Videos of all presentations will be made available at loc.gov and on the Library’s YouTube channel shortly after the festival.
C-SPAN’s Book TV will return to the National Book Festival as a media partner to televise select events and interview featured authors. Media partners also include NPR and The Washington Post.
About The Author
