The National Book Festival 2007
The 2007 National Book Festival, organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by Mrs. Laura Bush, was held on Saturday, September 29, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
"The National Book Festival brings authors and readers together to share the stories that touch their minds and hearts. Tens of thousands of book lovers see firsthand how reading changes lives and how our country, its citizens, and its libraries promote reading in imaginative and inspiring ways. The National Book Festival welcomes all Americans to the National Mall to celebrate reading and meet with some of America's most-loved authors from across the country," Mrs. Bush said. "Readers of all ages can discover the joys of new books and fall in love again with old favorites.”
The 2007 National Book Festival attracted a crowd of more than 120,000 to the National Mall. The National Book Festival Gala and an opening author's breakfast ceremony helped kick off the 7th annual festival. This year's festival featured about 70 well known authors, illustrators and poets, who discussed their work in various pavilions such as "Fiction & Fantasy," "Mysteries & Thrillers," "History & Biography," "Children," "Teens & Children," "Poetry" and "Home & Family."
Participants included novelists Jodi Picoult, Joyce Carol Oates, and Jeff Shaara; mystery and thriller writers David Baldacci and Stephen Hunter; nonfiction writers Diane Ackerman, Michael Beschloss, and David Kennedy; Newberry Medal winner Patricia MacLachlan; 2007 Caldecott winner David Wiesner; teen author M.T. Anderson; and poet Charles Simic.
In 2007, The Library of Congress launched the National Book Festival Young Readers' Online Toolkit to bring the festival into libraries, schools, and homes across the country. The Toolkit features information about National Book Festival authors who write for children and teens, podcasts of their readings, and teaching tools and activities for kids. This interactive resource also shows educators, parents, and children how they can host their own book festivals.
The 7th National Book Festival showcased a number of pavilions to enrich the experience of festival goers. The "Pavilion of the States” highlighted reading, literacy, and library promotion activities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and American trusts and territories. In the "Teens & Children" pavilion, national student winners of the Library's "Letters About Literature" reading and writing program read their personal stories to authors who inspired them. The Library of Congress Pavilion featured Veterans History Project historian Tom Wiener interviewing a group of veterans who appeared in the Ken Burns film "The War."
In addition to authors, the event featured a number of popular personalities in the "Home & Family" pavilion, including CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, barbecue king Steve Raichlen, and Cat Cora from Food Network's Iron Chef America.
