Even after six years, my family misses living in New York City. But one of the best parts of living in the Washington D.C. area is getting to attend the National Book Festival.
The Book Festival will always be dear to my heart, because the first fall we lived here, back in 2007, my mother visited me for two weeks. Her colon cancer had already metastasized, but she was determined to visit my new home and spend some time exploring Washington DC. I don’t know why we thought she’d be able to walk around so much (me being three months pregnant and sick a lot of the time, and Mami experiencing so much pain), but Mami had a fiery spirit, so off we went.
We took the kids and marched down to the Mall and had so much fun grabbing free tote bags, listening to authors, and stopping at the various booths and tents. Afterward, all of us were exhausted, but Mami was beyond exhaustion; she really should’ve have walked so far for so long. But she loved crowds and being with so many people energized her in a way only a true extrovert like her could understand.
So every September, my birthday, her birthday and the festival fall within a few days of each other. And every year since I think of Mami, who this October will have been gone five years, and what joy she found among the booklovers and authors at the National Book Festival.
This year, I have to miss some of my favorite authors due to other commitments, but I am invited to the Gala on Friday (woo hoo!), and we plan to see the authors I’ve highlighted in the schedule below. Who would you want to see?
Saturday Schedule: Children
Time-Author-Signing
10:00-10:30 Fred Bowen 11:00-12:00
10:40-11:10 Kadir Nelson 12:00-1:00
11:20-11:50 Katherine Applegate 12:30-1:30
12:00-12:30 Brian Floca 1:00-2:00
12:40-1:10 Jon Klassen 1:30-2:30
1:20-1:50 Rafael López 2:30-3:30
1:20-1:50 Monica Brown 2:30-3:30
2:00-2:30 Andrea Davis Pinkney 3:00-4:00
2:00-2:30 Brian Pinkney 3:00-4:00
2:40-3:10 Oliver Jeffers 3:30-4:30
3:20-3:50 Paolo Bacigalupi 4:30-5:30
4:00-4:30 Matthew Holm 2:00-3:00
4:00-4:30 Jennifer L. Holm 2:00-3:00
4:40-5:10 Kevin Henkes 2:00-3:00
5:20-5:50 William Wegman 2:00-3:00
Teens & Children
Time-Author-Signing
10:00-10:30 Holly Black 11:30-12:30
10:40-11:10 Matthew Quick 12:00-1:00
11:20-11:50 Patrick Ness 12:30-1:30
12:00-12:30 Kirby Larson 10:30-11:30
12:40-1:10 Cynthia Kadohata 10:30-11:30
1:20-1:50 Matt de la Peña 2:30-3:30
2:00-2:30 Eric Gansworth 3:00-4:00
2:40-3:10 Jonathan Maberry 3:30-4:30
3:20-3:50 Phyllis Reynolds Naylor 4:30-5:30
4:00-4:30 Veronica Roth 2:00-3:00
4:40-5:10 Sonya Sones 1:30-2:30
5:20-5:50 James L. Swanson 3:30-4:30
Sunday Schedule: Children
Time-Author-Signing
12:00-12:30 Giada De Laurentiis 1:00-2:00
12:40-1:10 Grace Lin 1:30-2:30
1:20-1:50 Jon Scieszka 2:30-3:30
2:00-2:30 Suzy Lee 3:00-4:00
2:40-3:10 Christopher Myers 4:00-5:00
3:20-3:50 Mark Teague 4:45-5:45
4:00-4:30 James Ransome 2:00-3:00
4:00-4:30 Lesa Cline-Ransome 2:00-3:00
4:40-5:10 Richard Peck 2:30-3:30
Teens & Children
Time-Author-Signing
12:40-1:10 Katherine Paterson 2:00-3:00
1:20-1:50 Susan Cooper 2:30-3:30
2:00-2:30 Matthew J. Kirby 3:00-4:00
2:40-3:10 D.J. MacHale 3:30-4:30
3:20-3:50 Tamora Pierce 4:30-5:30
4:00-4:30 Lisa McMann 2:00-3:00
4:40-5:10 Kathryn Erskine 3:00-4:00
Wow, fantastic lineup! We’d love to see pretty much anyone in the Teens section. And Bag of la Gucci. (Lol we never can remember how to say his name…)
Yes, that is a tough last name to pronounce! Thanks so much for stopping in today. We love reading your comments.
Sandra, I’m so glad you got to have this time with mom, she def loved crowds (unlike my kids and I, wonder who we take after, maybe our Aunt Ele?) I have to say I am pea green with envy! I would love to meet some of the children’s authors (since I’m an elementary teacher) like Katherine Applegate and Jon Scieszka as well as some of the teen authors. Can’t believe you get to meet Veronica Roth before going to YALLfest. Have fun!