Two-Day Library of Congress National Book Festival Kicks Off on September 22nd in Washington, D.C.
Award-Winning Artist Rafael López to Create Festival Poster
The 12th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival will be held on the National Mall between 9th and 14th Streets on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012, from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Sunday, Sept. 23 from noon to 5:30 p.m., rain or shine. The event is free and open to the public.
Creating the artwork for this year’s festival poster will be artist Rafael López, whose work summons imagery of Mexican street life, surrealism and myths.
His illustrations for “Book Fiesta!” written by Pat Mora won the 2010 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award, which is conferred by the American Library Association to honor work that best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in children’s books. López also has won two Americas Awards, and in 2011 he created stamps for the U.S. Postal Service celebrating Latin music legends Celia Cruz, Carlos Gardel, Carmen Miranda, Tito Puente and Selena.
Additional festival-related events will take place in the days and weeks preceding the much-anticipated yearly festival, which celebrates the joys of books and reading. More information will be posted as planning for the festival continues at the festival’s website, www.loc.gov/bookfest/.
“Last year’s Festival, our first offering two days of authors and reading-related festivities, was very well-received by the authors and the festival-goers,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.
“There’s a great sense of excitement about putting hundreds of thousands of readers, young and old, in touch with more than 100 authors once again.”
The 2012 Library of Congress National Book Festival will feature award-winning authors, poets and illustrators in several pavilions dedicated to categories of literature. Festival-goers can meet and hear firsthand from their favorite authors, get books signed, have photos taken with mascots and storybook characters and participate in a variety of learning activities.
The Pavilion of the States will represent reading- and library-promotion programs and literary events in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. trusts and territories.
The popular Let’s Read America Pavilion will offer reading activities that are fun for the whole family.
The Library of Congress Pavilion will showcase the cultural treasures to be found in the Library’s vast online collections and offer information about popular Library programs.
There are also plans to bring back two popular features premiered at the 2011 Festival: the Family Storytelling Stage sponsored by Target, a pavilion offering fare for younger children including popular authors and musical acts, and two mini-pavilions on Sunday. This year the mini-pavilions will feature the genres Graphic Novels and Science Fiction & Fantasy.
The 2012 Library of Congress National Book Festival is made possible through the support of David Rubenstein, co-chairman of the National Book Festival Board; Target, The Washington Post and many other generous supporters.
The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may be accessed through the Library’s website, www.loc.gov.
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PR 12-067
04/05/12
ISSN 0731-3527
Source: News from the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/bookfest/; Contact: Jennifer Gavin (202) 707-1940; Images available for the media in the Library pressroom at http://www.loc.gov/pressroom/
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