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You can see and hear your favorite authors discuss their work and how they have used the Library of Congress's extraordinary resources in their work. The best of the nation's authors, poets and illustrators are represented on Read.gov.
Books and Beyond: More Author Webcasts from the Center for the Book
Read About the States with Members of Congress
An Evening with Chinua Achebe 72:00
Through his fiction and non-fiction works, Nigerian author Chinua Achebe has sought to repair the damage done to the continent of Africa and its people as a result of European colonization.
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Isabel Allende, author of "The Island Beneath the Sea" 49:43
Author Isabel Allende presents at the 2010 National Book Festival.
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Julia Alvarez, author of "Return to Sender" 42:00
Fiction and fantasy author Julia Alvarez appears at the National Book Festival.
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David Baldacci: The Collectors 63:00
New York Times best-selling author David Baldacci discussed his novel "The Collectors," whose crime takes place at the Library of Congress.
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Tiki Barber 30:00
Children's author and former NFL player Tiki Barber talks about writing children's books.
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Nicholas Basbanes - The Power of the Printed Word 56:00
Popular journalist and book world chronicler Nicholas Basbanes discussed his new book, "Every Book Its Reader: The Power of the Printed Word to Stir the World." "Every Book Its Reader" highlights interviews with a wide range of omnivorous readers.
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Louis Bayard 30:00
Louis Bayard is the critically acclaimed novelist, reviewer and journalist who has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Nerve.com and Salon.com among others. He is the author of "Mr. Timothy," a New York Times Notable Book and the Edgar Award-nominated "The Pale Blue Eye".
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Jan Brett 30:00
With more than 33 million books in print, Jan Brett's award-winning New York Times best-selling books are known for colorful depictions of a wide variety of animals. This is clearly seen in her wonderful artwork for the 2008 National Book Festival, in which birds and animals from many states are represented.
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Paul Dickson, author of "The Dickson Baseball Dictionary" 53:00
"The Dickson Baseball Dictionary" by Paul Dickson is an indispensable resource for hard-core fans as well as anyone newly interested in the national pastime. It has become an essential resource for those who love the game.
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The Exquisite Corpse Adventure 52:00
Authors of this story talk about their own books as well as writing "The Exquisite Corpse."
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Neil Gaiman 30:00
For more than 20 years, Neil Gaiman has been a top writer of modern comics and a best-selling novelist. He discussed his writing, including his novel for young readers, "The Graveyard Book" (2008).
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Tom Gjelten - Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba 68:00
"Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba" by National Public Radio's Tom Gjelten is the dramatic story of one family, its business and its nation, paralleling Cuba's own development. The Bacardis of Cuba, builders of a rum distillery and a worldwide brand, came of age with the nation and helped define what it meant to be Cuban.
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Jane Goodall 63:00
Jane Goodall--primatologist, conservationist and humanitarian, whose work with wild chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania, discussed her new book "Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink."
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John Grisham, "The Associate" 109:00
International best-selling author John Grisham appears at the National Book Festival.
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Stephen King and Family Speak About Writing 99:00
Stephen King, his wife, novelist Tabitha King, and son, writer Owen King, discussed their work for an audience of students at the Library.
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Richard Kurin - History and the Curse of the Hope Diamond 55:00
From the diamond mines of India and royal palaces of Europe to the jewelers of Fifth Avenue and halls of the Smithsonian, Richard Kurin uncovers the mystery and the true story of the world's most infamous bauble, the Hope Diamond.
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Gwen Ifill, author of "The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama" 25:13
Best-selling author Gwen Ifill appears at the 2009 National Book Festival.
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Jennifer Lee, author of "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food." 64:00
Who writes those little messages in fortune cookies and how do fortune cookie makers get their lucky numbers? The answer to this and other fascinating questions was explored by Jennifer Lee, as she discussed her recent book "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food."
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Stephenie Meyer 33:00
Stephenie Meyer's hugely successful debut novel, "Twilight" (2005), was released to critical acclaim and became a New York Times Editor's Choice, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, one of American Library Association's Ten Best Books for Young Adults and Top Ten Books for Reluctant Readers.
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Toni Morrison, author of "Friend or Fiend? With the Pain & the Great One" 38:45
Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison appears at the 2011 National Book Festival.
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Walter Mosley, "Devil in a Blue Dress" 30:00
Author of the critically acclaimed Easy Rawlins mystery series Walter Mosley appears at the National Book Festival.
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Mystery Writers Discuss Their Craft 56:00
Five popular mystery writers discussed the art of writing mysteries during a panel discussion sponsored by the Humanities and Social Sciences Division for the eighth annual Judith P. Austin memorial lecture.
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Sara Paretsky's “Fire Sale” 64:00
What do basketball, a discount superstore, two runaway teenagers and an explosion that screams of foul play have in common? They are just a sampling of the twists and turns found in the latest mystery thriller by Sara Paretsky who discussed her most recent book "Fire Sale."
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Katherine Paterson, author of "The Day of the Pelican" 31:45
Katherine Paterson at the National Book Festival.
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Anthony Pitch - They Have Killed Papa Dead: Lincoln's Assassination 57:00
The assassination of the 16th president is one of the singular events in American history, and historian Anthony Pitch uses primary source material to document and reveal previously unknown facts about Lincoln's death; and the events that led to the incarceration of John Wilkes Booth's co-conspirators.
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Arnold Rampersad - Ralph Ellison: A Biography 71:00
Ralph Ellison never produced another novel in his lifetime after his magnum opus "Invisible Man," which won the National Book Award in 1953. Did success ruin him? This is one theme in the new biography of Ellison by Arnold Rampersad, the first scholar given complete access to Ellison's papers at the Library.
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Matthew Reinhart & Robert Sabuda 30:00
Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda appear at the National Book Festival.
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River of Words Ceremony 2009 106:00
The environmental poetry and art contest River of Words holds its annual awards ceremony at the Library.
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David L. Robbins - The Nuts and Bolts of Historical Fiction 66:00
The construction of historical fiction requires the attributes of good storytelling plus some important additional components. Novelist David L. Robbins discusses the building blocks of historical novels.
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Craig Robinson, author of "A Game of Character: A Family Journey from Chicago's Southside to the Ivy League and Beyond" 32:41
Craig Robinson at the National Book Festival.
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Marilynne Robinson, "Home" 37:00
Pulitzer Prize winning author Marilynne Robinson appears at the National Book Festival.
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Kay Ryan Closes Literary Season 63:00
U.S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan concludes the Library of Congress 2008-2009 literary season with a poetry reading in the historic Coolidge Auditorium, where past consultants/laureates -- such as Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Hayden -- have read.
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Marisa de los Santos 30:00
Enamored of books from an early age, Marisa de los Santos majored in English at the University of Virginia and went on to study creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College and the University of Houston. She discusses her novel "Belong to Me" (2008).
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Jon Scieszka Receives National Ambassador's Medal 33:00
Jon Scieszka made his first official appearance at the Library of Congress since being named the first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer session with 50 schoolchildren from Brent Elementary School in Washington, D.C.
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Michelle Singletary 30:00
Michelle Singletary is a nationally syndicated columnist for The Washington Post with her award-winning column, "The Color of Money," now carried in about 120 newspapers across the country. She discusses personal finance as well as her books "Spend Well, Live Rich" and "Your Money and Your Man" (2007).
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R.L. Stine 25:00
R.L. Stine's writing career began at the age of 9 when he wrote stories and jokes on an old typewriter and handed them out at school. He is now the author of more than 100 books and has sold more than 400 million copies. He discusses his work, including "The Scream of the Haunted Mask" (August 2008).
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Scott Turow, author of "Innocent" 39:38
Author Scott Turow presents at the 2010 National Book Festival.
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World War II: 365 Days 59:00
Described in a recent review as "one of the best single-volume histories of the war yet published," "World War II: 365 Days" is a unique compilation of riveting text and more than 600 color and black-and-white images (many of them rarely seen) from the Library of Congress's collections.
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