The 2007 National Book Festival, organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by First Lady Laura Bush, will be held this Saturday, September 29, 2007, in Washington, D.C. Pavilions will be set up on the National Mall between 7th and 14th streets from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival is free and open to the public. Over 70 authors from various fields including children’s literature, home and family, mysteries and thrillers, fantasy, poetry, and history and biography will be present (see the complete list of authors here). The Veterans History Project will also be on hand making history presentations and instructing visitors on how they can interview veterans for its collection of oral histories, memoirs, letters, and photographs. “This will be the seventh year of this extraordinary celebration of the joy of reading and the creativity of America’s writers and illustrators,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. “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.”

See the web site for a map of the pavilions on the Mall and the schedule of author presentations and signings. I know where I’ll be this Saturday.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.