The sky was overcast, the grounds were muddy, and anxiety about the sniper attacks in the region filled the air, but scores of book lovers were undaunted, coming out to celebrate the printed word at the second annual National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, October 12.
An estimated 40,000—45,000 people strolled among the large white pavilions set up on the west lawn of the Capitol and on the National Mall to hear talks or have books signed by the more than 70 authors who participated. For the second year, the Library of Congress (along with such corporate backers as AT&T, the Washington Post, PBS and Target) sponsored the event; First Lady Laura Bush served as official hostess.
Mrs. Bush, a former teacher and librarian and longtime literacy activist, has said that she modeled the national event on the Texas Book Festival she helped found in 1995 when she was first lady of that state. Mrs. Bush now hopes that the idea of a national literary festival will succeed the way many similar, smaller events around the country have flourished.
Mrs. Bush kicked off the festival with opening remarks delivered to an audience of authors and invited guests in the East Room on Saturday morning. During the ceremonies, Librarian of Congress James Billington praised Mrs. Bush's efforts and called her the festival's "founding mother and guiding hand." She was joined onstage by Billington, Washington Wizards basketball star Jerry Stackhouse, mystery writer Mary Higgins Clark, Native American poet Luci Tapahonso and Lyudmila Putin, the First Lady of the Russian Federation, whom Mrs. Bush introduced as "my friend and fellow book lover."
Regardless of their personal thoughts on the current administration's politics—which some of them expressed in passing—authors who took part in the festivities clearly embraced Mrs. Bush's call to celebrate reading and books. "I think it's fantastic," Barbara Taylor Bradford said of the festival. "It's something we need, to get people to start reading—especially children. I think people sometimes find bookstores intimidating. Things like this let people enjoy books and authors in an open environment."
David Baldacci concurred. "The crowds have really been getting the message we're putting out," he said. "And you see people carrying books everywhere—what could be better than that? We need to draw a line in the sand right now [where reading is concerned] or we could lose a whole generation of readers."
Linda Sue Park, winner of the 2002 Newbery Medal, said, "This has been super, a fabulous day. It's wonderful to be in a place where there are so many book lovers." And Sebastian Junger, who spoke at the festival about his coverage of war and political unrest in Afghanistan and Sierra Leone, noted, "It's spectacular that this many people love to read. I think it's great that there's a lot of media here as well. This is a very critical time in the U.S., and authors have a forum for saying their views—that's important."
Though a stellar lineup of authors including David McCullough, Jim Lehrer, Tim O'Brien, David Halberstam and Edna Buchanan was clearly the main draw for attendees, there was a lot to explore. A Pavilion of the States housed representative tables from each of the 50 states touting various literacy initiatives, historic sites and Centers for the Book. The Library of Congress Pavilion featured demonstrations and information about collections and programs. Let's Read America Pavilion I provided a venue for more than 60 education, literacy and publishing organizations to offer information to festival goers. NBA and WNBA players, for example, promoted their organizations' "Read to Achieve" program.
Children, a large focus of the day's events, could enjoy storytelling, puppet shows, and hands-on book-making/illustrating activities. Costumed characters (Clifford the Big Red Dog, Arthur), musical entertainment and an eclectic mix of food vendors helped to create a true "festival" atmosphere.
By all accounts, this year's event was a big improvement over last year's debut, which drew 30,000 people and was contained on the east front of the Capitol. As federal restrictions prohibit the sale of any materials on Capitol grounds, people wishing to buy books for last year's author signings had to do so inside the Library of Congress, and no food vendors were allowed. Such crowding and logistical problems were alleviated this time by moving some pavilions across 3rd Street.
Pat Schroeder, president of the Association of American Publishers, remarked, "This is huge for the publishing industry to have this kind of focus—it does get people thinking about reading, selling and buying books." Schroeder's ideal vision for future festivals would include moving the proceedings further onto the Mall. "I certainly understand why the Library of Congress wants to keep the event close to the Library, but it makes things very difficult," Schroeder said. "User-friendly was not a word that came to mind [when people had to walk a few blocks to the autographing areas and vendors]."
Schroeder continued, "My goal is to have the First Lady keep doing it so that this festival becomes so big and so popular that no future first lady will dare not to do it. It's a huge national asset to have something like this. We hope that eventually it will be something that's celebrated in all 50 states [with events that tie in to the national festival]."
In his closing remarks, David McCullough spoke with passion about books, writing and reading. "Books can change lives. Books can start fires," he said. His final words—"Today we face a foe that believes in enforced ignorance. We don't"—garnered thunderous applause. The National Book Festival appears well on its way to becoming a fixture on the literary landscape.
