Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Bookworms Head to Mall

Last weekend, visitors to the National Mall had the chance to peruse books and meet authors from across the country, as the National Book Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary.

This year’s gathering, entitled “Celebrating a Decade of Words and Wonder,” brought more than 70 of the country’s top writers and illustrators from a wide range of literary genres and styles together on the Mall.

According to estimates by the Library of Congress, which runs the event, more than 150,000 people convened on the Mall on Saturday. The high attendance rate was particularly noteworthy due to the stifling temperature in D.C. on Saturday, which stayed above 90 degrees for much of the day, according to The Washington Post.

Former first lady Laura Bush, who was a speaker on Saturday, collaborated with the Library of Congress to launch the very first festival back in 2001.

any of the authors, including Isabel Allende, Michele Norris, Spike Mendelsohn of “Top Chef”, and first lady Michelle Obama’s brother, Craig Robinson, spoke and held book signings throughout the daylong event.

The event catered to readers of all ages, with numerous set ups geared towardskids and young adults while other events featured venerated authors of poetry and prose.

All 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C., had tables displaying information about their individual literary heritage and upcoming local events.

But while most of the tents featured speakers and information, books actually for sale were limited.

“I found few books actually for sale, which is the main reason I came to the festival,” Cooper Dukes (MSB ’12) said, “The books were only located in one tent and the selection was very sparse.”

Among the books for sale was The Congressional Club’s Cookbook, a non partisan collection of recipes and techniques written by the spouses of congressmen and senators, which was on sale for $53 a piece. Unfortunately for festival-goers, there were no free samples.

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