Sept. 2, 2021; Washington, D.C.– NPR and the Library of Congress are proud to announce a collaboration between the National Book Festival and several of NPR’s most popular podcasts. NPR journalists always interview authors at the Festival and will continue to do so, but this year for the first time there will be an interview series with National Book Festival authors publishing across NPR’s podcast feeds as part of the Festival.
“We are delighted to collaborate with the Library of Congress on the annual celebration of books and reading that is the National Book Festival,” said Beth Donovan, Senior Director in NPR Programming and Acting Chief Culture Editor. “The NPR audience is filled with readers. We see this in our audience research and from the popularity of our author interviews, the NPR Books Concierge and so many other NPR Books products. It’s wonderful to work with the Library to add one more way for NPR to connect readers with books and listeners with authors.”
“This year, we’re inviting everyone to create your own National Book Festival experience from a wide variety of programs and formats, and this eclectic series of podcasts is an excellent new way to experience the festival and listen to interesting authors,” said Jarrod MacNeil, director of the National Book Festival. “We are thrilled to collaborate with NPR on this new podcast series as an exciting new way for readers to access the Library of Congress National Book Festival from anywhere.”
Participating podcasts include*
- TED Radio Hour interview with New York Times best-selling author and National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature Jason Reynolds about his most recent book “Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks.” The podcast drops September 17.
- Short Wave interview with outdoors activist Ambreen Tariq about her book “Fatima’s Great Outdoors.” The podcast drops on September 17.
- Life Kit interview with journalist Eric Garcia about his book “We’re Not Broken.” The podcast drops on September 20.
- It’s Been A Minute interview with author Brandon Taylor about his book “Filthy Animals.” The podcast drops on September 21.
- Code Switch interview with Kacen Callender, author of multiple novels for children, teens and adults about the National Book Award-winning book “King and the Dragonflies.” The podcast drops on Sept. 22.
- Alt Latino interview with award-winning Chilean author Isabel Allende. The podcast drops on September 26.
*Dates subject to change watch the podcasts’ feeds for updates
The full program of National Book Festival authors and presentations is available at loc.gov/bookfest. The festival will be presented in a range of formats and in an expanded schedule over 10 days from Sept. 17 through 26. Festival content will be available online through videos on demand, author conversations in real time and live question-and-answer sessions, as well as the new podcast series with NPR, a national television special with PBS and some in-person, ticketed events at the Library.
About the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
About NPR:
NPR, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is widely known for its rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling that connects with millions of Americans every day — on the air, online, and in-person. NPR strives to create a more informed public — one challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. With a nationwide network of award-winning journalists and 17 international bureaus, NPR and its Member Stations are never far from where a story is unfolding. Listeners can find NPR by tuning in to their local Member stations (npr.org/stations), and now it’s easy to listen to our stories on smart speaker devices. Ask your smart speaker to, “Play NPR,” and you’ll be tuned into your local Member station’s live stream. Your speaker can also access NPR podcasts, NPR One, NPR News Now, and the Visual Newscast is available for screened speakers. Get more information at npr.org/about and by following NPR Extra on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Press Contacts:
NPR: Isabel Lara ilara@npr.org
LOC: Brett Zongker bzongker@loc.gov
