2016 National Book Festival

Korey Freeman from the Library of Congress speaks with Gene Luen Yang, who appeared at the 2016 National Book Festival on September 24 in Washington, D.C.National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Gene Luen Yang is a writer of both graphic novels and comics. His first graphic novel “American Born Chinese” is about a teenager struggling with his identity – a theme that is common in much of Yang’s work, which emphasizes the importance of celebrating our diverse culture. It was the first graphic novel to be nominated for a National Book Award and the first to win the American Library Association’s Printz Award; it was also a winner of the 2007 Eisner Award. His next solo work, “Boxers & Saints,” is a two-volume project set during the Boxer Rebellion and a National Book Award finalist. His most recent work is the second in his Secret Coders series, “Secret Coders: Paths and Portals.”

George Thuronyi from the Library of Congress speaks with Eric Weiner, who appeared at the 2016 National Book Festival on September 24 in Washington, D.C.Eric Weiner is author of New York Times best-seller “The Geography of Bliss,” which has been translated into 18 languages. A former correspondent for NPR in New Delhi, Jerusalem and Tokyo, he has reported for The New York Times and filed stories from more than three dozen countries. His work has also appeared in New Republic, Slate, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, Foreign Policy and the anthology “Best American Travel Writing.” His new book is “The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World’s Most Creative Places, from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley.”

Karen Jaffe from the Library of Congress speaks with Katherine Paterson, who appeared at the 2016 National Book Festival on September 24 in Washington, D.C.Katherine Paterson is a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Her international fame rests not only on her widely acclaimed novels but also on her efforts to promote literacy in the United States and abroad. A two-time winner of the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award, she has received many other accolades for her body of work, including the Astrid Lindgren Award for Lifetime Achievement. Her latest book is the memoir “Stories of My Life.” Paterson will also be discussing the film adaptations of “The Great Gilly Hopkins” and “Bridge to Terabithia.”

Colleen Shogan from the Library of Congress speaks with Newt Gingrich, who appeared at the 2016 National Book Festival on September 24 in Washington, D.C.Newt Gingrich is a former U.S. Speaker of the House and the best-selling author of more than 25 books. Currently, he is a contributor to Fox News, a senior advisor for Dentons law firm and a senior scientist at Gallup. Gingrich’s nonfiction books include “Breakout: Pioneers of the Future, Prison Guards of the Past and the Epic Battle That Will Decide America’s Fate,” “A Nation Like No Other: Why American Exceptionalism Matters,” “Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny” and “Lessons Learned the Hard Way.” His fiction books include “Gettysburg,” “Grant Comes East” and “Pearl Harbor.” Gingrich’s most recent novel is “Duplicity.”

Jeff Flannery from the Library of Congress speaks with Candice Millard, who appeared at the 2016 National Book Festival on September 24 in Washington, D.C.Candice Millard is a former writer and editor for National Geographic magazine. Her first book, “The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt’s Darkest Journey,” was a New York Times best-seller and was named one of the best books of the year by, among others, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Christian Science Monitor. “The River of Doubt” was also a finalist for the Quill Awards and won the William Rockhill Nelson Award. Her second book, “The Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine & the Murder of a President,” focuses on the assassination of James A. Garfield, a Civil War hero and 20th U.S. president. Millard’s most recent work is “Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill.”

Sheryl Cannady from the Library of Congress speaks with Diane Rehm, who appeared at the 2016 National Book Festival on September 24 in Washington, D.C.Diane Rehm is the host of The Diane Rehm show, a public radio talk show distributed nationally and internationally by NPR. She is also the author of articles and books, including “Finding My Voice,” “Toward Commitment: A Dialogue about Marriage” and “Life with Maxie.” Rehm has been named “Washingtonian of the Year” and has received a Personal Peabody Award, a National Humanities Medal and an Urbino Press Award. In her deeply personal new book, “On My Own,” Rehm recounts the drawn-out death of her husband of 54 years due to Parkinson’s and the struggle to reconstruct her life without him.

Karen Jaffee from the Library of Congress speaks with Meg Medina, who appeared at the 2016 National Book Festival on September 24 in Washington, D.C.Award-winning Cuban-American author Meg Medina was recognized as one of the CNN 10 Visionary Women in America. Medina has received a Pura Belpré honor and award, a Cybils fiction award and an Ezra Jack Keats new writers medal, among other honors. Her award-winning books include “Tía Isa Wants a Car,” “Mango, Abuela and Me” and “Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass.” Her latest book, “Burn Baby Burn,” explores the coming-of-age of New York teen Nora Lopez during the tense summer of 1977, as she considers dating while the serial killer Son of Sam is on the loose.

Catalina Gomez from the Library of Congress speaks with Carlos Ruiz Zafón, who appeared at the 2016 National Book Festival on September 24 in Washington, D.C.Carlos Ruiz Zafón is an internationally acclaimed author whose works have been translated into more than 50 languages. His literary career began in 1993 with “The Prince of Mist.” His other books include the wildly popular “The Shadow of the Wind,” “Midnight Palace,” “The Lights of September,” “The Angel’s Game” and “The Prisoner of Heaven.” Zafón has received numerous international accolades and honors, including the Edebé Award, Spain’s most prestigious prize for young adult fiction. His best-selling book, “Marina,” follows Oscar from his boarding school as he meets Marina and is transported into a forgotten postwar Barcelona. Zafón divides his time between Spain and California.

Catalina Gomez from the Library of Congress speaks with Carlos Ruiz Zafón, who appeared at the 2016 National Book Festival on September 24 in Washington, D.C.Carlos Ruiz Zafón is an internationally acclaimed author whose works have been translated into more than 50 languages. His literary career began in 1993 with “The Prince of Mist.” His other books include the wildly popular “The Shadow of the Wind,” “Midnight Palace,” “The Lights of September,” “The Angel’s Game” and “The Prisoner of Heaven.” Zafón has received numerous international accolades and honors, including the Edebé Award, Spain’s most prestigious prize for young adult fiction. His best-selling book, “Marina,” follows Oscar from his boarding school as he meets Marina and is transported into a forgotten postwar Barcelona. Zafón divides his time between Spain and California.

Susan Manus from the Library of Congress speaks with Joyce Carol Oates, who appeared at the 2016 National Book Festival on September 24 in Washington, D.C.National Book Award winner (for “them,” 1970) Joyce Carol Oates has published more than 40 novels as well as plays, short stories, novellas, poetry and nonfiction. She writes for approximately eight hours every day – in longhand. Oates has also received the PEN/Malamud Award for excellence in short fiction and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship. She currently teaches at Princeton University, where she is a professor of creative writing. Her latest books are “The Man Without a Shadow: A Novel” and “The Lost Landscape: A Writer’s Coming of Age.”

Sheryl Cannady from the Library of Congress speaks with Kristin Hannah, who appeared at the 2016 National Book Festival on September 24 in Washington, D.C.Kristin Hannah is the award-winning, New York Times best-selling author of more than 20 novels, including “Winter Garden,” “True Colors” and “Firefly Lane.” Her most recent novel, “The Nightingale,” tells the heart-wrenching story of two French sisters and their experiences under German occupation during World War II. The best-selling novel is wildly popular, and won recognitions from Goodreads, Amazon and People’s Choice. Several of Hannah’s books have been optioned for movies, including her latest.

Sheryl Cannady from the Library of Congress speaks with Kwame Alexander, who appeared at the 2016 National Book Festival on September 24 in Washington, D.C.An acclaimed poet, novelist and children’s book author, Kwame Alexander is the author of over 20 books and the founder of two literacy organizations, Book-in-a-Day and LEAP for Ghana. His works include “He Said, She Said: A Novel,” “Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band,” “Indigo Blume and the Garden City,” “And Then You Know: New and Selected Poems,” “Crush: Love Poems” and the award-winning novel “The Crossover.” Alexander has owned several publishing companies, written for stage and television, worked for the U.S. government and taught in a high school.