Bookworms, rejoice! Over Labor Day weekend, make plans to attend the one-day, star-studded National Book Festival!

I love to read, and when I was a freshman at The George Washington University, I was assigned to go to the National Book Festival on the National Mall. Truthfully, before that, I didn’t even know there was an annual book festival in Washington, D.C. But after attending the event, I fell in love with it. 

And if you love to read -- or if you appreciate books and authors and the publishing industry in any way -- I highly recommend that you go to this FREE festival, on Saturday, September 1, from 9 a.m. to 7:30 pm.! 

Sponsored by the Library of Congress, the National Book Festival is a yearly event, now in its 18th year, featuring prominent authors from a variety of genres. There will be readings, book signings, discussion groups, and much more.

Courtesy of washington.org

This year’s list of attending authors is extensive:

“a diverse lineup of 115 authors – including U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, eminent historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, acclaimed novelist Amy Tan, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith and two-time Newbery Medal winner Kate DiCamillo.”

Other big author names in attendance include Dave Eggers, Celeste Ng, and Ron Chernow. View the full author lineup here. You can also take a look at the schedule, to get an idea of what to expect and when, here. 

The National Book Festival will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, which is located at 801 Mt Vernon Pl. NW, Washington, D.C., 20001.

Have you been to the National Book Festival before? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!

If you're excited about the Book Festival, check out this huge book sale at the George Mason Regional Library -- later in September!