Tuesday, July 7, 2009

National Book Festival Lineup

I've been to the National Book Festival twice. The first time I went late, with friends and didn't see anyone talk. Last year I prepared — I got down to the mall early, went alone, made a plan and saw a bunch of readings, including Kay Ryan, Jon Scieszka and Salman Rushdie. So this September 26, I will take a similar tack, because the lineup is excellent.Highlights:

- Kate DiCamillo (I love everything she's written, from The Tale of Desperaux to The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.)
- Junot Diaz (I read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao recently. So good.)
- Assorted historian idols: Simon Schama & Annette Gordon-Reed
- Julia Alvarez (who I met once, but this was before I read and loved In the Time of the Butterflies.)
- And Jon Scieszka and Kay Ryan are back again. She is delightful, and he is so funny he made me in tears at his reading.

Go here for a full listing of authors.

2 comments:

Missy said...

I'm excited to see John Irving again. Got a vibe he was kind of an ass last time around but I still think he's amazing.

Amy Cavanaugh said...

I missed him last time, but I heard something similar.