Literature Links: 2020 National Book Festival

National Book Festival 2020

Overview

The 2020 National Book Festival ran from September 25-27 and featured a combination of prerecorded and interactive live Q&A programs with more than 120 authors, poets and illustrators. For a complete line-up of authors and their video presentations, please see the full video on demand list.

Highlights from Children’s and Teen Stages at Virtual National Book Festival 2020 Minerva’s Kaleidoscope blog October 2, 2020

Democracy in the 21st Century

Democracies around the world are in transition and, sometimes, in turmoil. The Democracy in the 21st Century Timely Topic Thread gives readers the chance to explore where democracy stands today – through the lens of history as well as through recent adverse events. This thread will feature 21 authors in 13 programs, ranging from books for kids and books for readers of current politics and books for history fans who want to examine how we got where we are.

Fearless Women

During this year of celebrating the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the long-overdue right to vote, this Timely Topic Thread offers an in-depth look at the Fearless Women who have fought for suffrage, broken glass ceilings, overcome abuse and demonstrated to the world their right to equality.

Hearing Black Voices

This Timely Topic Thread presents a diverse range of genres and points of view – from racism’s harsh realities and science fiction’s fantastical scenarios to lyrical poetry and searing memoir. For young people, there are books ranging from anti-racism and the little-known story of the Father of the Underground Railroad to Black women who have crashed through barriers to membership in STEM.