Each year the National Book Festival is held on the mall in Washington, D.C. This year’s festival was held on September 22. This cultural event is a means for book lovers young and old to discover new genres and books they would like to read in the future. Authors from nearly every genre attended the event to read excerpts from their books and gain exposure for themselves and further interest in their genre. This year President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama were the honorary chairs of the event.

This year’s National Book festival included over 100 authors, poets and illustrators in many different areas of the Mall. Festival attendees had the opportunity to meet and listen to their favorite poets and authors firsthand. In addition they could get their books autographed, watch special entertainment, take photos with storybook characters and participate in a variety of literature based activities.

The festival began at 10 a.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. on Sunday with speeches by authors from various genres. The presentations concluded between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. each night.

The National Book Festival is a perfect opportunity to become immersed in reading and become exposed to new works and writing styles. Next year’s festival is sure to be filled with even more authors helping to expand a nationwide appreciation for literature.