National Book Festival names Erivo, Scorsese

The Library of Congress said on July 7 that Cynthia Erivo, Martin Scorsese and Ann Patchett are among the featured names for the 2026 National Book Festival in Washington, adding more than 80 authors to this year’s program. The festival is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, according to the Library’s event page. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. A selection of programs will be livestreamed, and videos of all programs will be posted after the festival, the Library said. ### Why are Erivo, Scorsese and Patchett in the lineup? Cynthia Erivo, Martin Scorsese and Ann Patchett were listed by the Library of Congress among the headliners for this year’s festival in material published July 7. The Library’s blog said attendees will be able to hear Erivo speak, watch Scorsese present some of his favorite film clips and see Patchett discuss her new bestselling book. (newsroom.loc.gov) Northern Virginia Magazine, which highlighted the announcement on July 8, said the festival’s lineup also includes names such as Kate McKinnon, Annette Gordon-Reed, Douglas Brinkley, Tia Williams and Arthur Sze. The Library’s newsroom release likewise described the event as part of its America 250 programming. (blogs.loc.gov) ### What exactly did organizers announce this week? The Library of Congress said the 2026 festival will return to Washington for a one-day program running from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., with doors opening at 8:30 a.m. The event page says the festival will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the nation’s capital. A July 7 Library newsroom release said the program will include expanded offerings tied to “America 250: It’s Your Story.” The Library said those additions include programming on music, film, history and folklife alongside the author conversations that anchor the annual event. (northernvirginiamag.com) (loc.gov) ### How big is the 2026 program? The Library of Congress said more than 80 authors, poets and illustrators are scheduled to appear. Its event materials describe conversations across multiple genres and a broader storytelling program than in prior years, including themed districts and special sessions. (newsroom.loc.gov) The Library’s blog and event page identify the festival as one of its annual public programs, and outside coverage from Axios and Northern Virginia Magazine described this year’s lineup as unusually star-heavy. That characterization came from those outlets, not from the Library itself. ### What else is happening around Patchett’s appearance? Ann Patchett is also set to receive the 2026 Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction during the festival, according to the Library’s homepage and local coverage that cited the institution. (newsroom.loc.gov) That places one of the festival’s most prominent literary honors on the same day as her scheduled appearance. The Library has not, in the materials reviewed, released a full session-by-session schedule for every participant in the search snippets alone. (axios.com) But its published descriptions make clear that Patchett, Erivo and Scorsese are central draws in the Aug. 22 program. ### If someone wants to go, what do they need to know now? (loc.gov) The 2026 National Book Festival is set for Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The Library says admission is free, tickets are required, and selected programs will be livestreamed online, with videos available shortly after the event. (loc.gov) (blogs.loc.gov)