Literary Hill BookFest
Celebrating Books and Authors on Capitol Hill

SEE US AT EASTERN MARKET ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2023

This year, the BookFest is moving to the fall. Come join us from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 17th, as we celebrate the vibrant literary culture of Capitol Hill at our “home” in D.C.’s historic Eastern Market! Meet some of your favorite authors of fiction, history, memoir, poetry, children’s literature, politics, mystery and more.

BookFest Countdown

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Activities for Children

Visit the Children’s Corner for read alouds with some of our children’s authors and activities inspired by their books. Write letters as Lily does in Grandpa’s Scroll by Frances and Ginger Park, explore the wild world of insects with Buzzkill author Brenna Maloney, and color portraits of beloved dogs, Fozzie and Milton, of Fozzie’s Great Adoption Day Adventure and Milton and Vivi. Activities and events will take place in the Children’s Corner as visitors pass through, so visit us on your own schedule!

Children's Corner activity

Author Talks

Our panel discussions and presentations will help you get to know our award-winning authors. Details and timing subject to change.

11:10 – Diversity in Children's Literature: Progress, Not Perfection

Moderated by Liz Kleinrock (Start Here, Start Now: A Guide to Antibias and Antiracist Work in Your School Community). Panelists include Carole Boston Weatherford (You Can Fly, Kin), Ciera Burch (Finch House), Frances Park (Grandpa’s Scroll), and Ginger Park (The Hundred Choices Department Store)

11:55 – Claiming Identity

Four authors discuss the process of creating or recreating identity in an increasingly fractured society. Louis Bayard (Jackie and Me) will moderate a conversation with Cheryl A. Head (Time’s Undoing), James Kirchick (Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington), Jon Ward  (Testimony: Inside the Evangelical Movement that Failed a Generation), and Preeti Roy (Adventures in Datingland)

12:45 – Secrets, Spies and Lies: Intrigue and Deception in Fiction, Memoir and More

Moderated by Christopher Chambers (Dickie Cornish mysteries). Panelists include I.S. Berry (The Peacock and the Sparrow), Elizabeth Winthrop Alsop (Daughter of Spies: Wartime Secrets, Family Lies), Tom Dunkel (White Knights in the Black Orchestra: The Extraordinary Story of the Germans Who Resisted Hitler), and Tom Guglielmo (Divisions: A New History of Racism and Resistance in America’s World War II Military)

1:35 – A Story for Every Reader: Fiction Authors on Their Process and Inspirations

Featuring novelists Jeffrey Dale Lofton (Red Clay Suzie), Jenna Voris (Made of Stars), and Louis Bayard (Jackie and Me). Moderated by Destinee Hodge from East City Bookshop.

2:20 – Tour de Force: Uncovering Our Hidden Histories

Tim Krepp (Capitol Hill Haunts) moderates. Panelists include JoAnn Hill (Secret Washington DC: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful and Obscure), Kaitlin Calogera  (111 Places in Women’s History in Washington, DC, That You Must Not Miss), Alexandra Petri (Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up)), and Canden Arciniega (Wild Women of Washington, D.C.: A History of Disorderly Conduct from the Ladies of the District)

2023 Participating Authors

Click on the photos to see their bios.

Louis Bayard

Louis Bayard

Fiction

JoAnn Hill

JoAnn Hill

Nonfiction

E. Ethelbert Miller

E. Ethelbert Miller

Poetry

Varu Chilakamarri

Varu Chilakamarri

Cookbook

Jon Ward

Jon Ward

Nonfiction

Tom Dunkel

Tom Dunkel

Nonfiction

Ginger Park

Ginger Park

Children's

Frances Park

Frances Park

Fiction/Memoir/Children's

Liz Kleinrock

Liz Kleinrock

Nonfiction

I.S. Berry

I.S. Berry

Fiction

James Kirchick

James Kirchick

Nonfiction

Melanie Choukas-Bradley

Melanie Choukas-Bradley

Nonfiction

Alexandra Petri

Alexandra Petri

Humor

Natasha Sajé

Natasha Sajé

Poetry

Christopher Chambers

Christopher Chambers

Fiction

Jenna Voris

Jenna Voris

Young Adult fiction

Watch our special Instagram Live Interviews with BookFest Authors JoAnn Hill (Secret Washington DC), Louis Bayard (Jackie and Me), and Varu Chilakamarri (Indian Cuisine for the Busy Vegetarian)

Jeffrey Dale Lofton

Jeffrey Dale Lofton

Fiction

Canden Arciniega

Canden Arciniega

Nonfiction

Cheryl Head

Cheryl Head

Mystery

Christine Vineyard

Christine Vineyard

Humor

Brenna Maloney

Brenna Maloney

Nonfiction/Children's

Robert S. Pohl

Robert S. Pohl

Nonfiction

Christopher J. Datta

Christopher J. Datta

Fiction/Memoir

Kaitlin Calogera

Kaitlin Calogera

Travel

R. Kevin Mallinson

R. Kevin Mallinson

Nonfiction

Ciera Burch

Ciera Burch

Children's

Carole Boston Weatherford

Carole Boston Weatherford

Children's

Jeffery Boston Weatherford

Jeffery Boston Weatherford

Illustrator

Elizabeth Winthrop Alsop

Elizabeth Winthrop Alsop

Memoir/fiction

E. J. Wenstrom

E. J. Wenstrom

Fantasy

Tom Guglielmo

Tom Guglielmo

History

Lewis M. Simons

Lewis M. Simons

Memoir

Pat Carlucci

Pat Carlucci

Nonfiction

Linda Bowles

Linda Bowles

Children's

Debra Naylor

Debra Naylor

Nonfiction

Sunu P. Chandy

Sunu P. Chandy

Poetry

Brad Kading

Brad Kading

Children's

Fran Abrams

Fran Abrams

Poetry

Adrienne Tropp

Adrienne Tropp

Children's/Fiction

Jona Colson

Jona Colson

Poetry

Michael Gushue

Michael Gushue

Poetry

Preeti Roy

Preeti Roy

Graphic Novel

Destinee Hodge

Destinee Hodge

Moderator

2023 Vendors

Publishers, booksellers, and organizations that support the Capitol Hill literary community

East City Bookshop

East City Bookshop

Capitol Hill Books

Capitol Hill Books

The Writer's Center

The Writer's Center

Platypus Media/Science Naturally

Platypus Media/Science Naturally

Washington Writers Publishing House

Washington Writers Publishing House

Stirred Stories

Stirred Stories

Day Eight

Day Eight

Literary Hill BookFest thanks Capitol Hill Community Foundation, Capital Community News, Tom Faison, Jake Anderson, and the Jason Martin Group for their ongoing support.