PBS is bringing the Library of Congress National Book Festival to the small screen.
The public television network will broadcast a two-hour special featuring highlights from the virtual literary festival, the Library of Congress announced in a news release. The special will be hosted by Today show co-anchor Hoda Kotb.
“The 2020 National Book Festival will reach an even bigger audience of book lovers during these challenging times, thanks to our collaboration with PBS and public broadcast stations across the country to present this television special,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. “We are thrilled to showcase how our national library embraces all subjects in its unparalleled collections as we celebrate American ingenuity this year.”
1The Library of Congress announced the lineup for the festival last month. Headlining the event will be Colson Whitehead, the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, who will accept the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction at the festival.
Other guests scheduled to appear include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, philanthropist Melinda Gates, and authors Sandra Cisneros, John Grisham, N.K. Jemisin, Ann Patchett, Jason Reynolds, and Salman Rushdie.
The National Book Festival will take place Sept. 25-27, and PBS’ The Library of Congress National Book Festival: Celebrating American Ingenuity will be broadcast on the network on Sept. 27 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.