I got a work email warning me on Thursday to keep away from the National Mall on the coming weekend due to the terrible war protests supposed to be going on - I guess I ignored it! (And I ran into 2 other people that work in the same room I do who ignored it, too!)

But the part of the email that got my real attention was the National Book Festival: guess I'm a Reader first (and despite the signage, the White House did not attend the event itself.)

Loved all the authors - a massively cool group! Really fascinating presentations; check out the webcasts! http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/authors.html

Okay, I got a bunch of pictures (a lot from the history tent because I know a speaker there : )











Joseph Ellis - author of a Pulitzer Prize -winning biography of Thomas Jefferson; signing his latest on GeorgeWashington










David McCullough

above is his CNN interview on the Mall

I love watching David McCullough when he's doing PBS appearences - was listening to a recorded one on Willa Cather - and there he was! His eyes are just so unmistakable: he's really excellent on being able to tell you what it was like to live in America at another time in its history.

Also really loved listening to the Fiction Tent! All kinds of authors I didn't expect to ever meet!

Tom Wolfe!

John Irving - who was alredy escaping by the time I got near enough for a picture!

And Neil Gaiman - who was Excellent! Check out his Anansi Boys reading on the webcast! With all the books there I had to read his first - and now I want all his others!