Moderators | Authors | 2024 National Book Festival | Events at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress (2024)

Michael Andor Brodeur Michael Andor Brodeur has been the classical music critic at The Washington Post since 2020. He is also the author of "SWOLE: The Making of Men and the Meaning of Muscle," recently published by Beacon Press. Previously, he held editorial and staff-writer positions at The Boston Globe and Boston’s Weekly Dig. His essays, humor and criticism have also appeared in Nylon, Thrillist, Entrepreneur, Medium,…

Kit Ballenger Kit Ballenger is a youth services librarian and literary consultant with Help Your Shelf. She holds a law degree and a master’s in library and information science. As a former Legal Aid child advocacy attorney, she prioritizes helping young readers see themselves and appreciate the experiences of others through story. Ballenger curates the children’s library collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new 81st…

Regina G. Barber Regina G. Barber is a co-host and reporter for the National Public Radio (NPR) science podcast, “Short Wave.” She also contributes reporting to the NPR science desk. Barber completed her doctorate in physics at Washington State University with a focus in astrophysics, studying globular cluster systems with Hubble Space Telescope images. Before working at NPR, she taught physics, astronomy and science communication at Western…

Jacob Berkowitz Jacob Berkowitz is a playwright and author of three books, including “The Stardust Revolution: The New Story of Our Origin in the Stars.” Usually based near Ottawa, Canada, he is currently in Washington, D.C., as the Baruch S. Blumberg NASA/Library of Congress Chair in Astrobiology, researching and writing a book about American astronomer Paul W. Merrill.

Untia Bigelow Untia Bigelow is an author of poetry and children's literature. She is the winner of the 2024 Eloise Greenfield Children’s Poetry Advocate of the Year Prize. Bigelow’s poem “Little Black King Gunned Down" has been published in Exemplary Poetry, and she recently published her first children's book, “Aniya's Journey.”

Christine Bollow Christine Bollow is the co-owner and director of programs for Loyalty Bookstores — a Black, Asian and Queer owned bookstore in Washington, D.C., and Silver Spring, Maryland. She is a fiction juror for the 2024 Kirkus Prize, 2022 Publishers Weekly Star Watch Honoree, graduate of Barnard College, and currently serves on the American Bookseller Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Bollow is passionate about…

Douglas Brinkley Douglas Brinkley is the Katherine Tsanoff Brown Chair in Humanities and professor of history at Rice University, presidential historian for the New-York Historical Society, trustee of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library, and a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and a frequent commentator on CBS News, MSNBC and CNN. Six of his nonfiction books have been chosen as New York Times’ “Notable Book of…

A'Lelia Bundles A’Lelia Bundles is the author of “On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker,” a New York Times Notable Book about her entrepreneurial great-great-grandmother. Her upcoming book, “Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance,” will be published in 2025 by Scribner. A former ABC News and NBC News producer, Bundles is a board member of the National Archives Foundation,…

Chasten Buttigieg Chasten Buttigieg grew up in northern Michigan. He is a teacher, advocate and husband of former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg. He currently lives with Pete; their two children and their rescue dog in Traverse City, Michigan. Buttigieg’s memoir, "I Have Something to Tell You," was a New York Times bestseller in both the adult and young adult editions. His forthcoming children's book, "Papa's Coming…

Rob Casper Rob Casper is the head of poetry and literature in the Literary Initiatives Office at the Library of Congress.

Dianne Choie Dianne Choie is an educational programs specialist at the Library of Congress, where she helps plan and facilitate programming for families and students visiting the Library. She has a master’s in museum education from Bank Street College of Education, and previously worked at the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Chinese in America, and in editorial at Doubleday…

Shanetia P. Clark Shanetia P. Clark, who holds a doctorate, is a professor of literacy in the department of early and elementary education at Salisbury University. Prior to joining the faculty at Salisbury University, Clark taught seventh grade English in Richmond, Virginia. Her research interests include young adult and children’s literature, the exploration of aesthetic experiences within reading and writing classrooms, and writing pedagogy. She teaches courses…

Anya Creightney Anya Creightney is a program specialist and the head of the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program at the Library of Congress. She oversees the ambassador’s platform, including all interrelated subprojects and platform pillars, and collaborates with the program partner, Every Child a Reader, and like-minded external partners. As part of her office’s larger mandate, she works closely on U.S. Poet Laureate projects,…

Eric Deggans Eric Deggans is a TV critic, media analyst and guest host at National Public Radio (NPR). He is an adjunct instructor at Duke University and Indiana University, as well as a guest instructor and National Advisory Board member at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies. In April 2024, he was inducted into the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame. He is also the author of…

Ashley Dickerson Ashley Dickerson is a professional librarian at the Library of Congress, cataloging and acquiring materials from Finland and the Baltic states. She holds a bachelor’s in anthropology from the University of Maryland, with concentrations in biological anthropology and archaeology. Her current interests include Finnish and Estonian culture, anime, and wrestling.

Sasha Dowdy Sasha Dowdy was born in Russia and raised in Japan. During her Master of Library Science program at the University of Maryland iSchool, she did a field study at the Library of Congress—and has been there ever since. At the Library, she serves as head of literary programming for children and teens, runs the Bookmarked blog and wears a variety of other hats. Her…

Roswell Encina Roswell Encina is the chief communications officer at the Library of Congress.

Austin Ferraro Austin Ferraro is a teen services librarian at Brambleton Library in Loudoun County, Virginia, where he enjoys turning ridiculous ideas into informal learning opportunities for students in grades 6-12. Ferraro received his master’s in library and information sciences from the University of Maryland in 2019 after completing an internship with the Library of Congress Young Readers Center. When he isn't reading or participating in…

Robin Givhan Robin Givhan is senior critic-at-large for The Washington Post and a winner of the Pulitzer Prize in criticism for her fashion coverage. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Princeton University and a Master of Science in journalism from the University of Michigan. She has contributed to several books including “Runway Madness,” “No Sweat: Fashion, Free Trade and the Rights of Garment…

Neil Greenberg Neil Greenberg is a staff writer with The Washington Post whose beat is sports analytics. Greenberg’s analysis and insight can be found in the sports section, where he covers all pro sports, as well as college football and basketball. He prefers to be called a geek rather than a nerd.

Megan Halsband Megan Halsband, a lifelong arts nerd, is the head of physical collections in the Serial and Government Publications Division of the Library of Congress, where she has worked with the Library’s comic book collection for over 13 years. She has worked to ensure the Library collects underrepresented formats, subjects and creators via the Small Press Expo Collection as well as comics-related web archiving collections…

Jennifer "JJ" Harbster Jennifer “JJ” Harbster is head of the Library of Congress’ science section. She supports curiosity and encourages everyone to observe, learn and ask questions about the world around us. As head of the science section, she leads an amazing group of librarians who develop print and digital collections, provide reference services and create research products and programs. Harbster is also the Library’s culinary specialist…

Alli Hartley-Kong Alli Hartley-Kong is an education specialist in the Informal Learning Office at the Library of Congress, where her primary role is to develop content for The Source, a learning center that will open at the Library in 2025. She is also an editor and writer for Minerva’s Kaleidoscope, the Library’s blog for children and families. Hartley-Kong double-majored in history and English at the University…

Carla Hayden Carla Hayden was sworn in as the 14th Librarian of Congress on Sept. 14, 2016. Hayden, the first woman and the first African American to lead the national library, was nominated to the position by former President Barack Obama. Prior to this, she served, since 1993, as CEO of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore. Hayden was a member of the National Museum…

Martha S. Jones Martha S. Jones is a prize-winning memoirist, historian and legal scholar. She is the Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor and professor of history at Johns Hopkins University. Her work examines the legal and cultural history of Black Americans: citizenship, voting rights and the rights of women. Her debut memoir, “The Trouble of Color: An American Family Memoir,” will be published by Basic Books…

Justine Kenin Justine Kenin is an editor on “All Things Considered.” She joined National Public Radio (NPR) in 1999 as an intern. Nothing makes her happier than getting a book in the right reader's hands — most especially her own.

Emily Kwong Emily Kwong is the founding reporter and co-host of “Short Wave,” National Public Radio’s flagship science podcast. Her story about guilty pleasures and fantasy writing is how she got this gig to interview Rebecca Yarros, and she's pretty thrilled about it! Kwong is also the host of “Inheriting,” a new American and Pacific Islander family history podcast from LAist Studios. She got her start…

Megan Labrise Megan Labrise is the editor-at-large of Kirkus Reviews. She is the executive producer and host of “Fully Booked,” a weekly podcast featuring author interviews and reading recommendations, and a past president of the National Book Critics Circle. She lives in New York.

Cyndee Landrum Cyndee Landrum was appointed as acting director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) on March 21, 2024. She has been serving as the deputy director of the Office of Library Services since June 2019. In her current role, she collaborates with IMLS' senior leadership to support agency priorities, policy partnerships, and to provide leadership and direction for agency grant programs. Over…

Shelly C. Lowe Shelly C. Lowe is chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Lowe is a citizen of the Navajo Nation and grew up on the Navajo Reservation in Ganado, Arizona. From 2015 to 2022 she served as a member of the National Council on the Humanities, an appointment she received from former President Obama. Lowe’s career in higher education has included roles as executive…

Michel Martin Michel Martin is a host of National Public Radio’s “Morning Edition,” an American news talk radio program.

Rachel Martin Rachel Martin is the host of “Wild Card,” a new conversation game podcast from National Public Radio (NPR). Before that, she was the host of NPR’s “Morning Edition” for six years and “Weekend Edition Sunday” for five years before that. Martin was also a foreign correspondent in Berlin, Baghdad and Afghanistan. She previously served as a White House correspondent for ABC News. Martin is…

Yukari Matsuyama Yukari Matsuyama is a lifelong bookworm whose love of children's books was rekindled when her children were born. Since then, she has worked in an elementary school library, organized school book fairs, read aloud to young children and volunteered at book festivals. She is also the former senior cataloging manager for the First Book Marketplace, a national nonprofit social enterprise that provides books and…

Kahîn Mohammad Kahîn Mohammad, a senior global diversity, equity and inclusion program manager for CoStar Group, is a Kurdish-American content creator, lover of books and former Library of Congress employee. His 15-year career in the literary world has led to partnerships with the White House, Department of Education, Scholastic, Knopf, MLB, Netflix, U.S. Supreme Court, We Need Diverse Books and the Frist Center for the Arts.…

Ofelia Montelongo Ofelia Montelongo is a bilingual writer from Mexico. She has a Master of Business Administration in strategic leadership and a Master of Arts in Latin American literature. Her work has been published in The Rumpus, Latino Book Review, Los Acentos Review and elsewhere. Montelongo is the editor of the “Latine Monsters” issue at Barrelhouse. She currently teaches at the University of Maryland, and is…

Mimi Montgomery Mimi Montgomery is a reporter at Axios D.C. She's written for The Washington Post, Washingtonian, Garden & Gun, Outside Magazine and Washington City Paper. Her reporting has been featured on Jimmy Kimmel, Inside Edition, The Cut, Vanity Fair and the Sunday Long Read, among others. She also writes a Substack newsletter called Fully Booked, where she interviews authors and readers.

B.A. Parker B.A. Parker is the co-host of the “Code Switch” podcast at National Public Radio (NPR), reporting stories such as racial trauma in horror films, honoring her ancestors and the myth behind self-care. Prior to joining “Code Switch,” she was co-host and lead producer at “The Cut” podcast with New York Magazine. Previously, Parker was a film professor at Morgan State University and Stevenson University,…

María Peña María Peña is a public relations specialist in the Office of Communications at the Library of Congress, where she helps promote the Library’s collections, programs and services. A longtime bilingual journalist, she holds a bachelor’s in broadcast journalism from American University and a master’s in communication from Johns Hopkins University. She is fluent in Spanish, English and French. Peña believes in the power of…

Ashleigh Rose Ashleigh Rose is a middle school librarian who has canceled many plans with people so she could hang out with books instead. Rose has been an educator in Washington, D.C., for the last 14 years. She is passionate about ensuring that all students have access to spaces and books where they feel seen, heard and affirmed.

Colleen Shogan Colleen Shogan is the 11th Archivist of the United States, and the first woman appointed to lead the National Archives. A proud Pittsburgh native, she is a recognized political scientist with expertise in the American presidency, political rhetoric, women in politics, and Congress. Prior to her appointment, she was the senior vice president and director of the David M. Rubenstein Center at the White…

Clay Smith Clay Smith is the literary director at the Library of Congress.

Marianna Sotomayor Marianna Sotomayor has spent the past three years covering the U.S. House of Representatives for The Washington Post. Previously, she covered Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign and Congress for NBC News. She is originally from Tampa, Florida, and is a proud first-generation Peruvian-American.

Anna Spiegel Anna Spiegel is a food, lifestyle and city reporter with Axios D.C. Formerly, she spent over a decade as the food editor at Washingtonian magazine. A Washington, D.C., native, Spiegel earned a culinary arts degree from the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan, New York, and a Master of Fine Arts at Columbia University — all while working for late New York Magazine food critic,…

Monica Valentine Monica Valentine is a native Washingtonian with over 30 years of experience working at the Library of Congress. She serves as a program specialist in the Library of Congress Informal Learning Office, working primarily in the Young Readers Center and Programs Lab. Valentine is passionate about connecting children, educators and caregivers with great books and author programs. She is the immediate past president of…

S. Kirk Walsh S. Kirk Walsh is the author of the bestselling novel “The Elephant of Belfast.” She writes for The New York Times Book Review, Texas Highways and elsewhere. For the past 10 years, she has taught a nine-month fiction workshop for advanced writers in Austin, Texas, and is on the core faculty of Alma College's Master of Fine Arts program. Walsh is also the founder…

Frederick F. Wherry Frederick F. Wherry is the Townsend Martin, Class of 1917 Professor at Princeton University, where he is also the vice dean for diversity and inclusion in the Office of the Dean of Faculty and the director of the Presidential Postdoctoral Research Fellows program. He is the author or editor of nine books, and is currently writing the book “What Debtors Deserve,” that chronicles the…

John Williams John Williams has been the books editor at The Washington Post since 2022, before which he spent 11 years on the books desk at The New York Times.