Thousands of people, including AU students, flooded the National Mall Saturday to share one common passion: reading.
Favorite books in hand, festival-goers peered into the world behind the words by hearing writers such as novelist Joyce Carol Oates, poet Francisco Hernandez and filmmaker Ken Burns explain their lives and their works.
Various literary genres were showcased at Saturday's festival. In one tent, fantasy author Terry Pratchett joked about his recent book-signing tour "where they didn't let you sleep," he said. Gail Carson Levine, the children's author who wrote "Ella Enchanted," demonstrated singing in the fictional language Mermish, which is featured in her book.
Around 70 award-winning authors, illustrators and poets were present at the event, representing several genres of literature including fiction and fantasy, mysteries and thrillers, teens and children, home and family, history and biography and poetry.
Rebecca Prowler, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences, said she felt energized by the authors' excitement for their craft.
"I was inspired to read because I saw so many authors that were passionate about their books," she said.
The event centered around the authors who were invited from all around the country and the world to share their works in order to promote literacy and address mobs of book-crazed fans.
In addition to waiting in line for book signings, attendees could also participate in interactive activities. In one tent, participants were invited to answer the question "If you wrote a book, what kind of book would it be?" by scrawling their responses across a wall. Participants of all ages scratched out their desires to pen everything from memoirs to erotic fiction.
Festival visitors represented people of all age groups. Both elementary and college-aged students enjoyed the full-sized replica of Scholastic's The Magic School Bus.
Local children's author Jennifer L. Holm said many genres have appeal in all age groups.
"It's cool [for adults] to read kids' books," she said, citing the success of the Harry Potter series.
The authors love to see the people who read their books, she said. Although writing is a solitary activity, books have the power to bring masses of people together, and events like this allow writers to see their audience firsthand, Holm said.
Many authors addressed why they chose their particular genres and explained the ideas and writing processes behind their works.
"Adult books give you money; children's books give you prestige," Pratchett said, suggesting that different books have different appeal to authors and readers alike.
