Karen Leggett Abouraya, author of ”Hands Around the Library: Protecting Egypt’s Treasured Books,” is an award-winning journalist and former news program host on WMAL Radio. Her book on the Alexandria Library was recently named one of 2013′s Notable Books for a Global Society by the  International Reading Association, a 2013 Best Book for Young Children by [...]

Sarah Arvio is the author of “night thoughts: 70 dream poems & notes from an analysis,” which combines poetry, memoir and essay, and two books of poetry, “Visits from the Seventh” and “Sono: cantos.” She has won a number of awards and honors, including the Rome Prize, and Guggenheim and Bogliasco fellowships. For many years [...]

Jami Attenberg’s fourth book, “The Middlesteins,” is a New York Times best-seller and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction. In 2013, it will be published in England, Taiwan, Russia, Italy, France, Turkey and the Netherlands. She has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, New York, Salon, and [...]

Mac Barnett is the author of several children’s picture books, including the New York Times best-selling “Extra Yarn,” which won the 2012 Boston Globe-Horn Book award, “Chloe and the Lion,” and “Guess Again!” His latest book is “Oh No! Not Again! (Or How I Built a Time Machine to Save History) (Or at Least My [...]

Peggielene Bartels, author of “King Peggy: An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village,” was born in Ghana in 1953 and moved to Washington, D.C., in her early twenties to work at Ghana’s embassy. She became an American in 1997. In 2008, she was chosen to [...]

Scott W. Berg’s latest book is “38 Nooses:  Lincoln, Little Crow, and the Beginning of the Frontier’s End.” He also is the author of “Grand Avenues: The Story of Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the French Visionary Who Designed Washington, D.C.,” and a regular contributor to The Washington Post. He was born and raised in the Twin Cities, [...]

Nina Blackwood, along with MTV’s other three original VJs who helped launch the music network in 1981, has written about her five years at MTV in the early 1980s in “VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave.”  Today she hosts daily radio shows on SiriusXM’s “80s On 8” channel, plus her own syndicated weekend [...]

Kathy Boehlert is a wife and the mother of three boys. When her youngest son, Patrick, was diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of nine, her family began a journey of heartache and fear. It was also a journey of incredible inspiration and support. Kathy and Patrick decided to share their account with everyone in [...]

Fred Bowen writes the weekly KidsPost sports column in The Washington Post and is the author of 17 books of sports fiction (ages 8+) and a picture book biography of Red Sox legend Ted Williams titled “No Easy Way.” Fred is not your usual sports-fiction writer; he always weaves a little real sports history into [...]

Brian Boyle’s first book, “Iron Heart,” chronicles his inspirational recovery from a near-fatal accident in 2004 to becoming a triathlete.  On the way home from swim practice, 18-year-old Brian’s future changed in an instant when a dump truck plowed into his vehicle. He lost 60 percent of his blood, his heart moved across his chest, [...]

Susannah Cahalan, author of “Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness,” began her investigative reporting career at the New York Post when she took an internship in her senior year of high school. She has now been there for 10 years.  Her work has also been featured in The New York Times and the Czech [...]

Ron Charles is the fiction editor and a weekly book critic for the Washington Post.   In 2008, he won the National Book Critics Circle award for his reviews. Ron will be appearing at the Festival in an onstage conversation with author Adam Mansbach.

Jennifer Close is the author of the national best-seller “Girls in White Dresses” and “The Smart One.” She was born and raised on the North Shore of Chicago. She is a graduate of Boston College and received her M.F.A. in fiction writing from The New School in 2005. She worked in New York in magazines [...]

Judy Colbert is an award-winning writer and photographer who has written about Maryland, Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Delaware for decades. Her latest book is “Peaceful Places Washington, D.C.: 114 Tranquil Sites in the Nation’s Capital and Beyond.” She has also written about Super Bowl trivia, temper tantrums, divorce, the hospitality industry, spas, and cruising. Her [...]

Tara Conklin’s debut novel, “The House Girl,” is a New York Times best-seller and #1 IndieNext Pick. She is a writer and lawyer living with her family in Seattle, Wash. Her short fiction has been published in the “Bristol Short Story Prize Anthology” and “Pangea: An Anthology of Stories from Around the Globe.” Tara holds [...]

Rachel S. Cox began her latest book, “Into Dust and Fire: Five Americans Who Went First to Fight the Nazi Army,” when curiosity about her lost uncle’s fate in World War II inspired her to discover the untold story of the five idealistic American volunteers who fought at El Alamein with the British. Rachel previously [...]

Jeanine Cummins is the national best-selling author of the groundbreaking memoir, “A Rip in Heaven: A Memoir of Murder and Its Aftermath,” and the award-winning novel, “The Outside Boy.” “The Crooked Branch” is her second novel. She worked in the publishing industry for 10 years before becoming a full-time writer. Jeanine was born in Spain, [...]

Debra Dean’s best-selling debut novel, “The Madonnas of Leningrad,” was a New York Times Editors’ Choice, a #1 Booksense Pick, a Booklist Top Ten Novel, and an American Library Association Notable Book of the Year. It has been published in 20 languages. Her collection of short stories, “Confessions of a Falling Woman,” won the Paterson [...]

John DeBellis, author of “Standup Guys: A Generation of Laughs,” is a Huffington Post contributor and standup comic who has written for David Letterman, Johnny Carson, Joan Rivers, Rodney Dangerfield, Joe Piscopo, Elayne Boosler, Jenny Jones, Billy Crystal, Bill Maher, Dennis Miller, and Gabe Kaplan.  John has done staff writing for “Saturday Night Live,” “The [...]

Matt Dembicki is a local comics creator who edited and contributed to the comic anthology “District Comics,” named one of The Washington Post‘s best books of 2012. He also edited and contributed to “Trickster: Native American Tales: A Graphic Collection,” a 2011 Eisner Award nominee and 2011 Aesop Prize winner. Matt was also the writer [...]

Julia DeVillers is the author of several young adult books, including “How My Private, Personal Journal Became a Bestseller,” which became the Disney Channel Original Movie, “Read It and Weep” in 2006. She is also the author of the “Liberty Porter, First Daughter” series and the coauthor of the “Trading Faces” series, written with her [...]

Paul Dickson is the author of several classic baseball books, including his latest, “Bill Veeck: Baseball’s Greatest Maverick,” as well as “The Dickson Baseball Dictionary,” “The Unwritten Rules of Baseball,” “The Hidden Language of Baseball,” and “The Joy of Keeping Score.” Paul will be given the Jerome Holtzman Award by the Chicago Baseball Museum for [...]

Keith Donohue is a best-selling novelist whose latest book is “Centuries of June,” which The Washington Post calls “part ghost story, part psychological mystery and part vaudeville show. Think Scheherazade by way of ‘Tristram Shandy’ by way of ‘The Sixth Sense.’” His first novel, “The Stolen Child,” was a national best-seller and  has been translated [...]

Candice Dow is the author of eight novels, including “The Ex-Wife.” Before becoming a full-time writer, she worked as a senior software engineer. It was her lifelong dream to write a novel and after toying with the idea for over five years, Candice made a commitment to herself to finish, “Caught in the Mix,” a [...]

John Dufresne is the author of two short story collections, “The Way That Water Enters Stone” and “Johnny Too Bad,” two New York Times’ Notable Books of the Year – ” Louisiana Power & Light” and “Love Warps the Mind a Little” – as well as the novels “Deep in the Shade of Paradise” and “Requiem, [...]

Tom Dunkel, author of “Color Blind: The Forgotten Team That Broke Baseball’s Color Line,” is a long-time contributor to The Washington Post Magazine and a former feature writer for the Baltimore Sun. His other writing credits include The New York Times Magazine, Sports Illustrated, National Geographic Traveler, and Smithsonian. He lives in Washington, D.C. “Color [...]

Kia DuPree is a former assistant editor at St. Martin’s Press whose most recent book, “Shattered,” received praise from several trade publications, such as Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. She received the 2005 Fiction Honor Book Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association for her debut, the self-published novel “Robbing Peter.”  Her short [...]

Amber Dusick’s book, “Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures,” grew out of a blog of the same name which she started because she was going crazy and needed a place to vent. She must have struck a nerve because her blog illustrating the day-to-day things that happen as a parent received over 500,000 views and hundreds [...]

Phil Edwards is the author of “Fake Science 101: A Less Than Factual Guide to Our Amazing World,” a textbook exploring science without the burden of actual information. It’s a product of the Fake Science website. In the course of running the site, Phil has tweeted with astronomers, offended biologists and learned almost nothing. In [...]

David Fitzpatrick’s first book, “Sharp: My Story of Madness, Cutting and How I Reclaimed My Life,” chronicles his 20-year struggle with mental illness. His works have been published by The Huffington Post, The New Haven Review, Barely South Review, and Fiction Weekly. David was born in Dearborn, Mich., grew up in Connecticut, graduated from Skidmore College, [...]

Therese Anne Fowler’s book, “Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald,” has already been picked by O Magazine as one of its “Ten Titles to Pick Up Now” and named one of the most anticipated books of 2013 by The Huffington Post, Flavorwire, The Australian and Publishers Marketplace. Therese is an Illinois native and a graduate of [...]

Barbara Glickman, author of ”Capital Splendor: Gardens and Parks of Washington, D.C.,” has been an avid and active member of the D.C. gardening community for many years. Her extensive travels have taken her to gardens around the country and the world. She holds a Bachelors degree in English from Franklin and Marshall College, a Masters degree [...]

Mark Goodman, along with MTV’s other three VJs who helped launch the music network in 1981, has written about his experiences at MTV in the early 1980s in “VJ: The Unplugged Adventures of MTV’s First Wave.”  Mark has been in the radio and music business for 35 years, beginning in his hometown of Philadelphia at [...]

Mel Goodman, the author of “National Insecurity: The Cost of American Militarism” and the acclaimed “Failure of Intelligence: The Decline and Fall of the CIA,” is the director of the National Security Project at the Center for International Policy and an adjunct professor of government at Johns Hopkins University. A senior analyst at the CIA [...]

British import Jane Green is the author of 12 best-selling novels, including “Jemima J” and her latest, “Family Pictures,” which deal with real women, real life, and all the things life throws at them, with her trademark wisdom, wit and warmth.  A former feature writer for the Daily Express in the U.K., Jane took a [...]

Lisa Greenwald is the author of “Reel Life Starring Us,” “Sweet Treats & Secret Crushes,” “My Life in Pink & Green” and her latest, “My Summer in Pink & Green.” She works in the library at the Birch Wathen Lenox School in Manhattan and is a graduate of the New School’s M.F.A. program in writing [...]

Tommy Greenwald is the author of the “Charlie Joe Jackson” books, a middle-grade series about the most reluctant reader ever born. It is a projected five-book series based on Tommy’s three sons: Charlie, Joe and Jack. The first book, “Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading,” was published in July 2011; the second, “Charlie Joe [...]

Adele Griffin is a two-time National Book Award finalist and the author of a number of middle grade and young adult novels, including her latest, “All You Never Wanted.” Her works include “The Julian Game,” “Tighter,”  “Picture the Dead,” and coming this fall, “Loud Awake & Lost.” She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., with her husband [...]

Jennifer Harlow is the author of two mystery series – the F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad (“Mind Over Monsters” and “To Catch a Vampire”) and her newest, Midnight Magic (“What’s A Witch To Do?”) . She spent her restless childhood fighting with her three brothers and scaring the heck out of herself with horror movies and books. She [...]

Christopher Healy is the author of “The Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle” and “The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom.” He has been deeply immersed in children’s media for most of the past decade, covering children’s entertainment for Parenting, Time Out New York Kids, Real Simple Family, Cookie, iVillage, and AOL’s Parentdish.com. He lives [...]

Daniel Hernandez, Jr., author of “They Call Me a Hero,” is a 22-year-old Tucson native who served as an intern for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona’s Eighth Congressional District. Daniel was with Gabby Giffords at the constituent event in Tucson on January 8, 2011, when a gunman shot her and 18 other people.  Daniel, widely [...]

Natalie Hopkinson, a former writer and editor at The Washington Post, is the author of “Go-Go Live: The Musical Life and Death of a Chocolate City” and “Deconstructing Tyrone: A New Look at Black Masculinity in the Hip-Hop Generation,” with coauthor Natalie Y. Moore. She also is a contributing editor to the online magazine The [...]

Neil Irwin is a Washington Post columnist and the economics editor of Wonkblog, The Post‘s site for policy news and analysis. Each weekday morning his Econ Agenda column reports and explains the latest trends in economics, finance, and the policies that shape both. He often appears on television analyzing economic topics, including on the PBS [...]

John A. Jenkins, author of ”The Partisan: The Life of William Rehnquist,” has been writing from Washington, D.C., about the law and lawyers since 1971, when, shortly before his graduation from the University of Maryland College of Journalism, he went to work as a reporter covering the Justice Department for the prominent legal publisher BNA (now [...]

Pati Jinich is host of the public television series “Pati’s Mexican Table,” and will publish her first cookbook with the same name this Spring. She also writes a blog about food and her work, patismexicantable.com,  and is a cooking teacher, food writer and official chef of the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C. Pati was [...]

Mitchell Kaplan is a legend in the book industry.  He is the founder of Books & Books, one of the country’s leading independent bookstores, as well as a co-founder of Miami Book Fair International, now the largest book event in the United States, and serves as the Chairperson of its Board of Directors.  Mitchell also [...]

Sam Kean is author of The New York Times best-sellers “The Disappearing Spoon” and “The Violinist’s Thumb.” Both books were also Amazon Top-5 science books of the year. He and his work has been featured on “Radiolab,” “All Things Considered,” and “Fresh Air.” He lives in Washington, D.C. Twitter: @sam_kean

Poet Sally Keith is the author of “The Fact of the Matter” and two previous collections of poetry, “Design,” winner of the 2000 Colorado Prize for Poetry, and “Dwelling Song.” She has published poems in a variety of literary journals, including A Public Space, Black Clock, Gettysburg Review, Literary Imagination, and New England Review. Recipient of [...]

Kitty Kelley is an internationally acclaimed author whose last five books reached number one on The New York Times Best Seller List.  Her latest book is “Capturing Camelot: The Iconic Images of Stanley Tretick”, and in 2013 she will publish “Let Freedom Ring” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.   She’s [...]

Katy Kelly, the author of two popular children’s series based in Washington, D.C., “Lucy Rose” and “Melonhead,” grew up on Capitol Hill. As the daughter of two journalists, she knew what would be involved in pursuing a career as a reporter and writer.  She has worked as journalist for People, USA Today, and U.S. News & World [...]

Chris Kerr is a 37-year book-publishing veteran who has held sales and marketing management positions with Oxford University Press, Blackwell Publishing, Little, Brown & Company/Time-Warner, Houghton Mifflin, and Walden Books. In 1997, he founded Parson Weems, a freelance sales company promoting trade and scholarly presses to Northeast bookstores. He is married to Shelley Reinhardt, a [...]

Illustrator Diane Kidd and Margaret A. Weitekamp, Ph.D., a space history curator at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, have collaborated on the children’s book, “Pluto’s Secret: An Icy World’s Tale of Discovery.” Diane has a B.F.A. in fine arts from Pratt Institute in New York and an M.S.Ed. in early childhood and museum [...]

Kathleen Kinsolving began her writing career in 2010 with her father’s biography, “Gadfly: The Life and Times of Les Kinsolving – White House Watchdog.” Her second book, “Dogs of War,” took her 13 years to research and write.  Kathleen currently teaches English at Centreville High School in Clifton, Va.  When she isn’t teaching or writing, [...]

Author and illustrator Marcella Kriebel is a freelance artist from the Pacific Northwest whose first book is “Comida Latina: An Illustrated Cookbook.” Through the intersection of art, food and travel, she brings us her first collection of illustrated recipes: a full color cookbook featuring her hand lettered, watercolor artwork and dishes she perfected during her [...]

Before turning to narrative nonfiction with “City of Scoundrels” and “The White Cascade,” Gary Krist published three novels and two short-story collections. He has written reviews for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Salon, and the Washington Post, and his articles and stories have appeared in National Geographic Traveler, GQ, Esquire, and on [...]

Caroline Leavitt is The New York Times best-selling author of “Pictures of You,” a Costco Pennie’s Pick, a San Francisco Chronicle Lit Pick, and on the best books of 2011 lists from the San Francisco Chronicle, The Providence Journal and Kirkus Reviews. Her 10th novel, “Is It Tomorrow,” will be published in early May 2013. [...]

Allison Leotta is the author of the mystery novel “Discretion,” a sequel to her earlier novel, “Law of Attraction.”  For 12 years she was a federal prosecutor, specializing in sex crimes and domestic violence in Washington, D.C. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Michigan State University. Allison also blogs about the TV [...]

Lauren Leto, author of “Judging a Book by Its Lover: A Field Guide to the Hearts and Minds of Readers Everywhere,” is the co-founder of Texts from Last Night and other humor sites. Born and raised in Detroit, she currently lives in Brooklyn. Twitter: @laurenleto

Pete Looney is an award-winning singer songwriter from Silver Spring, Md. Over the past 30 years, Pete has played guitar and bass in various local bands, and is currently playing as a solo performer in the Gaithersburg/Germantown area. His original music spans genres from blues to country to reggae.

Karen Yaffe Lottes and Dorothy Pugh have collaborated on “In Search of Maryland Ghosts: Montgomery County.” Karen is an historian and museum educator. She worked for many years as education director for the Montgomery County Historical Society (MCHS) and is currently a museum consultant. She has developed site-specific and county-wide local history programs, including “In [...]

Cory MacLauchlin, author of ”Butterfly in the Typewriter: The Tragic Life of John Kennedy Toole,” is a producer, biographer and teacher. He is featured in the award winning documentary film “John Kennedy Toole: The Omega Point.” He has published on topics in American and British literature, ranging from Mark Twain to the mysterious history of The [...]

Leslie Maitland is the author of “Crossing the Borders of Time,” an account of her mother’s escape from the Nazis in World War II and the fiance she left behind in Europe.  Leslie is an award-winning former New York Times investigative reporter and national correspondent who covered the Justice Department. She appears regularly on NPR’s [...]

Adam Mansbach is the author of the #1 New York Times best seller “Go the F**k to Sleep,” which has been translated into 40 languages and is forthcoming as a feature film from Fox 2000. His novels include the California Book Award-winning “The End of the Jews” and the cult classic “Angry Black White Boy,” [...]

Phillip Margolin, author of ”Sleight of Hand,” has written 16 New York Times best-sellers, including “Capitol Murder” and “Supreme Justice.” Each of his books displays a unique, compelling insider’s view of criminal behavior, which comes from his long background as a criminal defense attorney who handled 30 murder cases. With “Vanishing Acts,” he teamed up with [...]

Larry Matthews is a former broadcast journalist whose 30+ years as a reporter, anchor, news director, producer and editor provide the background material for many of his books. “Brass Knuckles” is the second book in his Dave Haggard thriller series about a radio reporter with a taste for investigative journalism.  The series takes place in [...]

Charles Mauro is a local historian and the author of six books, including “The Civil War in Fairfax County: Civilians and Soldiers,” in which he gives voice to the silent majority of the participants in the Civil War: the civilians. His book, “A Southern Spy in Northern Virginia: The Civil War Album of Laura Ratcliffe,” [...]

Kathleen McCleary has written three novels: “House and Home” (2008); “A Simple Thing” (2012), which was was recently nominated for the Library of Virginia Literary Awards in fiction; and “Leaving Haven” (Oct. 2013). Kathleen is a journalist and author whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Ladies Home Journal, More, [...]

Jon Methven is a novelist and humorist who lives in New York City. His first novel, “This is Your Captain Speaking,” was published in June 2012, but his work has appeared in Timothy McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, The New York Times, New York magazine, Buzzfeed, The Morning News, n+1 and The Awl. Twitter: @jonmethven Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jon.methven.5

Emily Jeanne Miller’s debut novel, ”Brand New Human Being,” was called “an addictive summer novel” by Real Simple magazine. Her short stories have appeared in The Portland Review and the North American Review. Emily has a B.A. in religion from Princeton University, an M.S. from the environmental studies program at the University of Montana, and an [...]

Yvette Neisser Moreno’s first book of poetry, “Grip,” won the 2011 Gival Press Poetry Award and received an honorable mention at the New England Book Festival. In 2012, she was the first runner-up for the Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award. Yvette is co-translator of “South Pole/Polo Sur” by María Teresa Ogliastri and editor of “Difficult [...]

Jason Mott is a 2009 Pushcart Prize nominee, the author of two poetry collections and his writing has been published in numerous literary journals. His debut novel, “The Returned,” will be published in September 2013. The book was optioned for a television series pilot by ABC Studios and Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment along with [...]

John Muller is a local journalist and historian whose latest book is “Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C.: The Lion of Anacostia.” A former reporter for The Washington Times, he is a current contributor to Capital Community News, Greater Greater Washington, and other Washington, D.C., area media. His writing and reporting has appeared in Washington History, [...]

Lissa Muscatine is co-owner of Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C. Before acquiring the store with her husband, Bradley Graham, in June 2011, she had spent her professional career in journalism, politics, and government. She most recently served in the Obama Administration as Director of Speechwriting and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State.  [...]

John Mutter is editor-in-chief and co-founder of Shelf Awareness, which publishes Shelf Awareness Pro, a daily e-mail newsletter for the book trade that emphasizes information that booksellers and librarians need to sell and lend books, and Shelf Awareness for Readers, a twice-weekly e-mail newsletter that reviews the best 25 books appearing each week and includes [...]

Christopher Myers is the author of “H.O.R.S.E.: A Game of Basketball and Imagination.” He began his children’s book career by illustrating his father, Walter Dean Myers’, young adult novel, “Shadow of the Red Moon.” Their first joint picture book, “Harlem, A Poem,” received a Caldecott Honor, as well as a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor [...]

Walter Dean Myers is U.S. National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and beloved children’s author. His award-winning body of work includes “Sunrise Over Fallujah,” “Fallen Angels,” “Monster,” “Somewhere in the Darkness,” “Harlem,” and “Scorpions.” His latest book is “Darius & Twig.” Walter is the winner of two Newbery Honor awards and five Coretta Scott King [...]

P.J. O’Dwyer, author of “Relentless” and “Defiant,” the first and second books in the Fallon Sisters Trilogy, is an award-winning author and an active member of Romance Writers of America. Born in Washington, D.C., and the oldest of five children, P. J. was labeled the storyteller of the family and often accused of embellishing the [...]

Maryanne O’Hara is the author of “Cascade,” a Slate Best Books 2012 Editor’s Choice selection, People magazine “People Pick,” Boston Globe “Best of the New 2012,” and Library Journal “Best Bet.” She was the longtime associate fiction editor of Ploughshares, and has had her short fiction widely published and anthologized. Maryanne is a graduate of [...]

Ellen Oh is an adjunct college instructor and former entertainment lawyer who one day picked up a Genghis Khan biography and was never quite the same again. It was the start of an obsessive fascination with ancient Asian history that led to years of researching, culminating in writing “Prophecy,” her first novel. Ellen also loves [...]

Thomas Oliphant, whose latest book is “Baseball as a Road to God: Seeing Beyond the Game,” was an award-winning correspondent and columnist for The Boston Globe for more than 40 years, covering 11 presidential elections from 1968 to 2008, and every war from Vietnam through Afghanistan. He is the author of four books, including The [...]

Lynne Olson has written six books of history, including the national best-seller “Citizens of London.” Her latest book, “Those Angry Days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America’s Fight for World War II, 1939-1941,” tells the story of the no-holds-barred debate that raged in America over what its role should be in the Second World War. Before Lynne [...]

Poet Eric Pankey is the author of nine collections of poetry, most recently “Trace.” He is the Heritage Chair in Writing at George Mason University and his work has been supported by fellowships from the Ingram Merrill Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. His poems have appeared [...]

Brad Parks returns to the Festival for a third time to promote his latest book, “The Good Cop,” which debuts in March and continues the saga of the sometimes-dashing investigative reporter Carter Ross. Brad won both the Shamus Award and Nero Award for his first book, “Faces of the Gone.” His third book, “The Girl [...]

Bethanne Patrick is a freelance writer and author of “An Uncommon History of Common Things” and “An Uncommon History of Common Courtesy,” both from National Geographic Books. From 2007-2011 she hosted an online author-interview show called “The Book Studio” for WETA-PBS and she appears regularly at book events, including The Virginia Festival of the Book [...]

Garrett Peck is a literary journalist, local Washington-area historian, and author of four books – “The Prohibition Hangover: Alcohol in America from Demon Rum to Cult Cabernet” (2009); “Prohibition in Washington, D.C.: How Dry We Weren’t” (2011); “The Potomac River: A History and Guide” (2012); and its sequel, “The Smithsonian Castle and The Seneca Quarry” (2013). [...]

Frances de Pontes Peebles is the author of “The Seamstress,” winner of the Elle Grand Prix for Fiction 2009 and the Friends of American Writers Award. Born in Pernambuco, Brazil, she is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She has received a Fulbright Grant, the James Michener-Copernicus [...]

Benjamin Percy, whose latest novel is “Red Moon,” has won a Whiting Writers Award, a Plimpton Prize, two Pushcart Prizes, and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. He also is the author of the novel “The Wilding” and two short story collections, “Refresh, Refresh” and “The Language of Elk.” His work has [...]

Mary Quattlebaum is the author of 19 award-winning children’s books, most recently “Pirate vs. Pirate,” “The Hungry Ghost of Rue Orleans” (Random House), and “Jo MacDonald Had a Garden.” She has received Random House’s Marguerite de Angeli Prize for Middle-grade Novel, Parenting‘s Reading Magic Award, SIBA’s Award for Best Picture Book, NAPPA’s Gold Award, and [...]

Vaddey Ratner’s debut novel, ”In the Shadow of the Banyan,” is a New York Times best-seller and the result of her recent travels back to her native country of Cambodia and Southeast Asia.  Vaddey was five years old when the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975.  After four years, having endured forced labor, starvation, and [...]

Courtney Rau is a 15-year-old high school freshman who has been singing, playing music, and acting most of her life. She has had lead roles in many musicals and productions, and her passion for music keeps growing. In 2010, Courtney was crowned Miss Teen Potomac. Courtney has spent a lot of time in Nashville this [...]

Charles Robbins is coauthor, with former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, of “The U.S. Senate,” as well as two nonfiction books with Senator Arlen Specter. The mystery/thriller, “The Accomplice,” is his first novel. Charles began his career as a newspaper reporter, then ran press operations for two congressmen, a gubernatorial campaign, a senator, and a [...]

Dave Roman is the author of several graphic novels including his latest, “Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity,” as well as “Teen Boat!” and “Agnes Quill: An Anthology of Mystery.” He has contributed stories to “Explorer: The Mystery Boxes,” “Nursery Rhyme Comics,” and is the co-author of two New York Times best-selling graphic novels, “X-Men: Misfits” and [...]

Joseph Ross is the author of two poetry collections: “Meeting Bone Man” (2012) and the forthcoming, “Gospel of Dust” (2013). His poems have appeared in many anthologies and literary journals, including “Poet Lore,” “Tidal Basin Review” and “Drumvoices Revue.” He has received three Pushcart Prize nominations and is the winner of the 2012 Pratt Library/Little [...]

Jennifer Roy’s books span several genres, including historical fiction, young adult and preteen fiction.  She is best known for “Yellow Star,” an award-winning novel based on her Aunt Sylvia’s childhood during the Holocaust.  Aunt Sylvia, who now lives in Rockville, was one of only 12 children to survive Poland’s Lodz Ghetto.  Jennifer’s other books include [...]

Sarah Schmelling, author of “Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don’t Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook,”  is a journalist and humor writer. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Spin, Slate, Salon, Newsweek, Real Simple, The Los Angeles Times, Parents, The Huffington Post and many other publications. She is a frequent contributor [...]

John Schwartz is the author of “Oddly Normal: One Family’s Struggle to Help Their Teenage Son Come to Terms with His Sexuality” and a national correspondent with The New York Times, where he has covered law, science, technology, business, and a broad range of other topics. His writing has also appeared in The Washington Post, Newsweek, [...]

Jon Scieszka is the author of “The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs!,” “The Stinky Cheese Man,” and a number of other kids’ books. His latest book is is the next book in his “Spaceheadz” series.  John is the founder of “Guys Read,” a literacy initiative for boys. He was named our nation’s first [...]

Courtney Sheinmel grew up in California and New York, graduated magna cum laude from Barnard College, and Fordham University School of Law. After working as a litigator for several years, Courtney decided to focus on her first love: writing. She is the author of “My So-Called Family,” “Positively,” “Sincerely,” “All the Things You Are,” and [...]

Mark K. Shriver is The New York Times and Washington Post best-selling author of “A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver,” published in June 2012. He is the head of U.S. programs for Save the Children, where he developed the charity’s domestic emergency, early childhood development, literacy, and health programs. Shriver is a former [...]

Grady Smith draws on his military career in his debut novel, “Blood Chit.” He attended infantry Officer Candidate School, Airborne and Ranger training, all at Fort Benning. He commanded an infantry company in Vietnam and ultimately spent 20 years in military service. He also is a produced playwright, and taught Greek and Roman comedy at [...]

Shelby Smoak’s book, “Bleeder: A Memoir,” narrates his college struggles as a severe hemophilic who contracted HIV via a blood transfusion.  His poetry, fiction, and nonfiction essays have appeared in journals and magazines such as Northern Virginia Review, Cucalorus, Juice, The Crutch, New Thought Journal, Cities and Roads, and Coastal Plains Poetry.  He was awarded [...]

Jill Smokler is best known for her blog, Scary Mommy, where she writes about motherhood — the good, the bad and the scary.  Her honest take on parenting has appeared on CNN, Good Morning America, “The Today Show,” The Huffington Post and more.  Her first book, “Confessions of a Scary Mommy,” hit The New York [...]

Jessica Spotswood is the author of the teen/young adult trilogy, “The Cahill Witch Chronicles,” which so far includes “Born Wicked” and its sequel, “Star Cursed,” due in June. She grew up in a tiny, one-stoplight town in Pennsylvania, where she could be found swimming, playing clarinet, memorizing lines for the school play or, most often, [...]

Les Standiford is the author of 20 books and novels, including The New York Times Editors’ Choice, “The Man Who Invented Christmas” and The New York Times best-selling “Bringing Adam Home.” AARP Magazine named his latest book, “Desperate Sons: Samuel Adams, John Hancock, Patrick Henry and the Desperate Radicals Who Led the Colonies to War,” [...]

Orest Stelmach’s first novel is the thriller, “The Boy from Reactor 4.”  In 2012, his short story “In Persona Christi” was published in the Mystery Writers of America anthology Vengeance. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, he washed dishes, stocked department store shelves, taught English in Japan, and managed international investment portfolios. Orest earned degrees [...]

Maggie Stiefvater is a writer, artist, musician and author of The New York Times best-selling and award-winning Shiver trilogy (“Shiver,” “Linger” and “Forever”), “The Scorpio Races,” and her latest, “The Raven Boys.” “Linger,” the second book in the Shiver trilogy debuted at #1 on The New York Times Best Seller List. “The Scorpio Races” was named [...]

Susan Stockdale is the author and illustrator of children’s picture books including “Stripes of All Types,” “Bring On the Birds” and “Fabulous Fishes.” Her books celebrate nature with exuberance and charm and have won awards from the American Library Association, Parents’ Choice, and the National Science Teachers Association.  Susan’s engaging rhymes and bright, bold illustrations have elicited praise from [...]

Hank Stuever is an award-winning pop culture writer for The Washington Post‘s Style section, where he has worked since 1999. He became the paper’s lead TV critic in 2009. He has also been a reporter for newspapers in Albuquerque and Austin, and has twice been named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in feature writing. Stuever [...]

Manil Suri is the author of “The Death of Vishnu,” which was a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award, and “The Age of Shiva.” His latest novel is “The City of Devi.”  Manil is a native of Mumbai and a professor of mathematics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Manil-Suri/54411206543

Abigail Tarttelin grew up in North East England and will be at the Festival to promote her second novel, “Golden Boy.”  She began training as an actress at 16 years old at the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain and the New York Film Academy. She has been profiled as “One To Watch,” and published her [...]

Evan Thomas is the author of eight books, including “The War Lovers,” The New York Times best-seller “Sea of Thunder,” and his latest, “Ike’s Bluff: President Eisenhower’s Secret Battle to Save the World.” He frequently appears as a commentator on TV and radio, and he teaches writing at Princeton. Evan was editor-at-large of Newsweek until he [...]

Sylvia Traymore Morrison is the foremost African American female impressionist in the country. Originally from Washington, D.C., Sylvia has made a name for herself as a solo artist, opening arena shows for Whitney Houston and in a high-profile Apollo Theater roast of Muhammad Ali. She also has been a writer on “Saturday Night Live.” She is [...]

Sheila Turnage is from eastern North Carolina, just like Miss Moses LoBeau, the protagonist from “Three Times Lucky.” Her first novel for children, “Three Times Lucky,” is a Newbery Honor Award winner, a New York Times bestseller, an E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor Book, and an Edgar Award finalist. “The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing,” a companion [...]

John G. Turner, author of “Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet,” is assistant professor of Religious Studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. He is also the author of “Bill Bright and Campus Crusade for Christ: The Renewal of Evangelicalism in Postwar America,” winner of Christianity Today’s 2009 award for best book in History / Biography. His [...]

Dave Ungrady is a public speaker, journalist and author of four books. Three are about athletic history at the University of Maryland, including “Born Ready: The Mixed Legacy of Len Bias” and the best-selling “Tales From the Maryland Terrapins.” Dave is a former University Maryland athlete, in soccer and track and field. He has written [...]

Jimmie Walker personifies the great American success story, rising from the streets of New York’s ghettos to television superstardom on the 1970s sitcom “Good Times.” His catch phrase “Dyn-o-mite!” is part of the modern vernacular, and he became such a major celebrity in the 1970s that Time named him “Comedian of the Decade.” In his [...]

Karen Thompson Walker is the author of The New York Times best seller, “The Age of Miracles.” A former editor at Simon & Schuster, she wrote “The Age of Miracles” in the mornings before work, sometimes while riding the subway. Her book was named one of the best books of the year by People, O: [...]

Born-and-raised in Gaithersburg, Erin Willett is thrilled to return to the Gaithersburg Book Festival. A 2007 graduate of Gaithersburg High School, the talented singer-songwriter competed on the second season of NBC’s “The Voice”, reaching the semifinals on Blake Shelton’s team. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Erin released her self-titled debut EP which is available on [...]

Elizabeth Winder is the author of the biography “Pain, Parties, Work: Sylvia Plath in New York, Summer 1953″ and one poetry collection. Her work also has appeared in the Chicago Review, the Antioch Review, American Letters, and other publications. She is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and earned an M.F.A. in [...]