Embark on Library Quests, Author Conversations and Magical Character Creations at Fantasy Book Night During Live! at the Library in May
Bestselling Authors Olivie Blake and Travis Baldree Talk Fantasy Storytelling
Wander to the Library of Congress for a night of magic and myth. Enjoy events with beloved fantasy writers, wondrous characters and happy hour food and drinks. Feast your eyes on fantastical treasures from the Library’s collections, embark on a quest throughout the building, create Dungeons & Dragon characters, and more.
Visitors are invited to attend panels with bestselling author Olivie Blake, slice-of-life fantasy masters Travis Baldree and Seanan McGuire and genre-bending authors Roshani Chokshi and Lauren Blackwood. Each author will have a book signing after their panel conversation.
On Thursday evenings, the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building and all exhibitions are open for extended hours from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Visitors are invited to enjoy happy hour drinks and snacks available for purchase in the Great Hall overlooking the Capitol and the Library’s beautiful architecture while visiting the Library’s exhibitions, collections and programs.
Visitors are invited to Experience the Main Reading Room during Live! at the Library. Usually reserved for researchers, visitors can now walk inside and see one of Washington’s most beautiful spaces. Please note that due to strong interest and limited capacity, those with timed-entry passes are not guaranteed access.
Ticketing
For special events during Live! at the Library, please use the event registration ticketing link found next to the event or at loc.gov/live. This ticket grants access to the special event as well as the Library’s exhibitions and the happy hour portion of the evening.
For entry into the Library only for happy hour, an extended view of our exhibitions or to experience the Main Reading Room during Live! at the Library, a regular timed-entry pass can be obtained at loc.gov/visit.
Visitors only need one of these two tickets to enter during Live! at the Library.
Programming Highlights for May
May 2: Join us for a screening of the film, "Join or Die" in support of the Library’s exhibition, “Join In: Voluntary Associations in America.” This film focuses on the work of Dr. Robert Putnam, author of the acclaimed book, “Bowling Alone,” and explores America’s civic decline, the fate of American democracy, and what can be done to foster more community connections. Register for tickets.
May 9: Two-time Grammy nominee, PUBLIQuartet, comes to Live! at the Library for a special concert where Vijay Iyer will perform the premiere of his McKim Fund Commission for the Library of Congress. A pre-concert conversation with the artists will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Whittall Pavilion. Register for tickets.
May 16: Explore the Great Hall during Fantasy Book Night! Happy hour activities include, Library quests throughout the building, Tarot card readings, Dungeon and Dragon character sheet creations and Library Collection displays with the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled.
Fantasy Book Night Schedule:
- 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.: Join a night of imaginative Library quests, tarot readings, Dungeons and Dragons character sheet creations, past and future audiobook technology that makes storytelling accessible to all, Library of Congress collections displays, happy hour food, drinks and more.
- 6 p.m.: “Stories Seen and Unseen: Seanan McGuire and Travis Baldree” in the Coolidge Auditorium.
- 7 p.m.: “The Familiar, The Loving, and the Dark: Roshani Chokshi and Lauren Blackwood” in room LJ-119.
- 7:15 p.m.: “Secret Societies and Forbidden Knowledge: Olivie Blake” in the Coolidge Auditorium.
Please Note: Your reservation gives you access to all Great Hall activities including concessions, tarot readers, Dungeons and Dragons character sheets, Library quests and book sales. If you wish to attend any of the three author panels, please ensure you select the option from the pop-up after you make your reservation on the ticketing link.
May 23: Come celebrate Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month with the American Folklife Center hosting the Somapa Thai Dance Company as part of the Homegrown Concert Series. Register for tickets.
May 23: Drop in for a special pop-up trivia event celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Test your knowledge and explore how the Library’s vast collections preserve the stories, accomplishments, and challenges of this diverse community. This event required only a timed-entry ticket.
May 30: Come for an evening of community music-making during Live! at the Library, as music professor and composer Kevin Siegfried leads an hour of beautiful Shaker spirituals in a singalong. The Shakers are a Christian sect who came to America from England in the 18th century. They are known for beautiful religious songs, including “Simple Gifts.” All are welcome. Handouts of songs will be available for attendees. Register for tickets.
Featured Experience: Throughout May, visitors are invited to experience historic Asian American communities through Hidden Portals, a series of virtual reconstructions created by 2023-2024 Library of Congress Innovator in Residence Jeffrey Yoo Warren. This digital experience uses maps and photographs from the Library’s collections to be displayed as immersive 3D reconstructions located around the Library’s Washington D.C. campus. Learn more.
Exhibitions On View
- For more than 100 years, cherry blossoms have signaled the arrival of spring in Washington, D.C. They have become symbols of peace and friendship between the United States and Japan. This display, “Sakura: Icon of Spring,” features the Library of Congress’ extensive “Sakura” collections and a book from the Library on the subject. View the display on the second floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building beginning March 1 through April 24.
- The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song is the nation’s highest award for influence, impact and achievement in popular music. This display includes material from the Library’s collections that highlights the work of each of the past Gershwin Prize recipients as well as the 2024 recipients, songwriting duo Elton John and Bernie Taupin. View the display on the second floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building beginning March 15 through May 15.
- “Join In: Voluntary Associations in America,” explores America’s history as a “nation of joiners” through voluntary organizations and our longstanding impulse to join together for common purposes, while also acknowledging these groups have sometimes reflected society’s exclusions, discriminations and divisions. The exhibition is on display in the South Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building. “Join In” was extended through July 6, 2024.
- “Not an Ostrich: And Other Images from America’s Library” represents a sampling of the more than 15 million photographs held by the Library, ranging from the early days of photography to today. Located in the Southwest Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building, visitors will see the “first selfie,” which is thought to be the earliest known American photographic self-portrait, and view important pictures of Harriet Tubman, the Wright brothers and more.
- Learn more about the lives and work of the Gershwin brothers in “Here to Stay: The Legacy of George and Ira Gershwin” on the Ground Floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building. This permanent exhibition pays tribute to the much-loved musical duo with handwritten and printed music, lyric sheets, letters, photographs, paintings, and drawings from the Library’s Gershwin Collection.
Live! at the Library is part of a broader effort to reimagine the visitor experience at the Library of Congress that invites visitors to enjoy the Library and its collections in new formats during extended evening hours on Thursday nights. The series regularly features special conversations, music, performances, films and workshops that showcase the broad range of holdings at the national library.
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
###
Media Contact: Elaina Finkelstein, efinkelstein@loc.gov
PR 24-036
4-18-2024
ISSN 0731-3527