Folklore and Folktales Bring Us Together
By Nevada Humanities Staff
Every year the Library of Congress hosts the National Book Festival that brings together authors and book lovers from across the United States. After taking place online for the past two years, this year’s National Book Festival will be held in-person at the nation’s capital on September 3 with the theme of Books Bring Us Together.
The Nevada Center for the Book has selected one youth book and one adult book by Nevada authors to represent the state at the 2022 Library of Congress National Book Festival: On the Trail of the Jackalope: How a Legend Captured the World's Imagination and Helped Us Cure Cancer by Reno-based author Michael P. Branch and The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Las Vegas-based author Axie Oh. Both titles will be part of the National Center for the Book’s Great Reads from Great Places program. Great Reads from Great Places features books and authors representing the literary heritage of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Marianas. For over 20 years this program has included a highlighted youth title from each affiliate center. In 2022, Great Reads from Great Places will include titles for adults for the first time.
On the Trail of the Jackalope is the never-before-told story of the horned rabbit—the myths, the hoaxes, the very real scientific breakthrough it inspired—and how it became a cultural touchstone of the American West. A humorist and desert writer, Michael P. Branch is Foundation Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is the author of more than 300 essays and reviews, and 10 books, including Raising Wild, Rants from the Hill, and How to Cuss in Western. Mike recently blogged on the Double Down blog, and you can read his post On Hitting the Small Time here.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea is an enthralling feminist retelling of the classic Korean folktale “The Tale of Shim Cheong,” perfect for fans of Wintersong, Uprooted, and Miyazaki’s Spirited Away. Axie Oh is a first-generation Korean American, born in New York City and raised in New Jersey. Axie is The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea, XOXO, and the Rebel Seoul series. Her fifth novel, The Floating World, releases in 2024. Oh will take part in an online panel conversation with other chosen authors from Centers for the Book in the Western Region. This and other panel discussions will be posted toward the end of August on the National Book Festival website and the Library of Congress YouTube channel.
While this year’s National Book Festival will be in-person, it will include many livestreamed and recorded virtual programs celebrating books and authors. You can learn more about their schedule of live-streamed events here and partake from the comfort of your own home. You can also follow the National Book Festival on social media at #NatBookFest and other Center for the Book news and events at #CenterForTheBook.
Photos: Nevada Humanities/Bridget Lera.