OCEAN PINES–The Friends of the Ocean Pines Library will sponsor a bus trip to the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Sept. 21.

The bus will leave the Ocean Pines Library at 7 a.m. and return by about 8:30 p.m. There will be a short rest stop in Easton in the morning, and a stop for fast food near Annapolis on the return trip.

The National Book Festival is held each year in September on the mall in Washington. Well-known writers speak about every 45 minutes about their writing, their lives and their latest books. There are many large tents on the mall, each with a theme like fiction, history and biography, mystery, children’s literature and poetry.

Participants plan and go from tent to tent, based on which authors they want to hear. Renowned authors who will be appearing this year include Margaret Atwood, Taylor Branch, Khaled Hosseini, Barbara Kingsolver and Joyce Carol Oates.

For more information on authors that will be participating, visit  www.loc.gov/bookfest. The Sunday edition of the Washington Post will also detail the program the week before the trip.

The cost for the trip is $35 per person. Make checks payable to Friends of the Ocean Pines Library and send it with your home phone number, cell phone number and e-mail address to Jean Fry, 6 MacAfee Court, Ocean Pines, Md. 21811.

The deadline for reservations is Wednesday, Sept. 11.

Participants must have a cell phone to go on this trip so the coordinator can contact them in case of a change in pickup location. Please be aware that this trip involves walking and sometimes standing to hear authors.

Call 410-208-4269 with questions. Pick up an information sheet and a form at the Ocean Pines Library. The festival is held rain or shine.