Nevada Center for the Book
The Nevada Center for the Book is a program of Nevada Humanities dedicated to promoting literature and literacy throughout the Silver State. The Nevada Center for the Book is the state affiliate of the Center for the Book, housed at the Library of Congress. Nevada Center for the Book programs include Nevada Reads, the Las Vegas Book Festival, the Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl, the National Book Festival, and additional literary programs.
Books Representing Nevada at the 2025 National Book Festival
Two books have been selected by Nevada Humanities, home of the Nevada Center for the Book, to represent the state at the annual Library of Congress National Book Festival that will be held in Washington, D.C. on September 6, 2025. Every year Great Reads from Great Places, a list of books representing the literary heritage of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and Northern Marianas, is distributed by the Library of Congress’ Center for the Book during the National Book Festival. This year’s Great Reads from Nevada are One Hundred Spaghetti Strings by Jen Nails (HarperCollins, 2017) (youth selection) and The Horse by Willy Vlautin (HarperCollins, 2024) (adult selection).
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
One Hundred Spaghetti Strings by Jen Nails (Youth Selection)
Jen Nails is a librarian with the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District and loves football, yoga, writing, and spending time with her friends and family. Her podcast Revisions: How Our Favorite Books Change Us, features conversations about pivotal books that shape young readers into their grown-up selves. She is honored that her middle grade novel One Hundred Spaghetti Strings was chosen to represent Nevada at the 2025 National Book Festival in Washington D.C.
The Horse by Willy Vlautin (Adult Selection)
Born and raised in Reno, Nevada, Willy Vlautin has published seven novels, The Motel Life (2007), Northline (2008), Lean On Pete (2010), The Free (2014), Don’t Skip Out On Me (2018), The Night Always Comes (2021), and The Horse (2024). Vlautin received the prestigious Joyce Carol Oates literary prize earlier this year. The Motel Life and Lean On Pete have been turned into major motion pictures. The Night Always Comes recently completed filming in Portland, Oregon. He also founded the bands Richmond Fontaine and the Delines.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Nevada Humanities is producing literary programs in Nevada featuring authors Jen Nails and Willy Vlautin. Visit this page for more information and updates as it becomes available.
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR THE BOOK IN THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS
The Library’s Center for the Book, established by Congress in 1977 to stimulate public interest in books and reading, is a national force for reading and literacy promotion. A public-private partnership, it sponsors educational programs that reach readers of all ages through its affiliated centers, collaborations with nonprofit reading-promotion partners, and through its Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress. For more information, visit www.read.gov. The National Book Festival Roadmap to Reading is made possible by the generous support of the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the National Endowment for the Humanities with additional support from Chief Officers of State Library Agencies.
Archive
![IMLS Color Logo [Converted].png](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a344ba7692ebe0d3d36b945/1717458347078-OFA3ZNS5NTOG9TGMDL49/IMLS+Color+Logo+%5BConverted%5D.png)