Latvian author on the International Stage of the National Book Festival -
On August 31, Inga Gaile, an award-winning Latvian writer, will take part in the 19th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival with her newest book of poems "30 Questions People Don't Ask: The Selected Poems by Inga Gaile."
Inga Gaile has published multiple collections of poetry - including a collection of children's poetry - as well as plays and a novel. She has won the Latvian Literature Award and the prize from the Poetry Days Festival in Latvia, to mention just a few honors. She is active in the Latvian feminist movement and is also a performer - she has founded a stand-up comedy group. In her writing, she often focuses on stigmatized groups, feminism and gender issues. The successful writer's poems have been translated into multiple languages to further share her ideas and views of that which surrounds her.
Gaile's book "30 Questions People Don't Ask: The Selected Poems of Inga Gaile" focuses on the various experiences of women, specifically, women in the Baltic countries. The poems encapsulate the ongoing changes in the Baltic region. Inga Gaile is portraying the details and downfalls of everyday circumstances, and she is not writing about fiction or fabrication but about life as she sees it.
The interview is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. on the International Stage of the National Book Festival and is estimated to be 45 minutes, which includes a 10-minute audience Q&A. The moderator of the discussion will be Dr. Indra Ekmanis, an ACLS/Mellon Public Fellow and Associate Editor for PRI's The World. She is also a Baltic Sea Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and has recently completed a fellowship as a Kennan Institute Title VIII Research Scholar at The Wilson Center.
The 19th annual National Book Festival will be held Saturday, August 31, 2019, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The event is organized by the Library of Congress - it's free and open to the public.
- Explore the life of introverted Latvian authors in cartoons and enjoy fine dining - 

At 6:00 pm of the same day two members of the Northern European family - Latvians and Finns - are coming together to bring to the American friends a cartoon exhibition about introverted Latvians and fine Nordic food. The Embassy of Latvia will open a cartoon exhibition titled "The Life of I*" at the Mikko Nordic Fine Food restaurant (1636 R St NW, Washington, DC 20009). The event is free and open to the public. Welcome drinks will be offered and food will be available for purchase. The exhibition will remain open to the public until September 30. Avid readers and gourmands are most welcome!

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Latvia celebrates its centennial in 2018 in the period of several years - 2017 to 2021. The main message of the celebration is "I am Latvia" emphasizing that the greatest asset of Latvia is its people who with their work are creating present day Latvia and together with the next generation are setting the foundation for the future. Inga Gaile's visit is part of the Centennial of Latvia public diplomacy programme.