#1 Literary & Publishing Event
The 13th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival offered programming from more than 100 authors. This year's theme was "Books That Shaped the World," and it's estimated that around 200,000 people attend the free event. Next: September 2014
#2 Literary & Publishing Event
Nearly 2,000 people headed to the National Building Museum for the AT&T-sponsored Best of Washington event hosted by Washingtonian magazine. The annual fete pairs with the editorial feature of the same name that spotlights the best restaurants and businesses around the city as determined by the magazine’s writers and editors. This year's decor featured a vintage travel theme. Next: July 16, 2014
#3 Literary & Publishing Event (new to the list)
The 10-day festival from the city's Jewish Community Center presents author panels, readings, and talks that represent the year's best in Jewish writing. Its 2013 edition featured E.L. Doctorow and Dan Savage among others, and a closing lecture from Congresswoman and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Next: Fall 2014
#4 Literary & Publishing Event (up from #5)
The ceremony and dinner honors the best published work of fiction by American citizens, chosen from more than 350 works submitted each year. At the event, the five finalists read from their work before the winner is named. In 2013, the winner was Benjamin Alire Sáenz for his novel Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club. Next: May 10, 2014
#5 Literary & Publishing Event (up from #6)
Winners of local spelling bees converge on Washington each spring for the national contest, the final rounds for which are televised by ESPN. For the first year, contestants had to prove their knowledge of vocabulary in a preliminary-round test. The winning word this year for Queens teenager Arvind Mahankali was knaidel, a dumpling that goes into matzo ball soup. Next: May 25-31, 2014
#6 Literary & Publishing Event (new to the list)
More than 750 people attended the 36th annual holiday book event, which had dozens of authors from genres spanning sports, food, young adult, and, of course, politics. New this year, the press club partnered with local bookstore Politics & Prose (where President Obama shopped on Small Business Saturday). Next: November 18, 2014
