Southern Festival of Books

Celebrating the written word since 1989.


VANDBERILT UNIVERSITY PRESENTS SOUTHERN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS A PROGRAM OF HUMANITIES TENNESSEE OCTOBER 18&19 FREE!

 

VISIT THE FESTIVAL WEBSITE

WWW.SOFESTOFBOOKS.ORG


SAVE THE DATE…

Vanderbilt University Presents:

The Southern Festival of Books,

a program of Humanities Tennessee

October 18-19, 2025

at the Tennessee State Museum,

Tennessee State Library & Archives,

& Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park


VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY PRESENTS THE 37TH ANNUAL SOUTHERN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS A PROGRAM OF HUMANITIES TENNESSEE OCTOBER 18 and 19 comma 2025 NASHVILLE comma TN AT BICENTENNIAL CAPITOL MALL STATE PARK V VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY HT HUMANITIES TENNESSEE POSTER BY SARAH GOLDSTEIN



Please sign up for our newsletter for regular updates. 

 


Vanderbilt University Presents: The Southern Festival of Books, a program of Humanities Tennessee, is among the oldest literary festivals in the country, annually welcoming approximately 150 authors and 25,000 visitors each October. The Festival is free, and includes performance stages, food trucks, and more than 60 publishers and booksellers. 

On Saturday, October 18 and Sunday, October 19, we invite you to join us for the full Festival experience – author sessions, book signings, food trucks, performance stages, and exhibitors. 

View some past sessions on the FESTIVAL’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL.


SUBMIT A BOOK

Please note that the public book submission window for the 2025 Festival has closed for the year. Thanks for your interest in the Festival!

BE AN EXHIBITOR

If you are a bookseller, publisher, press, literacy organization, or a company with book-related products, we invite you to rent a booth at the 2025 Southern Festival of Books. Registration is open. Please visit: https://www.sofestofbooks.org/vendorsinterest


DONATE OR SPONSOR

Your gift helps ensure that this Festival remains FREE to all attendees, this year and for years to come. It is our mission to make this experience accessible to as many people as possible, of all ages and backgrounds. Thank you in advance for your commitment to The Southern Festival of Books.

To learn about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Sandy Obodzinski, Development & Communications Director at sandy@humtn.org.

 

 


AUTHORS IN THE ROUND

Authors In The Round, a special event dinner that provides vital funding for the Southern Festival of Books, returns October 17, 2025 at Marathon Music Works. We’re thrilled to welcome Alice Randall and Caroline Randall Williams as the 2025 Co-Chairs!

Contact Sandy Obodzinski, Development & Communications Director, for sponsorship opportunities or to be added to the invitation list: sandy@humtn.org.

 

 


VOLUNTEER

The Southern Festival of Books relies on hundreds volunteers to help the event run smoothly. We couldn’t do it with you! 

LEARN MORE!

 

 

 

 


CONNECT WITH THE FEST

INSTAGRAM
FACEBOOK
SIGN UP FOR THE SOUTHERN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS NEWSLETTER


VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, THE FRIST FOUNDATION, SANDRA SCHATTEN FOUNDATION, TENNESSEE ARTS COMMISSION Cultivate. Create. Participate DOLLAR GENERAL LITERACY FOUNDATION | GIVE. DREAM. HOPE. INGRAM (R) METRO ARTS NASHVILLE OFFICE OF ARTS + CULTURE NASHVILLE MUSIC CITY TENNESSEE STATE LIBRARY & ARCHIVES Tennessee Secretary of State NES PARNASSUS BOOKS NASHVILLE NASHVILLE SCENE TENNESSEE STATE MUSEUM EXPERIENCE TENNESSEE