Celebrating the written word since 1989.
The 35th Annual
SOUTHERN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
October 15-19, 2023 | Community Events
October 21-22, 2023 | Festival Days at the Tennessee State Museum, Tennessee State Library & Archive, & Bicentennial Mall
VISIT THE FESTIVAL WEBSITE
WWW.SOFESTOFBOOKS.ORG
The Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word 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.
In 2023, we’re launching new community events to be held with local partners at locations around the Nashville area. We hope these events help introduce the festival to new audiences and welcome long-time fans. These events will be held Sunday, October 15 through Thursday, October 19.
On Saturday, October 21 and Sunday, October 22, we invite you to join us for the full Festival experience – author sessions, book signings, food trucks, performance stages, and exhibitors. Learn more here.
INITIAL AUTHOR LIST OUT NOW!
ALSO! THE STORE IS OPEN !
View some past sessions on the FESTIVAL’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
SUBMIT A BOOK
If you’ve published a book between October 17, 2022 and October 31, 2023 and would like to be considered for an appearance at the festival, please mail one copy with full contact information to:
ATTN: Southern Festival of Books
Humanities Tennessee
PO Box 60467
Nashville, TN 37206
The submission period begins each year on January 1st and ends June 1st (postmark deadline). Please note that we strongly discourage self-published authors from outside of Tennessee from submitting.
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 2023 Southern Festival of Books. Visit our vendor page for all the details and complete the registration form.
DONATE
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.
AUTHORS IN THE ROUND
Authors In The Round, a special event dinner that provides vital funding for the Southern Festival of Books, will return in 2023 on October 20th at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Your participation in the dinner ensures that Humanities Tennessee may continue to present the Festival at no charge.
Contact Sandy Obodzinski, Development & Communications Director, for sponsorship opportunities – 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! Please take a moment to review all the volunteer options and dates. Then, complete our sign-up form.
If you are interested in volunteering as a host for author sessions in particular, please contact serenity@humtn.org.
If you represent a group that would like to volunteer, please contact jenny@humtn.org to discuss opportunities.
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