Celebrating the written word since 1989.
VISIT THE FESTIVAL WEBSITE
WWW.SOFESTOFBOOKS.ORG
SAVE THE DATE…
The 37th Annual
SOUTHERN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
October 18-19, 2025
Tennessee State Museum, Tennessee State Library & Archives, & Bicentennial Mall
→ → → UPDATE ←←←
JULY 3, 2025
The Southern Festival of Books will return for its 37th year on October 18-19, 2025, thanks to resounding community support, new donations, and an expanded partnership with Vanderbilt University as presenting partner. This year’s event will be titled “Vanderbilt University Presents: The Southern Festival of Books, a program of Humanities Tennessee,” marking a new chapter in the life of this storied public event and reflecting Vanderbilt’s deepening investment in the cultural, civic, and intellectual fabric of the region.
Check back on July 17 for the first round of participating authors and this year’s Festival poster!
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. Learn more here.
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 to open mid-June 2025.
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!
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