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 ←←←
APRIL 7, 2025
Many people are asking if there will be a Southern Festival of Books this year. At this time, we cannot say yes or no.
The Festival is paid for and kept free through a combination of public and private funding that includes some of the National Endowment for the Humanities funding that is at risk.
We also receive support from corporate sponsors, foundations, competitive grants, earned income, and individual donations. It takes all of these components to present the Festival each year.
We are exploring the options available to us, and talking with the partners that help the Festival happen.
We will keep you updated as we can.
In the meantime, please sign up for our newsletter for regular updates, and donate to the extent that you are able.
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.
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
If you’ve published a book between October 23, 2024 and October 31, 2025 and would like to be considered for an appearance at the festival, please complete this submission form by May 31, 2025.
At this stage we kindly ask that you not send any unsolicited copies of the book. Thank you! 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 2025 Southern Festival of Books. Registration to open late May 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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