Southern Fesitival of Books
The Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word(SM), held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, welcomes over 20,000 visitors free of charge and more than 200 authors from throughout the nation and in every genre for readings, panel discussions, and book signings. Book lovers have the opportunity to hear from and meet some of America's foremost writers in fiction, history, mystery, food, biography, travel, poetry and children's literature among others. In addition to the many authors on the program the Festival hosts popular book exhibitors and programs three performance stages throughout the three-day event.
The Southern Festival of Books grew out of Humanities Tennessee's involvement in Homecoming '86, a statewide celebration of community history and community enrichment. The first Festival was held in Nashville in 1989. The Southern Festival of Books is one of the first book festivals of its kind, and over the years several other organizations and humanities councils have used the Southern Festival of Books model to create book festivals in their states.