SOUTHERN FESTIVAL
OF BOOKS
A PROGRAM OF HUMANITIES TENNESSEE
OCTOBER
18 & 19,
2025
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY PRESENTS
UPDA
​
!!! 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!
WELCOME!
The Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word is among the oldest literary festivals in the country, annually welcoming hundreds of authors and thousands of visitors to downtown Nashville each October.
The Festival, a program of Humanities Tennessee, is free and includes performance stages, food trucks, and loads of publishers and booksellers.
The initial author lineup for our 37th annual Festival will be revealed in July!
Stay up to date and subscribe to SFB emails. We also post updates here and here.
We look forward to celebrating the written word with you this Fall (October 18 and 19, 2025) downtown at the Bicentennial Mall, Tennessee State Museum, and Tennessee State Library.
SUBMIT
A BOOK
Please note: the online public submission portal for the 2025 Festival has closed. Thank you for your interest!​​
---
Want to let us know about a really great new book you've been reading? Please let us know!
HELLO VENDORS!
If you are a bookseller, publisher, press, literacy organization, or a company with book-related products, we invite you to rent a booth to exhibit at the 2025 Southern Festival of Books. Find the Application here.
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. DONATE HERE.
​
Interested in donating time by volunteering? Please check back a few months before the Festival for volunteer opportunities!
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 2025 on October 17th. Your participation in the dinner ensures that Humanities Tennessee may continue to present the Festival at no charge.
​
Visit the Authors In The Round site.
OUR THANKS TO FESTIVAL SPONSORS!
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY PRESENTS
THE SOUTHERN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS is a program of
HUMANITIES TENNESSEE
615 Main St
Suite B19
Nashville, TN 37206
P: 615-770-0006 | F: 615-770-0007
sfb1@humtn.org
​
