Southern Festival of Books Features Local Authors, Musicians & More

southern festival of books

The Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written WordSM is a three-day festival, Oct 14-16, at the War Memorial Plaza in downtown Nashville. This free festival welcomes 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.

See a list of all participating authors and the schedule here.

This year, the talent boasts some very recognizable, local names:

Bill Anderson is a songwriter, country musician, longtime Grand Ole Opry member and performer, and inductee into the legendary Country Music Hall of Fame. His  latest project, a book titled Whisperin’ Bill Anderson: An Unprecedented Life in Country Music will be available in September.

Kix Brooks teamed with Ronnie Dunn in 1990 to form Brooks & Dunn, the highest selling duo in the history of country music. They sold more than 30 million records, won more than 75 major industry awards, had 23 #1 hits, and set record with their 41st top 10 single. After Brooks & Dunn stopped performing, Brooks took over the hosting reins of the long-running syndicated radio program, “American Country Countdown” in 2006. On August 30th, you can purchase Brooks’ first ever cook book Cookin’ It With Kix: The Art of Celebrating and the Fun of Outdoor Cooking.
Anne Byrn is the bestselling author of the Cake Mix Doctor and Dinner Doctor cookbook series. Formerly a food editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and a graduate of the La Verenne Ecole deCuisine in Paris, Byrn has always been a foodie. Anne lives with her family in Nashville. Her latest cook book American Cake will be available in September.
Kelly Gilfillan is the COO of BIGRmedia. She co-founded Home Page Media Group in 2009 with a single website that grew to four by 2015. Kelly sits on the national board of Local Independent Online News Publishers (LION), the Davis House Child Advocacy Center Board, and is involved with the Brentwood United Methodist Church. She is deeply involved with Civil War battlefield presentation. She is married
Jerry Henderson received a PhD from the University of Louisiana and spent his entire career acting, directing and teaching. He is a retired Professor of Theater from Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, and now lives in historic Franklin, Tennessee. His latest book Here & Now, Then & There: A Collection of Stories was published last August.
 
Robert Hicks is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Widow of the South and A Separate Country. He lives in Franklin and his newest novel, The Orphan Mother, will be available in September.
 
Ann Patchett  is the author of six novels and three books of nonfiction. She has won many prizes, including Britain’s Orange Prize, the PEN/Faulkner Prize, and the Book Sense Book of the Year. Her work has been translated into more than thirty languages. She lives in Nashville and is the co-owner of Parnassus Books. Patchett’s latest novel Commonwealth will be available Sept 13th.
 
Jake Speck is the founder, president and managing director of Studio Tenn. Studio Tenn was founded in 2009 by nationally recognized director and designer Matt Logan, Emmy Award-winning producer Philip Hall, and Broadway and film actress Marguerite Lowell Hall.
 
Kimberly Williams-Paisley is an actress, writer, and advocate for dementia research and caregivers. She and her husband live in Tennessee with their two sons and two dogs. Her first book, Where the Light Gets In, is a tribute to Paisley’s mom, who was diagnosed with primary progressive aphasia, a rare form of dementia.
 
Jeff Zentner is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who has recorded with Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, and Debbie Harry. In addition to writing and recording his own music, Zentner works with young musicians at Tennessee Teen Rock Camp, which inspired him to write a novel for young adults. The Serpent King was published in March 2016 and is Jeff’s first novel. He lives in Nashville with his wife and son.