Southern Festival Of Books

The Vanderbilt University English Language Center and Residential Colleges recently partnered for the Explore Nashville program to provide students with an enriching cultural experience connected to the Southern Festival of Books. The festival was co-presented by Vanderbilt University… Read More

More than 1,600 first-year students were asked to interview someone in their community who could deepen, broaden or shift their understanding of the world—and to document the experience through a written story or reflection. This exercise, the first of its kind at Vanderbilt, drew a response that was nothing short of extraordinary.   Read More

Collaboration, community and love for the written word were celebrated at the 2025 Southern Festival of Books, presented by Vanderbilt University in partnership with Humanities Tennessee Oct. 18–19 in downtown Nashville. The free event, the 37th in festival history, brought hundreds of prominent national authors together in dialogue with fellow writers, readers and thousands of Middle Tennesseans. It also marked the first year of an expanded partnership between the festival and Vanderbilt, evidence of the university’s deepening investment in the cultural fabric of the region. Read More

The 2025 Southern Festival of Books, presented by Vanderbilt University in partnership with Humanities Tennessee, will connect faculty, students, alumni and others with university ties to a vast community that shares their love for creative expression. The festival, now in its 37th year, will be at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, Tennessee State Museum and Tennessee State Library and Archives Oct. 18–19. Admission is free. Read More

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. The continuation of the festival is a testament to the power of community. After months of uncertainty following the termination of federal funding, Tennesseans will have the opportunity to celebrate the return of this free event that connects authors and readers at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, the Tennessee State Museum and the Tennessee State Library and Archives. Read More

Vanderbilt University will be well represented at the 2023 Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written Word, where a significant number of faculty and authors with ties to the university will discuss their works Oct. 18–22. Read More

Watch video of Jim Leach, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, speaking Oct. 8.   Read more >> Media Contact: Missy Pankake, (615) 322-NEWS missy.pankake@vanderbilt.edu… Read More