Get Involved in the Southern Festival of Books: A Celebration of the Written WordSM

We encourage you to be a part of this longstanding literary tradition. There are several ways to get involved in the Southern Festival of Books:

reading through the schedule

Volunteer your time

In order to keep the Southern Festival of Books free to the public, we rely heavily on volunteers to make this annual celebration of the written word a success. Volunteers help to ensure the sustainability of the Festival while working to promote the joy and importance of literature. We have several volunteer positions available for all skill levels and each year we need approximately 400 volunteers to make the Festival a success. We encourage organizations and groups to volunteer as well as individuals.

There are many ways to get involved as a volunteer for the Southern Festival of Books …

  • Hosting a session—download the Host Information Form here (PDF, 82 kB; requires the free Adobe® Reader®)
  • Providing author rides
  • Selling Festival merchandise & providing Festival information
  • Assisting in Book Sales
  • Facilitating author signings in the Signing Colonnade
  • Distributing Festival posters in your area

Take a moment to fill out the Volunteer Information Form online, or download it here. (PDF, 206 kB; requires the free Adobe® Reader®). If you have further volunteer questions, contact Georgia Copeland at georgia@humanitiestennessee.org or 615-770-0006, ext. 15.

Donate financial or in-kind support

Sponsor list

Humanities Tennessee presents the Southern Festival of Books to the public free of charge. Festival costs are paid for in large part by Humanities Tennessee and with the support of individual contributions, corporate sponsorships, and foundation and arts grants.

Individual contributions are the core of the Festival's funding. Donate $35 or more today and become a Friend of Humanities Tennessee. Your donation will help keep the Festival free. As a Friend of Humanities Tennessee you will receive our Humanities Matters bi-monthly e-newsletter.

Become a Humanities Tennessee Patron with your donation of $500 or more. As a Patron you will receive a signed copy of the book of your choice from the Southern Festival of Books roster.

Corporate sponsors

Corporate Patron support is also an essential part of Festival funding. Corporate Patrons donate between $500 and $2,499 and are recognized for their contribution at the Festival in the official Festival program and on our website.

Sponsorship opportunities for corporations wishing to support this outstanding literary event are offered starting at $2,500. A corporation can become a Silver, Gold, Official, Venue or Presenting sponsor. To receive even more recognition in the official program for your contribution, corporations have the option of agreeing to recruit and organize hosts for a number of Festival sessions. For more information on corporate sponsorship opportunities, contact Jennifer Chalos at jennifer@humanitiestennessee.org or at 615-310-8344.

Non-profit organizations can also receive sponsorship credit in the official Festival program through agreeing to recruit and organize hosts for a certain number of Festival sessions. Please contact Georgia Copeland at georgia@humanitiestennessee.org or at 615-770-0006, ext. 15 for more information about this new opportunity.

We also encourage companies to make in-kind donations to the Festival. Please look over our Southern Festival of Books wish list to see if your company may be able to contribute certain products (or if your company would prefer to give in-kind support by designating a cash contribution, that can be arranged as well). We are happy to recognize all in-kind donors in the official Festival program.

Southern Festival of Books Wish List
Bottled water (50 cases)
Items from local businesses to be included in author goody bags (250 of each item)
Sodas (varied types) for the Festival Thank You reception (15 cases)
Printing services

To make a donation, use our secure online donation form. If your prefer, you may send your check payable to Humanities Tennessee to

Humanities Tennessee
306 Gay Street, Suite 306
Nashville, TN 37201

Please take a minute to learn more about donating to Humanities Tennessee or contact Jennifer Chalos at Jennifer@humanitiestennessee.org or 615-310-8344.

Want to Stay in Touch?

Join our Humanities Tennessee Humanities Matters E-newsletter list
Follow the Festival on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter near Festival time
Join the SFB List, the mailing list for the Southern Festival of Books. Get email with updates on developments in this year's festival and discuss festival authors and books in this moderated list. Your email address will NOT be shared with other groups. To subscribe, fill in the box below with your email address and click the "Join Now!" button. It's quick and easy.

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