The Savannah Book Festival announces that bestselling author Pat Conroy will headline the fifth annual Festival by giving the Keynote Address on February 17, 2012, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 225 West President Street on Telfair Square in historic downtown Savannah.

Update: The Keynote Address is at 6pm; doors open at 5pm; there are no reservations or tickets – seating is first-come, first-served.

(There will be a VIP/ Meet the Author Reception at the Jepson Museum immediately following the Keynote Address. Tickets for the reception are $250.00 per person and include cocktails and hors d’ouevres. Make your reservation online or by check.)

Photo credit: David Spielman

Conroy’s latest work, My Reading Life, celebrates the writers and stories that influenced, beguiled and led him to become a man of letters. Kirkus Book Reviews called this personal account “truly affecting.”

Conroy has written nine books, among them the novels The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline and The Prince of Tides. His touching narratives and richly drawn characters, often inspired from his own life in and around his beloved Low Country, have earned him legions of fans and numerous honors, including induction in both the Georgia and South Carolina Halls of Fame. He has won the F. Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe prizes.

“Pat Conroy is the most requested author for the festival,” says Board President Stephanie Duttenhaver. “He represents the soul of the Southern writer. As a resident of our beautiful Low Country, it is so perfect that he has agreed to be our keynote speaker when we celebrate our fifth year.”

The Savannah Book Festival promotes reading, writing and civil conversation. Celebrating its fifth year with five days of literary events, the festival will take place Feb. 15-19, 2012, over the President’s Day weekend.

The Savannah Book Festival, Inc. is an independent, non-profit corporation led by a volunteer board of directors. The South’s biggest story, the Festival will take place during the week leading up to Presidents Day, February 15-19, 2012, in and around Telfair Square.  It is committed to remaining free and open to the public, and to celebrating the written word’s role in improving the human experience. For more information, please contact Executive Director Robin Gold at (912) 598-4040 or robin@savannahbookfestival.org.

Book Signing Procedures

Mr. Conroy will be able to sign approximately 200 books on Friday night and 200 books on Saturday afternoon. To be eligible for a book signature, patrons must have a signing card numbered 1 -200.

To obtain a card, patrons must purchase a copy of one Pat Conroy book from the Ex Libris Author and Book tent. Only one signature card can be purchased per person. If someone would like to purchase multiple copies of a book(s), they may do so, but only one book with a signing card per person will be issued. If a patron wishes to have a copy of a book signed other than the book they purchase, they may do so but they still must purchase a book to obtain a signature card.

All books for the signing will be on sale at the Ex Libris Author and Book Tent beginning at 12:00 Noon in Friday, Feb. 17th.

At the conclusion of Mr. Conroy’s Keynote Address, patrons will be asked to line up in the corresponding order of their book signing cards beginning with the number one. All signature card holders will be assured of having their book signed*.

If time allows and Mr. Conroy is able to sign more books, visitors will be invited to get in line for a signature and will not have to purchase a book or have a signature card. The decision to sign more books would be made solely at the discretion of Mr. Conroy.

Photographs (only without the use of flash) may be taken while waiting in/after the book signing line. Due to time constraints, the line cannot be stopped for personal visits or photographs with Pat Conroy.

* If patrons must leave the signing line, they need to be back in line prior to 9:00 PM to ensure they are able to obtain a signature.