With seven months to go, the Savannah Book Festival volunteer board of directors is hard at work to make the February 14-17, 2013 Festival better than ever. Two prominent authors have already agreed to anchor Festival 2013, and the board is discussing participation with other top-selling authors. As previously announced, James Patterson will be the keynote speaker and David Baldacci, the closing address honoree.

To accommodate the large audiences expected for both Patterson and Baldacci, Savannah Book Festival 2013 has expanded events at the Trustees Theater in Savannah’s Historic District offering a capacity of 1,100. All six venues, including Trustees Theater, are within walking distance of Telfair Square, the Festival center.

More than 8,000 visitors attended last year’s Festival, and Savannah Book Festival Executive Director Robin Gold expects even more attendees this year. “We expect that the caliber of the authors participating in Festival 2013 will be a huge draw for attendees from the South East,” said Gold. “Book clubs throughout the country are becoming increasingly aware of us, and we have heard that many intend to come to Savannah in February to lose themselves in books.”

The Savannah Book Festival volunteer board of directors for 2013 will once again be led by Stephanie Duttenhaver, who has been President of the Festival since 2011. Other board members include Libba Anderson, Cindy Edwards, Lesley Francis, Vaughnette Goode-Walker, Steve Green, Ann Higbee, Will Holland, Alice Jepson, Scott Lauretti, Jenny Long, Monica McGoldrick, Mark Murphy, Ben Oxnard, Scott Richards, Jack Romanos, Don Sturtz and Jeff Tucker, Ex Officio.

The Savannah Book Festival Inc. is an independent, non-profit corporation led by a volunteer board of directors. It is committed to remaining free and open to the public and to celebrating the written word and its role in improving the human experience. For more information, please contact Executive Director Robin Gold at 912.598.4040 or info@savannahbookfestival.org.