If you can identify with the foregoing verse, then you may have been one of the thousands of readers who converged on Savannah’s Telfair Square and treated themselves to this year’s Savannah Book Festival.  We hope that we exceeded your expectations.

2009 Keynote speaker Roy Blount, Jr.

Our Friday night keynote address was standing room only, filling the beautiful and historic Trinity Church to the rafters.  On Saturday, the weather was beautiful, our attendance skyrocketed to new heights, the authors were fascinating, and Telfair Square was alive with people from all over the United States who came to hear and meet their favorite authors, buy books, eat wonderful food and drink in the festival atmosphere. Sunday’s Brunch on the Square with Paula Deen was a sellout, with Savannah’s most famous restaurateur closing the festival with a rollicking good time.

But no one person or committee produces an event of this caliber alone.  

Our volunteers made things happen!

It happens through the year-round efforts of our hardworking board members and dedicated volunteers; through collaborating organizations and individuals who assist with programming and marketing; through the generosity and vision of our donors and sponsors; through the professionalism of our vendors; and our wonderful authors, many of whom waive their customary fees to appear at our festival. 

The contributions of each person and organization helped immeasurably to shape the Savannah Book Festival into a world-class literary event in only its second year of existence. If you assisted with, contributed to or attended this year’s Savannah Book Festival, we thank you for your confidence in our efforts.  In these difficult economic times, your continued support  is needed for the festival to grow and prosper.  We promise to work to improve the Festival each year to merit your support.  

For now, keep in touch with us by signing up (on the left hand side of our home page) to receive emailed updates on the 2010 Festival and our quarterly Friends of the Savannah Book Festival events.  We will keep this site updated with current news and we’re planning a book event for June 2009 that’s sure to be a blockbuster!  Donate if you can, and encourage your friends to become involved with the Savannah Book Festival.  We have needs throughout the year, not just at Festival time the first weekend in February!   

Thanks again, and stay tuned for further developments.   

Author Bailey White with a tentful of old and new fans.

Friday, February 6, 2009
Keynote Address
Free and Open to the Public
The festival kicks off at Trinity Church at 5:30 pm on with a keynote address by humorist and author Roy Blount, Jr., introduced by Julia Reed, returning to this year’s festival by popular demand.

The Keynote Address sponsored in part by  Elizabeth Oxnard and Carolyn Luck

Saturday, February 7, 2009 Main Festival Day
on Telfair Square
Free and Open to the Public
The Festival continues from 10 am through 5 pm on Telfair Square and the historic buildings around the square, with:
 - Six literary venues; more than 40 authors speaking to audiences throughout the day
 - Book signings after each author presentation
 - Family Activities venue, including a performance by singer-songwriter Caroline Aiken; storytellers, children’s book authors, art demonstrations and spoken word performances
 - Book sales by Follett/Ex Libris
 - Food vendors from local restaurants
 - Exhibitors, including a local authors marketplace 

Sunday, February 8, 2009
Sunday Brunch on the Square
with Paula Deen
We wrap up with a brunch fundraiser at 12 noon on Telfair Square, featuring Savannah’s own Paula Deen, and catered by her world-famous restaurant, The Lady & Sons.  Tickets $75 to benefit the Savannah Book Festival.  Visit www.scadboxoffice.com or call 912-525-5050 for tickets. Service charges apply.

Brunch on the Square with Paula Deen is sponsored by Piggly Wiggly, Elizabeth Oxnard, Don and Kay Gardner and Carolyn Luck.

Paula Deen will headline the closing event of the Savannah Book Festival

Tickets to the Savannah Book Festival’s closing event, “Brunch on the Square with Paula Deen,” are selling like, well….hoecakes!

Savannah’s own culinary star and restaurateur – Paula Deen – headlines this event, which will take place on Sunday, February 8, 2009 at 12 noon on Telfair Square.  Sharing the spotlight with Paula is her fabled southern cuisine from The Lady & Sons.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to visit with Paula in a beautiful and intimate setting.  After the brunch, Paula will sign books.*

Tickets for this event are available now at www.scadboxoffice.com, or by calling 912-525-5050.  Service charges apply.  All proceeds benefit the Savannah Book Festival.

Limited to on-site purchases, please.  Book sales by Ex Libris.

Charles Bracelen Flood was born in Manhattan and graduated from Harvard, where he was a member of Archibald MacLeish’s noted creative writing seminar. The 12 books he has written include the novels A Distant Drum and More Lives Than One, as well as The War of the Innocents, his account of a year spent in Vietnam as a correspondent. Flood’s Rise, and Fight Again won the American Revolution Round Table Award in 1976, and Hitler-The Path to Power was among several successful studies in history and biography that followed.  Flood’s first venture into the Civil War era was Lee-The Last Years. In Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War, Flood explores their remarkable partnership, which helped see an entire nation through perilous times. Flood’s newest book is 1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History, and will release in February, 2009 – the bicentennial month of Lincoln’s birth.

About the Second Annual Savannah Book Festival

The Savannah Book Festival is an annual event for adult readers that takes place in and around Telfair Square in historic downtown Savannah, Georgia.  The Festival begins on Friday, February 6^th at 5:30 pm with a keynote address by southern humorist and author Roy Blount, Jr. in the sanctuary of Trinity Church. Blount will be introduced by another southern humorist and author, Julia Reed – returning this year by popular request.  This event is free and open to the public.

On Saturday, February 7^th, beginning at 10:00 am and ending at 5:00 pm, more than 40 nationally-known authors will make hourly talks at different venues in Telfair square and the stately buildings surrounding the square. Authors from Fiction, History & Biography, Contemporary Issues, Lifestyle and Poetry genres will address their audiences. The Savannah Book Festival employs a one-author/one-audience format; each author speaks informally and directly to his or her audience, with questions welcomed.

Following their presentation, each author will sign books in the Book Sales Tent adjacent to Telfair Square. Books by all authors participating in the Festival, plus additional books with regional interest, will be available for purchase on site.

In addition to author presentations, Family Activities will be available in a tented venue on Telfair Square.  This venue will feature storytellers, children’s book authors, a performance by singer-songwriter Caroline Aiken and spoken word artists. 

In the areas surrounding the square will be food vendors and exhibitors, including publishing companies, booksellers and literary non-profits. New for 2009 is the Local Author Marketplace, where emerging and self-published authors may exhibit and gain exposure to audiences.  All Saturday events are free and open to the public.

Brunch on the Square with Paula
The Savannah Book Festival concludes on Sunday, February 8th with a fundraising “Brunch on the Square with Paula,” featuring Savannah’s own restaurateur and Food Network star, Paula Deen.  Paula is bringing along her famous southern cuisine from The Lady & Sons especially for this event.  Tickets are $75 and now on sale at www.scadboxoffice.com or at 912-525-5050.  Service charges apply. All proceeds benefit the Savannah Book Festival. 

For further information about the Savannah Book Festival, call our office at 912-358-0575.

As title sponsor for the second consecutive year, the Savannah Morning News has made a significant commitment of resources to promoting the Festival, which draws thousands of readers to Savannah’s historic district to see their favorite authors and discover new favorites, purchase books and enjoy family activities.

The Festival begins on Friday, February 6, 2009 with a keynote address by southern humorist and author Roy Blount, Jr. in the sanctuary of Trinity Church. Blount will be introduced by another southern humorist and author, Julia Reed – returning this year by popular request.

On Saturday, February 7, 2009 beginning at 10:00 am and ending at 5:00 pm, authors will make hourly presentations at seven different venues in Telfair square and the stately buildings surrounding the square: Fiction authors will take the stage in the sanctuary of Trinity Church and in a tented venue in Telfair Square; History & Biography authors will present in the Rotunda of the Telfair Academy; Authors addressing Contemporary Issues will be in a new venue this year, the Sculpture Gallery of the Telfair Academy; Lifestyle authors will address audiences in the Neises Auditorium of the Jepson Center for the Arts; Poetry will debut a new venue in the Fellowship Hall of Trinity Church; and a Singer-Songwriter will perform in Telfair Square.

The Savannah Book Festival employs a one-author/one-audience format; each author speaks informally and directly to his or her audience, with audience questions welcomed.

Following their presentations, each author will sign books in the Book Sales Tent adjacent to Telfair Square. Books by all authors participating in the Festival will be available for purchase on site and are supplied by Follett in cooperation with the Savannah College of Art and Design.

In addition to author presentations, family activities will be provided in Telfair Square, along with various food vendors and exhibitors. New for 2009 will be the Local Author Marketplace, where emerging and self-published authors may exhibit and gain exposure to audiences.

On Sunday, February 8, 2009, Savannah’s southern charm is on display as the Savannah Book Festival concludes with a ticketed brunch featuring Savannah’s own Paula Deen. The brunch will be a fundraising event in support of the Festival, and a date for ticket sales will be announced.