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November 16
By oxnard
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Keynote and Brunch Speakers Announced, Plus a New Celebrating Eudora Tribute Concert

Keynote Speech
Friday, February 5, 2010, 5:30 pm

Sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Dick Eckburg

The Savannah Book Festival is proud to announce that internationally renowned and bestselling thriller writer Vince Flynn will kick-off the 2010 Festival with a Keynote Speech on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 5:30pm. Sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Dick Eckburg and hosted by Trinity United Methodist Church and free and open to the public, this exciting talk will feature a presentation by Vince Flynn, author of several New York Times bestselling novels, including his latest, Pursuit of Honor.  Flynn’s novels feature counterterrorism operative Mitch Rapp, who proves himself to be a hero unafraid “to walk the fine line between the moral high ground and violence” (The Salt Lake Tribune) for our country’s safety, for the sake of freedom, for the pursuit of honor.

Mr. Flynn will also appear during the Festival itself on Saturday, February 6th, 2010, again in the sanctuary of Trinity Church, to talk about his life in letters and his eleven novels, several of which are a part of the beloved Mitch Rapp series. Mr. Flynn, who overcame dyslexia and went on to fame and fortune as a writer, supports many worthy charities, including Tee it Up for the Troops and the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation.

Celebrating Eudora Tribute Concert
Saturday, February 6, 2010, 8:00 pm

with Kate Campbell, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Caroline Herring and Claire Holley

Presented in collaboration with the Savannah Music Festival

Co-sponsored by Carolyn Luck, & by John and Stephanie Duttenhaver

Breaking News: Celebrating Eudora concert to go on despite cancellation by Mary Chapin Carpenter…

The Savannah Book Festival is also offering a new ticketed musical event at this year’s Festival: five-time Grammy Award-winner Mary Chapin Carpenter and three other renowned singer-songwriters–Kate Campbell, Caroline Herring and Claire Holley–will perform a unique tribute to the late Pulitzer Prize-winning Southern writer Eudora Welty in a tribute concert the evening after the Savannah Book Festival on Saturday, February 6th, 2010, in Trinity Church.

Presented in collaboration with the world-renowned, award-winning Savannah Music Festival, this exciting addition to the Festival schedule will feature Carpenter, Campbell, Herring and Holley singing their own songs chosen specifically for and inspired by the literary legacy of Mississippi writer Eudora Welty, whose 100th birthday would have been April 13th, 2009. The concert, which debuted at the centennial celebration for Welty earlier this year, received rave reviews, and it is in perfect keeping with the Savannah Book Festival’s mission to promote the written word, particularly the work of Southern authors.

Taking place in historic Trinity United Methodist Church at 8 pm on Saturday, February 6th, 2010, the concert will be a ticketed fundraising event for the Festival. Tickets for $50 are on sale now through the Savannah Box Office.

Sunday Brunch Talk, February 7, 2010
11:30 am - 2:00 pm

Sponsored by

The Festival is also thrilled to welcome back Festival favorite Julia Reed as our Sunday Brunch Speaker. Ms. Reed is the author of Queen of the Turtle Derby and Other Southern Phenomena; Ham Biscuits, Hostess Gowns and Other Southern Specialties: An Entertaining Life (with Recipes), a collection of her essays on food for the New York Times Magazine and The House on First Street: My New Orleans Story, a memoir. The fundraising Sunday Brunch and talk by Ms. Reed, a much-anticipated event in Savannah’s social calendar, will be held in Jepson Center for the Arts on Telfair Square from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm.  Ms. Reed will be introduced by Savannah College of Art & Design President Paula Wallace.  Tickets for $75 are on sale now through the Savannah Box Office.

The Savannah Book Festival, which will take place February 5-7, 2010 in and around Telfair Square, is an annual, free and open to the public celebration of the written word and its role in improving the human experience. Our mission is to promote, reading, writing and civil conversation. For each of the past two years, the Festival has attracted dozens of popular and critically acclaimed authors and thousands of readers from all over America to Savannah’s Telfair Square, and the culturally significant buildings that surround it—Telfair Academy, Trinity Church and Jepson Center for the Arts. Within this beautiful venue, the Festival’s authors and their readers experience the intimacy and hospitality for which Savannah is famous.

As renowned historian Charles Bracelen Flood, observed, after the 2009 Savannah Book Festival:

As the author of 12 books and a former president of the American PEN Center, I have attended every kind of book-related gathering here and abroad. In recent years I have appeared at the Texas Book Festival and the LA Times Book Festival, as well as giving talks at the Smithsonian and the National Archives. The Savannah Book Festival is as good a forum for an author as any to which I’ve been. My wife and I were treated royally. My own talk was attended by perhaps 150 people in an attractive hall that had excellent acoustics. The introduction was informed and gracious, the questions were all knowledgeable, and the atmosphere was stimulating. The signing of my books after my talk and at one of the general welcoming parties was very well handled.

No one can be blasé about the beauty of Savannah [and] its synthesis of history and architecture. Charles Bracelen Flood

For the last two years, booksales have been handled by Ex Libris, the bookseller of the Savannah College of Art & Design and a valued collaborator in the 2010 Savannah Book Festival.  To order books by any of our authors in advance, please click here.

Parking at the 2010 Savannah Book Festival

Downtown parking for the Festival will be easy and inexpensive this year.  On Festival day itself, Saturday, February 6th, 2010, our guests will be able to park all day in the Robinson Street parking garage on the corner of York and Montgomery Streets all day for $5 in advance at garage entrance (cash only-exact change appreciated).  There will be no delays in exiting, which will make attending the Savannah Book Festival Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm and the Celebrating Eudora concert at 8 pm on Saturday evening a hassle-free experience.

Please note that this special Savannah Book Festival offer is for Saturday, February 6th, 2010 ONLY.  The normal parking rules will apply during our Keynote Address with Vince Flynn on Friday, February 5th, 2010.

For those coming to the much-awaited Sunday Brunch Talk with Festival-favorite Julia Reed on Sunday, February 7th, 2010, our guests will be able to park in the Robinson Street parking garage for the usual Sunday fee of $3 (cash only-exact change appreciated), with payment at the garage exit.

Recycling at the Festival by Green Life Space

Green Life Space is providing recycling for the 2010 Festival, with recycling bins placed in and around Telfair Square for our guests.  Please help us green this event by placing your aluminum cans and plastic bottles in the appropriate bins!

2010 Savannah Book Festival Schedule

Friday, February 5, 2010
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Imaginative Storm Writing Workshop taught by acclaimed memoirist Allegra Huston and renowned poet and spoken word artist James Navé
Location: Trinity Church Fellowship Hall

5:30 - 7:00 pm
Keynote Speech: best-selling novelist Vince Flynn
Location: Trinity Church Sanctuary, Telfair Square

Saturday, February 6, 2010
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Genres:
Fiction Authors – Sanctuary, Trinity Church
History & Biography Authors – Rotunda, Telfair Academy
Contemporary Issues Authors – Sculpture Gallery, Telfair Museum
Poets – Fellowship Hall, Trinity Church
Lifestyle Authors – Neises Auditorium, Jepson Center for the Arts
Free Speech Authors – Free Speech Tent, Telfair Square

8:00 pm
Tribute Concert to Eudora Welty with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Kate Campbell, Caroline Herring and Claire Holley
Location: Trinity Church Sanctuary, Telfair Square
Tickets: $50 at the Savannah Box Office; by phone at 912-525-5050; at the Savannah Box Office window, 216 E. Broughton St.; or at the door 1 hour prior to the event.

Sunday, February 7, 2010
11:30 am - 2:00 pm
Sunday Brunch Talk: acclaimed memoirist and food writer, Julia Reed
Location: Jepson Center for the Arts, Telfair Square
Tickets: $75 at the Savannah Box Office; by phone at 912-525-5050; at the Savannah Box Office window, 216 E. Broughton St.; or at the door 1 hour prior to the event.

For more information about the Savannah Book Festival, please contact Katherine Oxnard at 912-358-0575 or katherineoxnard@savannahbookfestival.org.

October 09
By oxnard
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Author Bruce Feiler to Speak in Savannah on October 14th

Bruce Feiler, bestselling author of Abraham and Walking the Bible, will present his new book America’s Prophet: Moses and the American Story  at 7 p.m. on October 14th in Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church, one of Savannah’s most beautiful historic churches.

Presented by the Savannah Morning News/Savannah Book Festival and co-sponsored by Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church and Unitarian Univeralist Church, this exciting, FREE event will feature a talk by Mr. Feiler, followed by a question-and-answer session and author signing.

In America’s Prophet, Mr. Feiler turns his attention to America in a groundbreaking look at how Moses shaped the nation’s character–and how he can guide us in a time of crisis.

Here’s what critics are saying about America’s Prophet:

“This is one of the most original, intelligent and endlessly fascinating books I have read in years: it should become a set book for anyone wanting to know what truly makes America tick.”  Simon Winchester

“What a smart, original and deeply intriguing reflection on the role Moses played–yes, Moses–in U.S. history.  Bruce Feiler at his innovative best: compelling, sweeping and engaging.  Highly recommended!”  Douglas Brinkley

America’s Prophet and other books by the author will be available for purchase, and Mr. Feiler will sign books following the presentation.  Book sales by ExLibris/Follett.

Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church, 429 Abercorn Street @ Gordon on Calhoun Square in historic downtown Savannah.

FREE and open to the public.  For more information, call 912-358-0575.

Click here for more details.

June 24
By admin
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Friends of the Savannah Book Festival present

a Fundraising Event To Benefit the Savannah Book Festival

New York Times Bestselling Author Dorothea Benton Frank

July 15, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Trinity Church. 225 West President Street @ Barnard, Savannah, Georgia
$12 per person, $10 for paid “Friends of the Savannah Book Festival” members. 
Tickets available at the door or at www.scadboxoffice.com, 912-525-5050.

Click Here to View Details.

Ten years and ten New York Times bestselling novels later, Dottie Frank has returned with the long awaited sequel to her debut novel, Sullivan’s Island. Dottie will discuss her new book, Return to Sullivans Island, and sign books afterwards.  First edition hardback copies will be avaiable for sale at the event, $25 tax included.

March 11
By Amy Rhodes
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It’s a Wrap!

Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them!
How I need them!
I’ll have a long beard
by the time I read them.
               -Arnold Lobel

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 26
By Amy Rhodes
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Counting Down!

Just a few days until the Second Annual Savannah Book Festival!

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 Singer-songwriter Caroline Aikenword performances
 - Book sales by Follett/Ex Libris
 - Food vendors from local restaurants
 - Exhibitors, including a local authors marketplace 

Sunday, February 8, 2009Paula Deen
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.

January 21
By Amy Rhodes
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Tickets are Going Fast, Y’all!

Paula Deen headlines Festival's Sunday Brunch

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.

December 23
By Amy Rhodes
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Jones, Ann

Ann Jones is the nomadic author of eight books of nonfiction, most recently Looking for Lovedu , a travel classic about one woman’s overland journey through Africa, and Kabul in Winter, an account of her years as a humanitarian aid worker among the women of Afghanistan. Among her earlier books is a groundbreaking series on women and violence that includes the bestseller Women Who Kill, soon to be reissued by the Feminist Press as the first in a series of Contemporary Feminist Classics, and the critically acclaimed Next Time, She’ll Be Dead, which Gloria Steinem called “the one book you should read about domestic violence.” Her work as an international journalist and photographer, reporting from every continent and many remote corners of the world, has appeared in a wide range of publications, from the New York Times and the Guardian (London) to Marie Claire Brazil and Vogue. Having spent the last eight years doing humanitarian work in conflict zones, she is now working on a book about the impact of the violence of war on women worldwide. She is a regular contributor to The Nation and the indispensible www.tomdispatch.com.

December 23
By Amy Rhodes
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Daise, Ron

Ron Daise

Ron Daise was born on St. Helena Island, a coastal South Carolina community in  that still exhibits Gullah culture. A 1978 graduate of Hampton University, Daise has documented Gullah culture and history with books, recordings, and performances since the 1986 publication of Reminiscences of Sea Island Heritage. He and his wife Natalie starred in Nick Jr. TV’s award-winning children’s series, Gullah Gullah Island, along with their children, Sara and Simeon. The show aired from 1994-1999.  Daise’s other books include De Gullah Storybook and Little Muddy Waters, A Gullah Folk Tale and two sticker books, Mr. Bradley’s Day of Surprises and Let’s Go to the Gullah Gullah Island Market. A charter member of The Sea Island Translation Team and Literacy Project, which translated the Bible into Gullah, Daise also is the recipient of The South Carolina Order of the Palmetto and Folk Heritage Awards. He is a board member of the developing International African American Museum of Charleston, S.C. and serves as Vice President for Creative Education at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, S.C.

December 15
By Amy Rhodes
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Savannah Book Festival Receives Endorsement

The Savannah Book Festival and its featured appearance by author Charles Bracelen Flood has received an endorsement from the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.  Mr. Flood will premiere his new book, 1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History at the Savannah Book Festival on Saturday, February 7, 2009.  He will appear at the History & Biography Venue in the rotunda of the Telfair Academy at 3:00 p.m.

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.

Click here to read the entire article.

December 12
By Amy Rhodes
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Miller, Jonathan

Jonathan Miller lives in Charleston, South Carolina.  He writes and illustrates the children’s book series, The Adventures of Sammy the Wonder Dachshund. His book, Sammy’s Last Week in Charleston, will be released on December 17th, 2008.  Jonathan graduated from the College of Charleston in 2002 where he majored in Business.  He began making intricate designs out of construction paper for friends, then decided to adapt the technique to books.  Jonathan will be reading from his new book and demonstrating his amazing artistry with construction paper.

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