Mission & History

The Savannah Book Festival is an annual event, free and open to the public, in celebration of the written word and its role in improving the human experience. Our mission is to promote reading, writing and civil conversation.

Since the first Savannah Book Festival in 2008, SBF has consistently presented nationally-recognized national, regional and local authors to thousands of book-loving attendees. Growing from the first venue of Trinity United Methodist Church, Festival Saturday now features over 40 authors appearing at seven venues around three historic squares in beautiful downtown Savannah. Included in the almost 400 authors appearing over the last decade are James Patterson, Stephen King, Diana Gabaldon, George Saunders, Anne Rice, Colson Whitehead, Janet Evanovich, Jodi Picoult and Walter Isaacson. Attendees come from all over the US to experience the curiosity and conversation of SBF.