Savannah welcomes authors at the Book Festival

Another reason to visit the beautiful city of Savannah! The third annual Savannah Book Festival begins Friday February 5 at 5:30 with the keynote address by best-selling thriller author Vince Flynn.

What would a visit to Savannah be without music? A special event this year is a concert featuring Mary Chapin Carpenter, Caroline Herring, Claire Holley and Kate Campbell in tribute to the late Pulitzer Price-winning Eudora Welty, who would have turned 100 last April. This concert is just a taste of the upcoming Savannah Music Festival which starts March 18.  More about it later!

The organizers have got some terrific writers lined up for the festival, among them Rick Bragg (All Over But the Shoutin’,) (Doug Blackman (Slavery by Another Name,) Julia Reed(Queen of the Turtle Derby and other Southern Phenomena,) Lauretta Hannon (The Cracker Queen: A Memoir of a Jagged Joyful Life) Mary Alice Monroe (Sweetgrass,) William Rawlings (The Mile High Club) and many, many more!

The authors schedule will introduce you to some of these writers — one pair that I discovered that is so compelling I’ve got to tell you about it is Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton. They will talk about their book which tells the true story of her rape, her insistence that it was him, his conviction and release after 11 years when DNA proved his innocence. They later met and wrote this book together.

If you’ve not been to a book festival – the authors talk and sign books. You’ll hear interesting things about why, how and what they write, get to ask questions — maybe shake their hands and actually tell them how much you enjoy their work. You’ll discover writers you can’t wait to read. The Savannah Book Festival takes place in several venues around Telfair Square, (see map) so you’ll walk from one to another and get to enjoy this graceful, historic town (and some of the food!)

Oh, and it will be at least ten degrees warmer in Savannah!

(Photos courtesy Savannah Book Festival. Used with permission.