THE AUTHORS

Joy Harjo, current US Poet Laureate, will be there as will Natasha Tretheway, former US Poet Laureate. Tennessee-based authors like Andrew Maraniss, Ann Patchett, and Ruta Sepetys will be there. Illustoria magazine ("a magazine for creative kids & their grownups") will be there! And on and on and on. Fiction, nonfiction, poetry: check out the full list here.

BOOKS AND A "VISIT"

Humanities Tennessee (the org that puts the Fest together) also runs Student Reader Days where we bring authors to schools and provides students with free copies of the writers' books. We're hoping to provide books by SFB authors to students/classes/school book clubs throughout TN who will join the author for their virtual session. Keeping in mind that demand may very well outpace supply, if your school is interested (again, alas!, no guarantee here!) please fill out this short form (and/or pass along to any other teacher who might be interested!). 

Regardless of receiving books, we certainly hope you and your students will tune in and participate in the free Festival sessions!

LET'S WRITE! 

Humanities Tennessee also helps organize the Young Writers' Workshop (this year held online as well!). In the spirit of gathering young voices and providing a space to write we'll be hopefully announcing (in a few weeks) a writing challenge for young writers. 

THANK YOU THANK YOU FOR ALL THE AWESOME WORK YOU DO! Should you have any questions or if you'd like any digital assets (festival artwork etc) to pass along to students in newsletters, social postings, paper airplanes, please contact us at [log in to unmask].

Hope you all have a great school year and we look forward to celebrating books with you in October! 

Patrick

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Here are some of this year's Festival authors:

Elementary
Doreen Cronin, Click Clack Good Night
David Weisner, Robobaby
Jessica Young, A Magic Spark: An Acorn Book

Rita Lorraine Hubbard, The Oldest Student

Meg Medina, Tia Isa Wants a Car

Middle Grade
Sharon Cameron, The Light in Hidden Places
Caroline DuBois, The Places We Sleep
L.M. Elliott, Storm Dog
Daphne Kalmar, Stealing Mt. Rushmore
Gillian McDunn, The Queen Bee and Me
Heather L. Montgomery, Who Gives a Poop? Surprising Science from End to the Other
Jamie Sumner, Tune it Out
Renee Watson, Ways to Make Sunshine (A Ryan Hart Novel)

Tony diTerlizzi, Kenny & the Book of Beasts (Kenny and the Dragon)

YA
Lamar Giles, Not So Pure and Simple
Sarah Henning, The Princess Will Save You
Ruta Sepetys, Fountains of Silence
Phil Stamper, The Gravity of Us

Andrew Maraniss, Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler's Germany

Kim Johnson, This is My America

+ more!