Sonoma Valley Authors Festival

The Festival: The Sonoma Valley Authors Festival is a 3-day weekend lecture series for adults and students that brings people together to hear authors from a variety of literary genres. Speakers also discuss advances being made in science, technology, and medicine, as well as current affairs in a""TED-talk"" style format. It is held live and attracts people who are committed to lifelong learning, who love to read, listen, and discuss a wide range of topics that facilitate understanding and transformation through knowledge. Between 350 and 550 attendees have purchased passes and enjoyed theFestivals each year. As part of the Festival, each presentation is video recorded and offered online for a month after the completion of the Festival.

Authors on the Plaza: With the intention of making the authors and speakers as accessible to as many people in the community as possible, Authors on the Plaza was added in the second year of the Festival. On Saturday of the Festival weekend, three Festival authors are featured by giving presentations to an audience on the on the lawn under the towering trees of Sonoma's beautiful town square. A family-friendly event, over 1,000 locals have gathered to enjoy fiction, non-fiction, and poetry while picnicking with friends.

Students Day: SVAF aims to inspire middle- and high-school students in the Sonoma Valley to read and make discoveries by providing them with the opportunity to meet and interact with some of today's most extraordinary writers and thought leaders. Copies of the presenting authors' books are purchased with donations and distributed free to all 2,700 young scholars. Each book has a bookplate where the students can write their own names and where the author can sign it. Between 3,500 and 5,000 books have been distributed each year that Students Day has been held.