2021-07-19
Doris Kearns Goodwin, Amy Tan, Isabel Allende, Walter Isaacson, Daniel James Brown and twenty more
SONOMA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA | For Immediate Release — Sonoma Valley Authors Festival (SVAF) announces an amazing lineup of prominent authors and speakers for the 2021 event. Now in its fourth year, the acclaimed and intimate festival takes place at a new venue, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, August 27-29th. Launched in 2018, the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival is a curated, three-day event that strives to accomplish three important goals:
- “Stimulate the minds and nourishing the souls of readers” by bringing people together to hear exceptional authors from a variety of literary genres, and speakers who are thought leaders in science, technology, and medicine, in a series of “TED-Talk” style presentations.
- Support the community with a free, family-friendly Authors on the Plaza event, held under the trees on the historic Sonoma Plaza.
- Engage young scholars through Students Day, a celebration of community, literacy, and inspiration. Created for 2,700 local middle- and high-school students, the day includes 4,000+ free books written by the presenting authors, and paid for by private donations.
At a time when the art of listening seems to be disappearing, the need for civil discourse has never been greater. The Festival features well-informed speakers and engages listeners eager for thoughtful conversations and discussions of ideas. This year’s renowned authors and speakers include Doris Kearns Goodwin, Isabel Allende, Amy Tan, Daniel James Brown, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Niall Ferguson, Dave Barry, Billy Collins, H.R. McMaster, Wade Davis, Walter Isaacson, Min Jin Lee, Julia Flynn Seiler, Nicole Perlroth, and more.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome everyone back to Sonoma and to our new venue, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa,” says David and Ginny Freeman, Co-Founders. “It’s the perfect location to host our authors and speakers, and treat guests to an incredible three days of remarkable writers and thought leaders changing our world.”
As part of the festival, SVAF hosts free special events for the Sonoma community. This year’s Authors on the Plaza, held Saturday, August 28th at 5pm on Sonoma Plaza in the city center, features introductions by Dave Barry, Amy Tan in conversation with Jeffrey Brown of PBS, and two-time Poet Laureate, Billy Collins, who makes everyone laugh, cry, and reflect as he reads his poetry, loved by all. The 3rd Annual Students Day features a dozen authors and speakers including Doris Kearns Goodwin, Daniel James Brown, Dr. Euan Ashley, and astrophysicist Alex Filippenko who speak and interact with over 2,700 students at Sonoma Valley High School and local middle schools. Each year an average of 4,000 books, written by the presenting authors, are given free to the students, all paid for with private donations. Due to campus safety protocols, Students Day is only open to students. Sonoma Valley Authors Festival passes are available now at svauthorsfest.org/purchase-3-day-festival-passes/. The 3-day VIP Festival Passes start at $2,500 and include all presentations, breakfasts and lunches, plus an exclusive dinner with the authors, preferred seating, valet parking, and access to year-round events. All VIP passes include a tax-deductible donation. This year there are also a limited number of 3-day Festival Passes available for $1,149. These passes include all presentations, breakfasts and lunches. All Festival attendees receive complimentary access to the full Virtual Festival video archive available anytime, anywhere on demand from October 23-November 13, 2021. The Sonoma Valley Authors Festival is made possible through the generous support of
individual donors, corporate sponsors, and committed volunteers. SVAF is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization Tax ID #84-4846165.
About Sonoma Valley Authors Festival
The Sonoma Valley Authors Festival (SVAF) was founded by husband and wife team David and Ginny Freeman, who began developing the event after retiring to Sonoma County in 2016. The inaugural SVAF event was held May 4-6, 2018, in honor of their mothers who were lifelong readers and learners. The Sonoma Valley Authors Festival is made possible only through the generous support of individual donors, corporation sponsors and volunteers. The Festival has no employees, with Co-Founders Ginny and David Freeman donating their time, making a personal financial commitment, and drawing no salary.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL HANDLES
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CONTACTS: Beth Schnitzer | 917.287.7064 | beth@spritzsf.com
Ginny Freeman | 707.282.9028 | ginny@svauthorsfest.org