The 4th Annual Sonoma Valley Authors Festival (SVAF) comes to the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, August 27-29th. The Festival features well-informed speakers and engages listeners eager for thoughtful conversations and discussions of ideas. This year’s exclusive, curated 3-day weekend lecture series features 25 authors and speakers including 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.
Designed to “Stimulate the Minds and Nurture the Souls of Readers” who enjoy unique literary and cultural content, and are committed to lifelong learning. The intimate, in-person event has a maximum attendance of 400 attendees.
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-
