NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Southern Festival of Books, one of the oldest literary festivals in the country, returns to the War Memorial Plaza and Nashville Public Library Friday.
The event is put on by Humanities Tennessee. Over the next three days, people can hear from popular authors, attend book signings, buy new books, listen to live music and eat and drink from food trucks.
The event is free and open to the public.
Sean Dietrich, also known as Sean of the South, is one of the authors who will be featured. He will talk about his latest book, "You Are My Sunshine" at the festival Saturday.
This is his first time attending the festival. Dietrich is from Birmingham, Alabama and writes heartwarming -- but still powerful -- stories about experiences in the south.
He said he has loved writing since the 5th grade and became an official published author about 10 years ago.
As an author, he said the festival is an opportunity to open up his world to new things.
"But when you get around people with such vibrance, such differing perspectives and such a colorful vivid focus of the south and the world of literature, you really feel your brain start to open up," said Dietrich. "And you really experience new facets of what it means to be a writer, what it means to be a reader, and you enjoy your region a little better."
Anyone can attend the event, but he especially urges new writers to come and learn at the festival.
Before he was a writer, Dietrich said he faced constant rejection, but that motivated him instead of discouraged him, and now he wants to tell other writers to believe in themselves.
"I would encourage younger writers to come out to this, and swallow those feelings of inadequacy, and under confidence, because I think you're going to find that you will be embraced by writers of all levels, and you will find yourself as part of a fraternity and it will really make you feel good about who you are," said Dietrich.
You can find the full schedule for the Southern Festival of Books here.
