South Dakota Festival of Books

About

The best in books comes to South Dakota with the 14th annual Festival of Books, featuring a half dozen Pulitzer Prize winners among the more than 70 authors on schedule to present.

The Festival has grown to become the state’s premier literary event. Brookings hosts the Festival, Sept. 22-25 with events in Sioux Falls on Thursday, Sept. 22 and in Rapid City, Sept. 27. Events are free and open to the public. 

Six featured Pulitzer Prize winners represent 35 years of high caliber writing in international reporting, fiction, poetry, history, biography and criticism with authors Jane Smiley, Robert Olen Butler, T.J. Stiles, Michael Dirda, Ted Kooser and Shirley Christian.

They come to South Dakota to recognize the centennial year of the Pulitzer Prize. The Festival, One Book South Dakota, and a network of other events and projects throughout the year are part of an initiative led by the South Dakota Humanities Council.

The Festival hosts more than 70 presenters including nationally-known crime writers Jeffrey Deaver and Anne Perry, Jeff Alworth of The Beer Bible, Ron Capps of the Veterans Writing Project, National Book Award winner Pete Dexter, Max & Ruby creator Rosemary Wells, and Edgar Allan Poe Award winner Jess Walter. 

Meet the authors of the Festival of Books and start planning your visit.