Humanities Tennessee

10/08/2026

🎉 Today on 2026 you can use your Donor-Advised Funds to support at Humanities Tennessee.

When you make a DAF gift to Humanities Tennessee, you’re helping us support programming that:

✅ Connects students with authors
✅ Brings diverse voices to every corner of Tennessee
✅ Sustains free literary programming for all

🧡 Today your DAF can do more than ever before. Join us and be part of the movement.

👉 Give now: https://connect.clickandpledge.com/Organization/humanitiestennessee/campaign/TCFB27

10/02/2026

High school writers!

ATTENTION HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!

This Fall Break, join us for a free, one-day creative writing extravaganza! The Tennessee Young Writers’ Workshop and The Porch are teaming up to offer a unique creative experience in conjunction with the Southern Festival of Books. In this full-day workshop, you’ll get to:

- Meet and learn from published authors who are visiting for the Southern Festival of Books.
-Find inspiration and start original stories.
- Experiment with writing in several genres.
- Connect with creative peers.
- Learn writing tips from the pros including Andrea L. Rogers, Bradley Sides, Erin Osmon, Emily Yellin, and Joe Kane.

Kick off the Southern Festival of Books by making space for your own words! Whether you’re hoping to take your writing to the next level or just have fun trying something new, this is the place for you. All styles and skill levels are welcome. A free RSVP is required and seats are limited. Sign up to reserve your spot!

With gratitude to the Young Writers' Workshop: Festival Edition partners: Humanities Tennessee , the Porch Writers' Collective, the Nashville Public Library, the Tennessee State Museum, and Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts at APSU.

09/25/2026

Humanities Tennessee is pleased to announce the third annual Tennessee Book Award in Poetry is awarded to Maria Zo***la for Helen of Troy, 1993.

Zo***la is a poet and educator from Memphis, Tennessee. She has writing degrees from Emory University and Falmouth University and has spent several years leading creative writing workshops for middle and high school youth. Maria’s work has previously appeared in Ploughshares, The Kenyon Review, The Iowa Review, The Sewanee Review, and elsewhere. She has received a special mention for the Pushcart Prize. Helen of Troy, 1993 is her debut poetry collection.

Thank you to finalist judge Danez Smith who selected the winner from the finalists chosen by a statewide panel of teachers, librarians, and Humanities Tennessee board members.

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09/24/2026

Humanities Tennessee is pleased to announce the third annual Tennessee Book Award in Non-Fiction is awarded to Tyler Merritt for This Changes Everything: A Surprisingly Funny Story About Race, Cancer, Faith, and Other Things We Don't Talk About. Merritt is an actor, musician, comedian, and activist behind The Tyler Merritt Project. Raised in Las Vegas, he has always had a passion for bringing laughter, grace, and love into any community he is a part of. His film credits include Netflix's “Outer Banks", Disney/Marvel's “Falcon and the Winter Soldier”, NBC's” Young Rock”, and A24's “The Inspection”, to name a few. Tyler's viral videos "Before You Call the Cops" and "Walking While Black" have been viewed by more than 100 million people worldwide, with "Before You Call the Cops" being voted the most powerful video of 2020 by NowThis Politics. He is a cancer survivor who lives in Nashville, Tennessee.

Thank you to finalist judge Timothy Egan who selected the winner from the finalists chosen by a statewide panel of teachers, librarians, and Humanities Tennessee board members.

09/23/2026

Humanities Tennessee is pleased to announce the third annual Tennessee Book Award in Fiction is awarded to Kevin Wilson for Run for the Hills. Wilson is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels, including Now Is Not the Time to Panic, Nothing to See Here, and The Family Fang, as well as two story collections. His work has received the Shirley Jackson Award and been selected as a Read with Jenna book club pick. He lives in Sewanee, Tennessee, with his wife and two sons.

Thank you to finalist judge Geraldine Brooks who selected the winner from the finalists chosen by a statewide panel of teachers, librarians, and Humanities Tennessee board members.

09/21/2026

Your last chance to see What If: Designs from the Future of Crafting and Growing at the Museum and Cultural Center at 5ive Points in Cleveland, Tennessee, is Saturday, September 26. Next up, the exhibit is headed to Nashville and the Southern Festival of Books, October 17-18.

09/16/2026

09/09/2026

In Humanities Tennessee's new digital exhibit, Curating Tennessee: 1776-2076, we asked 11 museum curators, archivists, and historic site managers to share objects in their collections that show how Tennesseans have tried to create a more perfect union in the past and today. We also imagined future scenarios to think about how we might continue this story in the next 50 years. What emerged is a collection of objects that point to questions about our country and how we understand our relationship to it and each other. We invite you to think about those questions, too, and explore how these assembled artifacts reflect Tennesseans' pursuit of America's founding ideals in the past, present, and - maybe - the future. Explore the artifacts here: https://www.curatingtennessee.org/

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This project is part of By the People: Conversations Beyond 250, a series of community-driven programs created by humanities councils in collaboration with local partners. The initiative was developed by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and Smithsonian Folklife.

This project is also funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee administered by the Tennessee Commission for the United States Semiquincentennial (Tennessee 250).

09/08/2026

Our What If? exhibit doesn't just highlight artifacts from future scenarios. It also invites visitors to imagine and share their thoughts about the futures they'd like to inhabit. There's still time to see the exhibit at the Museum and Cultural Center at 5ive Points before it closes on October 3!

09/04/2026

Thank you to our 2026 Authors in the Round Sponsors. Sponsorship of this event directly support the Southern Festival of Books. If you or someone you know is interested in attending a one of a kind dinner in support of the festival, contact [email protected].