Sonoma, California, Feb. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Sonoma Valley Authors Festival (SVAF) announces an extraordinary lineup of more than 20 acclaimed authors, historians, journalists, poets, and cultural leaders for its ninth annual festival, taking place May 1–3, 2026, at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa.
A highly curated, three-day celebration of ideas, storytelling, and intellectual discovery, SVAF has become one of the nation’s most intimate and respected literary gatherings—bringing audiences face-to-face with the voices shaping history, culture, and the world we live in.
2026 Featured Authors & Speakers Include:
Doris Kearns Goodwin — Pulitzer Prize–winning presidential biographer and bestselling author of Leadership in Turbulent Times, widely regarded as one of America’s most knowledgeable and beloved historians.
Rick Atkinson — Three-time Pulitzer Prize–winning author and military historian, whose latest work continues his sweeping narrative trilogy on the American Revolutionary War.
Dave Barry — Beloved Pulitzer Prize–winning humor columnist and bestselling author of Class Clown: The Memoirs of a Professional Wiseass, bringing wit and heart to SVAF.
Colum McCann — Irish literary giant and National Book Award-winning novelist — explores narrative innovation in Twist, using themes of technology, human bonds, and global infrastructure through the physical and metaphorical ideas of connection and disconnection.
Maria Semple — Bestselling novelist and acclaimed television writer, known for Where’d You Go, Bernadette? and celebrated for her sharp insight and humor.
Andrew Ross Sorkin — New York Times financial columnist and author of 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History, exploring finance, history, and the modern global economy.
Billy Collins — Former U.S. Poet Laureate and New York Times bestseller — is celebrated for poetry marked by clarity, wit, and humanity, as evident again in his latest collection, Dog Show.
Stephen Kotkin — Renowned historian and expert on Soviet history, offering deep insights into world affairs. Kotkin was recently invested as a member of the American Academy of Sciences and Letters.
Michelle Kaufman — A veteran sports columnist for the Miami Herald, known for her sharp reporting, global soccer expertise, and front-row coverage of the biggest worldwide sports moments—from World Cups to Inter Miami’s Messi era.
Sonia Purnell — British journalist and historian whose acclaimed Kingmaker: Pamela Harriman’s Astonishing Life of Power, Seduction & Intrigue has been honored by critics worldwide.
Bryan Burrough — Award-winning author and journalist known for gripping narratives that blend meticulous reporting with page-turning stories about Wall Street, oil barons, and now outlaws, in his latest book, The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild.
Soyoung Lee – Worldly scholar shaped by life across continents and committed to expanding how audiences see Asian art, is the newly appointed Director and CEO of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, blending deep scholarship with bold cultural leadership.
Oliver James — Viral influencer and author of Unread: A Memoir of Learning (and Loving) to Read on TikTok, a powerful story of resilience.
See the full lineup at svauthorsfest.org
About the Festival
Founded in 2018 by Ginny and David Freeman, the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival has become a must-attend event for those passionate about literature, science, technology, medicine, and lifelong learning. The Festival’s main tent and breakout sessions create an intimate environment where audiences engage directly with authors and thought leaders.
“What continues to surprise us is the sense of community that has grown around the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival,” says Ginny Freeman, co-founder of the festival. “Each year, we welcome brand-new attendees and longtime supporters; they have all become friends. The enthusiasm hasn’t just been sustained — it’s grown — creating a camaraderie that fills every room and elevates the conversations on stage and off. We’re especially excited to expand our Students Day programming through initiatives like the Young Readers Program, bringing authors not only to local high schools, but to elementary and middle schools as well,” says co-founder Ginny Freeman.
Hosted at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, the Festival offers unique opportunities for book discussions, Q&A sessions, and one-on-one interactions between authors and attendees.
Renowned PBS NewsHour correspondent, Jeffrey Brown, who moderates several sessions, captures the SVAF experience this way: “One of the things that sets this festival apart is that it is smaller, it is more intimate. One of the nice things here for the people who attend is that they get to come up and talk to the authors and ask their own questions and talk about what they like about the book, and also get to know authors a little bit…it demystifies writing in some sense.”
Expanding Literary Access to the Community
SVAF continues its commitment to community impact with signature programs, Students Day, Authors on the Plaza, and the Virtual Festival.
Students Day, a cornerstone of the festival since its inception, aims to inspire intellectual curiosity in the next generation. Over the past 8 years, 1,400 students from Sonoma Valley High School and other local schools have engaged with speakers and received free books from presenting authors. Each year, private donations fund the distribution of 3,000 to 4,000 books to students.
Young Readers Program – SVAF expanded the reach of its Students Day programming to include author presentations in elementary schools across Sonoma Valley. In 2025, bestselling children’s book author Jeanne Walker Harvey spoke to more than 600 students at five local elementary schools, and SVAF gave away more than 2,000 hardcover children’s books.
Authors on the Plaza is a free, open-to-the-public event on Saturday, May 2, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., under the trees in historic Sonoma Plaza. This year’s event will feature Rick Atkinson, Maria Semple, and Dave Barry. While tickets are not required, attendees are encouraged to register. There is an on-site bookseller.
Attend the Festival – 3-day Festival Sponsorship Passes, starting at $3,000 per person, include access to all sessions, breakfasts, luncheons, and the Author/Sponsor dinner on-site on Friday night. Non-sponsor passes, available at $1,500 per person, will be available starting April 1, 2026. For pass info, visit svauthorsfest.org.
About Sonoma Valley Authors Festival: The Sonoma Valley Authors Festival (SVAF) was founded in 2018 by Ginny and David Freeman as a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity focused on education and community involvement. This annual event brings together literature enthusiasts and lifelong learners to engage with world-class authors across genres and with speakers in science, technology, and medicine. SVAF is supported by individual donors, corporate sponsors, and dedicated local volunteers. Past authors — not already mentioned above — have included Isabel Allende, Erik Larson, Michael Connelly, Walter Isaacson, Bonnie Garmus, Amor Towles, Amy Tan, and Abraham Verghese.
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CONTACT
Beth Schnitzer | 917.287.7064 | [email protected]
- Past speaker, Colm Tóibín at the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival (2024)
- Sonoma Valley Authors Festival: Stimulating the minds and nurturing the souls of readers