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# Leadership & Vision
## David and Ginny Freeman, co-founders
## Founders’ Vision
At a time when the art of listening seems to be disappearing, the need for civil discourse has never been greater. With so many voices vying for our attention, people are receptive to well-informed speakers and eager for thoughtful conversation and discussion of ideas. The demographic of our attendees reflects that many are at a stage of life where they place a higher value on meaningful experiences than acquiring more material things. In addition, their desire for more intentional uses of time and resources, often called “vacationing with a purpose,” was the genesis of the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival.
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After long corporate careers, Sonoma Valley Authors Festival founders Ginny and David Freeman retired to Sonoma. As regular attendees of various public and private lectures, they discovered the world of author and speaker Festivals and enjoyed connecting with others dedicated to life-long learning. David and Ginny decided to partner together in creating the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival in honor of their mothers, who were lifelong readers and learners.
Living in a region known for outstanding beauty, wine, and food, they felt called to create an experience that celebrates the magic of the Sonoma Valley, enhanced by the power of ideas and conversation fueled by reading.
The mission of the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival is to bring people together to explore a variety of literary genres, discover the advances being made in science, technology and medicine, and foster genuine connections with others; simply stated, to “Stimulate the Minds and Nurture the Souls of Readers.”
For a weekend, attendees and sponsors are captivated by some of the greatest writers and thinkers of our day, hearing the story behind the stories, meeting literary heroes and making new connections are experiences that continue to resonate. We hope you agree!
## Founders
### David Freeman
David was in the financial services business for 30 years in Houston, New York and San Francisco, where he held senior management positions. Moving to San Francisco in 1997, he joined Ashfield Capital Partners LLC and was a shareholder in the firm. Prior to this, he was with Bessemer Trust in New York and San Francisco.
While living in New York City, he was a Board Member of Cities in Schools (now Communities in Schools), a program developed as a safety net so underserved youth could get the assistance they needed to help them stay in school.
During his 17 years in San Francisco, he was a Board Member of Episcopal Charities, Merola (part of San Francisco Opera) and President of the Northern California Chapter of the American Liver Foundation and on the Vestry of St. Mary the Virgin Episcopal Church.
### Ginny Gustafson Freeman
Ginny has spent her life trying to engage both the left and right sides of her brain! She was recruited from Purdue University, where she earned her B.S. degree in Management, by Arthur Andersen & Co. to work for their consulting group in their Chicago HQ.
She relocated to San Francisco to work for Bank of America in tech support then joined IBM, later Lexmark, where she achieved recognition in sales, staff and management roles. At one time, she concurrently owned a retail store on Union Square. After 22 years in the corporate world, Ginny became a self-employed Executive Assistant and for 12 years provided her technical and creative skills to high net worth clients, family offices, and foundations.
In her third career, Ginny started PixElation LLC after coursework at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University. Her most significant project was supervising the duplication of a set of family photos that spanned a period of fifty years and included over 15,000 individual images that were electronically captured, printed, and bound as well as digitally organized and stored.
As a member of a private women’s club, she became chair of the program committee, where she helped organize several dozen speakers, authors, and field trips for the membership and was energized by the shared learning experiences. When David retired in 2015, they decided to move to the wine country and partner together in creating the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival in honor of their mothers, who were lifelong readers and learners.
### Stimulating the minds and nurturing the souls of readers
TEL: 707.282.9028 | admin@svauthorsfest.org
**Sonoma Valley Authors Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, tax ID 84-4846165**
© 2025 All rights reserved. |  | 
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# Book Partners
## Author Consultant & Advisor
To create the highest caliber experience for our attendees, the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival has partnered with Elaine Petrocelli, Founder and Owner of Book Passage, a world-renowned bookstore that has served the Bay Area for more than 46 years. Elaine assists in selecting and securing authors to participate in the Festival, books to be purchased during the book signing sessions, and in the promotion of the event.
Booksellers at Elaine’s two successful stores, in Corte Madera and in San Francisco’s Ferry Building, pride themselves on their personalized service and their knowledge of books. Additionally, Elaine and her staff have hosted thousands of lectures, classes and conferences over the past four decades, organizing as many as 900 speaker events each year, with authors presenting at her bookstores as well as functions for the Kidney Foundation, Dominican College and other organizations.
Book Passage offers a wide variety of books and has a history of working with community and nonprofit organizations. Visit 
## Festival Onsite Book Seller
Readers’ Books is the onsite bookseller at the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival and at Authors On The Sonoma Plaza. Readers’ Books will set up a bookstore at these events stocked with the books of the Festival speakers. Throughout the Festival, readers will have an opportunity to purchase books, and have the presenting authors sign them.
Readers’ Books was founded in 1991 by Andy and Lilla Weinberger. We have a mix of new and used books for readers of all ages, focusing on literature, children’s books, and cookbooks. We are located half a block east of the historic Sonoma Plaza. Visit 
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# Students Day
## Celebrating community, literacy, and inspiration
One of our greatest joys in producing the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival is Students Day, when we bring more than a dozen authors and thought leaders to share their experiences and ideas with thousands of students across the Sonoma Valley.
Each year, we begin the Festival with this celebration of community, literacy, and inspiration designed specifically for local students. World renowned writers including Doris Kearns Goodwin, Billy Collins, Anthony Ray Hinton, Astronaut Scott Kelly and Simon Winchester have enthralled gymnasiums full of students with their stories. Additionally, an average of 4,000 books written by the presenting authors are given free to the students, all paid for with private donations.
The Sonoma Valley Authors Festival sincerely thanks the Vadasz Family Foundation for their continued generous support of Students Day. This support, plus many individual contributors allow us to produce Students Day each year.
Sonoma Valley schools who have participated in Students Day include Sonoma Valley High School, Sonoma Academy, Adele Harrison, Altimira Middle Schools, Archbishop Hanna High School, Kenwood School, Prestwood Elementary School, Flowery Elementary School, and Sassarini Elementary School.
## Students Day 2023 Highlights
## 2024 Students Day Speakers
## Arthur Benjamin
## Wade Davis
## Alex Filippenko
## Craig Frazier
## Jeanne Walker Harvey
## Anita Gail Jones
## Luis A. Miranda Jr.
## Jeffrey Rosen
## Students Day impact by the numbers
### 12,500+ students
have explored new ideas in person with our award-winning writers and thought leaders
### 17,515+ books
written by the presenting authors have been given to students, all paid for with private funds
### 60+ world-class authors & speakers
have discussed a myriad of topics and various disciplines on Students Day
## Students Day 2022
## Students Day 2021
## Students Day 2018 & 2019
## Students Day 2018
## The Lasting Impact of Students Day
Joseph Silvi was a 15-year-old sophomore at Sonoma Valley High School intent on becoming an engineer when he met Pedro Irazoqui, PhD, after Pedro spoke at the 2018 Sonoma Valley Authors Festival Students Day. At the time, Dr. Irazoqui was the Director of the Center for Implantable Devices, Associate Head for Research, and Professor at Purdue University’s Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. (He is now Incoming head of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Johns Hopkins University Whiting School of Engineering.)
When Joseph discussed his desire to become an engineer, Dr. Irazoqui offered him a paid summer internship once he turned 16. Having just passed his driving exam, Joseph and his father drove cross country to Purdue University in Indiana, and Joseph went to work for Dr. Irazoqui and his team for the summer. Joseph graduated from Sonoma Valley High School in 2021 and is now studying Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley. Watch the interview with Joseph and Laura Zimmerman, a former television news anchor and reporter, as they discuss this very special internship and the impact it had on Joseph.
Yesterday will remain one of the highlights of the entire 20-year history of Sonoma Academy!
## Janet Durgin
### Head of School Sonoma Academy
You truly did a good deed in bringing the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival to Sonoma Valley High School. I was literally moved to tears to hear the excited comments, to answer this request for one more book, and to see how engaged our students were with the wonderful speakers. I know you will be hearing from the students as well but thank you from the bottom of my heart-school should be like this every day!
## Janet Hansen
### Librarian & Co-Head of the English Department Sonoma Valley High School
## Support Students Day
The cost to produce Students Day is substantial — approximately $150,000 each year. But it remains an integral component of the full Sonoma Valley Authors Festival experience, allowing us to contribute meaningfully to the inspiration and education of young readers. Please consider supporting this effort by becoming a Festival Sponsor or Donor today.
Additionally, we work with many Donor Advised Funds, Family Foundations, and Community Foundations to make Students Day a continuing success.
Students Day also depends upon the continued the support of the local community. This year, we hope new funding will allow us to serve even more students, including young scholars from nearby Santa Rosa schools.
## Past Students Day Speakers
We’re pleased to have welcomed the following authors and speakers to the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival Students Day:
Akbar Ahmed
Isabel Allende
Dr. Euan Ashley
Dave Barry
Jamie Bernstein
Charina Chou, Ph.D.
Billy Collins
Alison R. Crowther
Wade Davis
Dr. David Eagleman
Nikki Erlick
Danielle Feinberg
Lisa Fenn
Alex Filippenko
Craig Frazier
Chris Gardner
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Anthony Ray Hinton
Pedro Irazoqui, Ph.D.
Captain Scott Kelly
Steven E. Koonin, PhD
Jaron Lanier
Min Jin Lee
Ada Limón
Alana Nichols
Caitlin O’Connell, Ph.D.
R.J. Palacio
Dr. Ramon Resa
Tom Rinaldi
Mary Roach
Daniel Rodriguez
Luis J. Rodriguez
Dan Russell, PhD
Stacy Schiff
Julia Flynn Siler
Tracy K. Smith
Claire Spafford
Rick Stevenson
James Strock
Deepa Thomas
Trudi Trueit
Jose Antonio Vargas
Silvia Vasquez-Lavado
Bari Weiss
Dr. R. Sanders Williams
Simon Winchester, O.B.E.
Andrew Zaldivar, Ph.D.
## Supporting Partner
### Sonoma Valley Education Foundation
The  is an independent nonprofit organization that enriches students’ education from preschool all the way through high school. Their mission is to help every student find inspiration and success in the classroom and to graduate well prepared for college and a career. Working with teachers, administrators, and the school district, SVEF supports Sonoma schools by funding targeted programs aimed at raising students’ achievement and fostering a love of learning.
The foundation has invested over $15 million dollars in the Sonoma Valley public school programs, funding specific, innovative academic and enrichment programs that help students thrive throughout their school years from Early Childhood Literacy to College & Career Readiness.
# Authors on the Plaza
## Extending the Festival to Sonoma Valley Residents
Authors on the Plaza is a free, family-friendly special event for the Sonoma community hosted by the Sonoma Valley Authors Festival.
In 2023, we were delighted to have Stanford professor and award-winning author Abraham Verghese, current U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón, and hilarious humorist Dave Barry speak at Authors on the Plaza.
In 2024, we welcomed the award-winning New Yorker staff writer and bestselling author David Grann, the celebrated Irish author Colm Tóibín and bestselling author Amy Tan. More than 1,000 attendees enjoyed the presentations, as well as author signings and book giveaways.
## David Grann
## Amy Tan
## Colm Tóibín
## Community Impact
**4,200+ North Bay Residents** have participated in Authors on the Plaza, our free, family-friendly, community event on the historic Sonoma town square.
**3,630+ books have been given free to the attendees**
## Join us at the next Authors On The Plaza
This family-friendly free event promises you will laugh, be moved, gain insight, and be entertained while you relax on the lawn under the towering trees of the eight-acre historic Sonoma Plaza.
Bring a picnic or purchase food and beverages from the many restaurants that border the square. Don’t forget a blanket or beach chairs. A small number of folding chairs will be available on a first-come-first-served basis for those who sitting on the ground is too difficult.
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# Videos
## Enjoy highlights from previous years
## 2024
Festival Highlights
## 2023
Authors On The Plaza
Students Day
## 2022
Founders Interview
Sonoma Valley Authors Festival Preview: Ginny & David Freeman (The Sonoma Spiel Interview, March 2023)
## 2021
## 2019
## 2018
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