Billy Collins, Pearl Cleage, Kathy Reichs
Among the More Than 250 Authors Scheduled to Appear
AJC Decatur Book Festival Presented by DeKalb Medical (DBF) Program Director Tom Bell can finally eat, relax, sleep, and, most importantly, remove from his office wall the oh so high-tech DBF schedule mock-up, which consisted of both yellow AND orange Post-It notes. The 2008 DBF schedule, by far the best and most diverse yet, is complete and live at www.decaturbookfestival.com/2008/Schedule/index.php.
Bibliophiles from metro Atlanta and beyond are in for a treat this Labor Day weekend, August 29-31, when more than 250 authors will descend upon Downtown Decatur for a weekend of literature, music, food, and fun.
Billy Collins, a former U.S. Poet Laureate, officially kicks off the festival Friday night with this year’s keynote address at 8 p.m. at Agnes Scott College’s Presser Hall. During the day Friday, elementary, middle, and high schoolers from the City Schools of Decatur get the first taste of this year’s fest with the wildly popular Friday Field Trips, where they will meet and mingle with authors of books they’ve been devouring in class. Writer’s workshops also begin Friday at Agnes Scott, from 3-6 p.m., with a keynote address by C. Michael Curtis and Elizabeth Cox starting things off.
Saturday brings an overwhelming selection of authors and activities to choose from, beginning with a parade and a world premiere. This year’s children’s parade theme belongs to Madeline, the lovable, feisty French schoolgirl, made famous by original author Ludwig Bemelmans, and kept alive by his grandson, John Bemelmans Marciano. The interactive parade line up begins at 9 a.m. at the corner of Clairemont and Commerce Avenues, and gets underway at 9:30 a.m. Dress up, bring your noise-makers, and join the Madeline-themed characters, Circus Camp performers, and Bemelmans Marciano as they all promenade to the Target Children’s Stage, where the first new Madeline book in 50 years, written by Bemelmans Marciano, will make its world premiere.
Saturday appearances include Kathy Reichs, the inspiration for Fox’s “Bones,” with her daughter Kerry Reichs; Pearl Cleage, an Oprah Book Club pick; John Dean, White House Counsel to President Nixon during Watergate; Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Trethewey; and the likes of Emily Giffin, Raul Benoit, Roy Blount, Jr., Amiri Baraka, and Hadjii.
Sunday may typically be a lazy day, but not at the 2008 DBF! The author presentations, cooking demonstrations, and children’s activities continue with powerhouses such as Patrick McDonnell, creator of the “Mutts” comic strip; Good Ol’ Girls Lee Smith, Jill McCorkle, Marshall Chapman, and Matraca Berg; and not to mention Ferrol Sams, Jack Pendarvis, Robert Olen Butler, Elizabeth Dulemba, Shirley Corriher, and many more.
The festival wraps up Sunday evening with a very special solo performance by Drive-By Truckers lead singer Patterson Hood at 7:30 p.m. on the downtown plaza.
All DBF events are free, except for the nighttime musical performances at Eddie’s Attic.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival Presented by DeKalb Medical is the largest independent book festival in the country and one of the 10 largest overall. Each year, more than 250 authors and 50,000 festival goers crowd the historic downtown Decatur square to enjoy book signings, author readings, panel discussions, an interactive children’s area, live music, parades, cooking demonstrations, poetry slams, writing workshops, and more.
Interviews available upon request.
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