AJC Decatur Book Festival
Presented by DeKalb Medical
More than 150 world-class authors will participate in our fourth annual festival. Here’s a sneak peek at who will be coming to Decatur this Labor Day weekend (click HERE for a complete listing):
- The 2009 keynote speaker honor goes to publishing legend Sir Harold Evans. He has served as editor of London’s The Sunday Times and president and publisher of Random House. He’s the author of many critically acclaimed books, including The American Century. In 2004, Evans was knighted for his contributions to the field of journalism. His forthcoming book is My Paper Chase: True Stories of Vanished Times.
- Lee Child, award-winning author of the best selling thriller series in the world––the Jack Reacher series
- Rick Bragg, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author of Ava’s Man
- Barbara Brown Taylor, teacher, preacher, columnist, and author of 11 books
- Robert Olen Butler, novelist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the short story collection A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain
- Douglas Blackmon, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of groundbreaking historical expose Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, and Atlanta Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal
- Alan Deutschman, creator of one of the nation’s most provocative and compelling theories of leadership with a 22-year background in journalism
- Diana Gabaldon, New York Times bestselling author of the sci-fi/romance/historical fiction Outlander series
- Sara Gruen, Canadian-born author of the New York Times bestseller Water for Elephants
- Edward Hirsch, multiple award-winning American poet and author of bestseller How to Read A Poem and Fall in Love With Poetry
- Kathy Reichs, forensic anthropologist and author of the novels that inspired the hit Fox series “Bones”
- Robert Scheer, Editor in Chief of Truthdig online magazine
- Sara Shepard, author of the popular young adult fiction series Pretty Little Liars
- Patricia Smith, 2008 National Book Award finalist, winner of the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award in Poetry, and four-time individual National Poetry Slam champion
- Warren St. John, New York Times reporter and author of bestseller Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer: A Road Trip into the Heart of Fan Mania
- Kathryn Stockett, local author of The Help, her debut novel which has garnered praise from the AJC, Associated Press, New York Times, USA Today, and People Magazine
- Natasha Trethewey, author of Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry collection Native Guard
- Loren Long, bestselling author and illustrator, who will lead the Saturday morning children’s parade and launch "Otis," about a little tractor who befriends a calf
- Jon Scieszka, Ambassador for Young People's Literature
- Judy Schachner, bestselling author and illustrator of the Skippyjon Jones series of children's books, who will lead the Sunday mariachi promenade
- Kate DiCamillo, award-winning author of Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, and other bestselling books for children and adults
…and the list goes on! Click HERE for a complete listing.