AJC Decatur Book Festival Presented by DeKalb Medical to Introduce Brand New Do-It-Yourself, “Homegrown Goodness” Track

“Homegrown Goodness” Track to Feature Andrea Chesman, Carlene Madigan, Melissa Morgan-Oakes, Malcolm Sanford

August 9, 2010

The 2010 AJC Decatur Book Festival Presented by DeKalb Medical (AJC DBF) features a brand new do-it-yourself, “homegrown goodness” track. The new track will feature several authors, including Andrea Chesman, Carlene Madigan, Melissa Morgan-Oakes, and Malcolm Sanford.

The festival will be held Labor Day Weekend, September 3-5 on and around the downtown Decatur Square.

“We’ve got a truly amazing lineup of do-it-yourself stars and events this year,” said AJC DBF Executive Director Daren Wang. “We are excited to introduce this new track to the festival.”

Andrea Chesman is a food writer and author of many cookbooks including The Garden-Fresh Vegetable Cookbook and Mom’s Best One-Dish Suppers. Another book, The Vegetarian Grill, was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Book Award and received a National Barbecue Association Award of Excellence. She is also the author of The Roasted Vegetable and 366 Delicious Ways to Cook Rice, Beans and Grains, Summer in a Jar, and Pickles and Relishes. She is the co-author of Mom’s Best Desserts with Fran Raboff, and co-authored The Classic Zucchini Cookbook with Marynor Jordan and Nancy Ralston. Chesman’s work has appeared in Cooking Light, Vegetarian Times, Organic Gardening, Fine Cooking, Food & Wine, The New York Times, and several other magazines and newspapers. At the Festival, Chesman will speak about her newest book, Recipes From the Root Cellar.

Carleen Madigan will speak about The Backyard Homestead. Madigan was managing editor of Horticulture magazine before becoming an editor at Storey Publishing. She has also lived on an organic farm outside Boston.

Melissa Morgan-Oakes learned to crochet, tat, and sew at an early age from women who encouraged her to work without commercial patterns. Oakes also taught herself to spin and knit. In all her books she brings the perspective of a self-taught knitter. She now teaches and designs patterns for WEBS, America’s Yarn Store. Oakes latest book, Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks, which she will speak about at the festival, shows delighted knitters how to simultaneously create two socks on a single circular needle.

Malcolm Sanford, author of Storey’s Guide to Keeping Honey Bees, will launch his book on beekeeping at the Festival.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival Presented by DeKalb Medical is the largest independent book festival in the country and the fourth largest overall. In 2009, more than 300 authors and tens of thousands of festival goers crowded 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. For more information visit www.ajcdecaturbookfestival.com.