:Events:
All events are free. No tickets or reservations necessary.
September
AJC Decatur Book Festival, September 3rd
The fabulous AJC Decatur Book Festival celebrates its fifth year in 2010 with another great lineup of authors from all over the country. The annual Labor Day Weekend observance -- co-founded and co-sponsored by the Georgia Center for the Book, by the way -- begins Friday night Sept. 3 with a keynote address by National Book Award winner Jonathan Franzen, who’ll be talking about his eagerly awaited new novel, ”Freedom.” More than 150 writers will...
Read MorePatti LuPone, September 13th
We are honored to welcome the legendary, beloved, Tony Award-winning actress and singer Patti LuPone for a very special one time-only free event in recognition of her new book, ”Patti LuPone: A Memoir.” This is one of only four national appearances by Miss LuPone and the only one in which she will be speaking. The star who created memorable Broadway stage roles in ”Evita,” ”Sweeney Todd,” ”Les Miserables” and ”Sunset Boulevard” talks about her amazing...
Read MoreDonald Sturrock, September 13th
Roald Dahl led a remarkable life, as an author for children and adults and as a celebrity, perhaps best known for writing the classics ”Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and ”James and the Giant Peach.” Now we have an imposing, perhaps definitive account of Dahl’s life and work written by Donald Sturrock, ”Storyteller: The Authorized Biography of Roald Dahl.” Sturrock joins us for one of our fabulous ”University in the Library” series to discuss...
Read MoreTerry McMillan, September 14th
We are delighted to host Terry McMillan, one of this country’s finest authors, who will visit us with an exuberant new novel that brings back the four unforgettable heroines of ”Waiting to Exhale,” the novel that forever changed African American fiction. Her new book is ”Getting to Happy,” more about the sassy, vibrant women who made ”Waiting to Exhale” a watershed moment in literary history. Her new book looks at Savannah, Gloria, Bernadine and Robin...
Read MoreJamie Lee Curtis, September 18th
We join with Decatur’s Little Shop of Stories to host a program by actress and author Jamie Lee Curtis. She has written a new children’s book, ”My Mommy Hung the Moon,” which she’ll be discussing on her brief two-hour visit here. Because of her publisher’s insistence, tickets are required. They will be distributed free on a first come-first served basis beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 7 at Little Shop (404-373-6300). You must purchase a copy of...
Read MoreCarmen Deedy & John McCutcheon, September 20th
Please mark this very special event on your calendar now! Carmen Deedy, the prize-winning author of books for young readers, and her husband, Grammy Award musician John McCutcheon, will be here for a unique and wonderful evening of storytelling and music to benefit the DeKalb Library Foundation’s literacy fund in honor of the library’s retiring director, Darro Willey. You won’t want to miss Deedy, the lively, vivacious author of ”The Library Dragon” and ”14 Cows...
Read MoreAmbassador Nancy G. Brinker, September 23rd
Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker is regarded as the leader of the global breast cancer movement. Her journey began with a promise to her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, that she would do everything possible to end the shame, pain, fear and hopelessness associated with the disease. In one generation, the organization she created that bears her sister’s name has changed the world. Ambassador Brinker makes a special appearance here to talk about that in her...
Read MoreCurious George Day, September 25th
The Decatur Library has once again been chosen as one of the few libraries in America to participate in the fun of another ”Curious George Day.” It’s a celebration of the trouble-making monkey and his very popular books that’s planned for the entire family. We’ll have an announcement soon with more information about this delightful event.
Read MoreDanielle L. McGuire, September 28th
Historian Danielle McGuire will discuss her groundbreaking new book that reinterprets the civil rights movement in terms of the sexualized violence and rape that marked race relations in America for centuries. Her book, ”At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape and Resistance--A New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power.,” may be among the most important explorations of race and violence ever published. It...
Read MoreKoren Zailckas, September 29th
In the years following the publication of her landmark best-selling memoir, ”Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood,” Koren Zailckas stayed sober and made binge drinking a matter of her past. But a legacy of repression led to rage, and in her powerful new book, ”Fury: A Memoir,” she writes about the emotional and physical devastation she suffers. Her book ”is a life-altering exploration of anger’s origins” and her struggle to find love and stability. ”Combining...
Read MorePoetry Atlanta Night, September 30th
We welcome the wonderful poets from Poetry Atlanta for another evening of fun. Coordinated by the very fine Atlanta poet Collin Kelley, this evening’s event will feature readings by several poets including JC Reilly, Eve Hoffman, Bob Wood, Ann Lynn and Jenny Sadre-Orafai. It’s free, so mark your calendars.
Read MoreOctober
Pat Conroy & Cassandra King, October 6th
We’re pleased to join with our friends at Georgia Perimeter College’s Writers Institute to present an evening with two of America’s most popular authors, Pat Conroy and his wife Cassandra King! Pat is a native of Atlanta whose books including ”Beach Music,” ”Broad Street,” The Great Santini” and ”Lords of Discipline” have sold millions of copies. Cassandra has written a number of national bestselling novels, among them ”The Same Sweet Girls,” ”Making Waves,” and ”The...
Read MoreMo Willems, October 7th
We join with our partners at Decatur’s Little Shop of Stories in presenting one of America’s most honored writers for young readers, Mo Willems, with his much-anticipated new book, ”Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion.” Willems is the three-time Caldecott Honor winner, a perennial bestselling author, former writer and animator for ”Sesame Street” and a six-time Emmy Award winner. His dozens of acclaimed books for young readers include ”Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale,” ”There is...
Read MorePatti Callahan Henry, October 11th
We’re happy to join the delightful Atlanta author Patti Callahan Henry as she celebrates the release of her new novel, ”The Perfect Love Song: A Holiday Story.” It’s a story about some Christmas miracles needed to help a trio of characters find love, and author Pat Conroy calls it ”a lyrical and haertwarming tale of love and forgiveness.” We’ll have more about this special event coming to this site soon.
Read MoreBo Caldwell, October 12th
Bo Caldwell’s new novel is a special treat, but especially for anyone with an interest in China. ”The City of Tranquil Light” is the lovely, compelling story of two American missionaries who fall in love with each other when their paths cross while working in early 20th century China. Prize-winning author Ron Rash says the novel ”is a remarkable evocation of another time and place as well as a deeply moving love story.” And Gail...
Read MoreJeff Deck & Benjamin Herson, October 13th
If you care about grammar -- or you remember a teacher who did -- you’ll love the laughs from the new book by our guests this evening: ”The Great Typo Hunt: Two Friends Changing the World, One Correction at a Time.” It’s the story of a grammarian’s gonzo trip across a national landscape pockmarked with poor punctuation, a hilarious and heartfelt call to action (or correction). The authors have gotten a lot of deserved attention...
Read MoreHoda Kotb, October 15th
The popular anchor for NBC’s ”Today” Show, Hoda Kotb, shares her life story in a revealing, fascinating, behind-the-scenes new book, ”Hoda: How I Survived War Zones, Bad Hair, Cancer, and Kathie Lee.” With humor and grace, she shows how we all have the capacity to turn a crisis into a blessing, and the lessons she has learned, from growing up with immigrant Egyptian parents to reporting from dangerous war zones all over the world, from...
Read MoreAtlanta Queer Literary Festival, October 16th
The fourth annual AQLF celebrates diversity with a variety of literary programs. Programs will be held at a number of venues around Atlanta, among them the Auburn Avenue Research Library, Jave Monkey and Outwrite Books. The schedule includes open mic, panel discussions, readings and book signings October 13-16. On the 16th at the library, the festival presents noted poets Steven Reigns, Amy King, Montgomery Maxton, Lara Zielinsky and others. For more information about the event,...
Read MoreMary Helen Stefaniak & Joseph Skibell, October 19th
We welcome two authors with fascianting new novels. Mary Helen Stefaniak is a Gardner Fiction Book Award winner and author of three novels, whose latest is ”The Califfs of Baghdad, Georgia,” a wonderfully seductive story that ranges from 1864 Savannah to 1775 Baghdad. Loosely following ”A thousand and One Nights,” it is a spirited romp that connects camels fluent in Arabic with the Ku Klux Klan and babies switched at birth. Joseph Skibell’s novel ”A...
Read MoreThe Big Read - Elliot Engel, October 21st
The Atlanta History Center presents a keynote lecture on Edgar Allan Poe by one of the nation’s foremost Poe scholars, Dr. Elliot Engel, as part of ”The Big Read” series. This event, jointly sponsored by the Center for the Book, is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. Dr. Engel formerly taught at UCLA (where he won an outstanding teacher...
Read MoreGeorgia Literary Festival, October 23rd
We invite you to attend the 12th annual Georgia Literary Festival to be held on the lovely campus of Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. We’ll feature 25 writers including special appearances by popular author Ferrol Sams, former U.S. Senator Max Cleland, Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Trethewey, Hall of Fame author Philip Lee Williams, bestselling novelist Tina Ansa, cookbook author Damon Lee Fowler, gardening expert Walter Reeve and Poet Laureate David Bottoms. Check out the entire...
Read MoreE. Stanly Godbold Jr., October 25th
Dr. E. Stanly Godbold joins us to discuss one of the most important books of the fall season, the first book of his illuminating, perceptive two-volume biography, ”Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter” published by Oxford University Press. This book traces the lives of the Carters from childhood through the end of his governorship, and it is notable in that it pays significant attention to the First Lady. ”So deeply were their lives and aspirations intertwined, a...
Read MorePoetry Atlanta Night, October 26th
We welcome back some of Atlanta’s finest poets for another evening of memorable readings. Featured this evening will be Colin cheney and Ginger Murchison. This is another in our popular, well-attended series presented with our partners at Poetry Atlanta.
Read MoreJan Karon, October 28th
One of America’s most popular authors, Jan Karon, joins us to talk about her latest, eagerly anticipated novel, ”In the Company of Others: A Father Tim Novel.” Karon’s novels, marvels of gentle, arresting storytelling, have sold tens of millions of copies, and there are over 30 million in print, making her one of the country’s top bestselling authors. In the latest novel, Father Timothy Kavanagh and Cynthia arrive on the west coast of Ireland to...
Read MoreNovember
Grant Jerkins, November 2nd
A murdered woman, a grieving husband and their mentally handicapped adult child, who carries a history of violence. It might sound simple, but assistant DA Leo Hewitt finds no such thing when he investigates the details of this intimate, grisly, surprising mystery thriller, ”A Very Simple Crime.” The author is Atlantan Grant Jerkins, and it’s a prize-winning debut novel that already is headed for the big screen with director Barbet Schroeder. The novel won the...
Read More"To Kill a Mockingbird", November 10th
We’ll mark the 50th anniversary of the publication of one of America’s greatest works -- Harper Lee’s ”To Kill a Mockingbird” -- with a very special ”University in the Library” event this evening. Our guests will be the distinguished Southern literary historian Tom McHaney (you may recall with pleasure his notable lectures on William Faulkner) and Cathy Powers, who grew up in Monroeville, Alabama, Harper Lee’s hometown, and who knew many members of her family....
Read MoreSavannah Children's Book Festival, November 13th
The seventh annual Savannah Children’s Book Festival in Forsyth Park features authors, illustrators, storytellers, arts and crafts, food lots of fun for kids of all ages. The free public event is sponsored by the Live Oak Libraries in Savannah, and the Georgia Center for the Book will again be taking part in the event. Among the featured authors will be Elizabeth Dulemba, Anna Dewdney and Judy Schachner, author of the ”Skippyjon Jones” books. For information,...
Read MoreAn Evening with Karin Slaughter, November 13th
We invite you to share some unique fun and games with Atlanta’s wonderful, bestselling thriller writer Karin Slaughter! This reception and special event will be a fundraiser for the DeKalb Library Foundation’s literacy efforts. We urge you to mark your calendars now. We’ll be posting some of the exciting details about this evening shortly.
Read MoreJames C. Cobb, November 15th
We’re proud to present the prize-winning dean of Southern historians, Dr. James C. Cobb, to discuss his far-reaching, perceptive new book, ”The South and America Since World War II” published by Oxford University Press. It is an engaging, inclusive narrative, written with wit and elegance, that covers the last 65 years of Southern history, from the death of Jim Crow through the rise of Republicanism to the idea of the modern multicultural South. Cobb is...
Read MoreHazel Rowley, November 22nd
Historian Hazel Rowley’s groundbreaking new account of the marriage of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt is a ”dramatic and vivid narrative” that showcases how the couple successfully moved from a restrictive Victorian marriage to a true partnership, in spite of scandals. Her new book ”Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage,” is a masterful, engaging study which Pulitzer Prize-winner Jon Meacham says brings alive the President and his First Lady ”in all their humanity, complexity and greatness.”...
Read MorePatti Digh, November 29th
The last time we hosted Patti Digh (”Life is a Verb”), we had a crowd that filled the auditorium to overflowing! So plan to get here early for her encore visit with an exciting, provocative new book, ”Creative is a Verb: If You’re Alive, You’re Creative.” It’s a book that challenging, warm, funny, smart and packed with sizzle. In this book she leads readers by both heart and mind to acknowledge, reinforce and utilize their...
Read MoreDecember
Bill Starr, December 6th
The executive director of the Georgia Center for the Book takes the stage with his own book! We invite you to join Bill and find out about his delightful, intrguing new book, ”Whisky, Kilts, and the Loch Ness Monster: Traveling Through Scotland with Boswell and Johnson.” It’s a lively account of the author’s re-tracing of the amazing 1773 journey through the Scottish Highlands by James Boswell and Samuel Johnson. Part travelogue, part literary journal, it’s...
Read MoreSusan Spain & Elizabeth Dulemba, December 11th
Susan Spain, the delightful children’s book author, and Elizabeth Dulemba, the wonderful illustrator, combine for a program featuring their colorfully appealing new book, ”The Twelve Days of Christmas in Georgia.” The book is a cheery romp by two cousins through the Peach State based on the song ”The Twelve Days of Christmas.” It includes fun visits to some of Georgia’s best-known sites, among them the King Center in Atlanta and a jaunt along the Appalachian...
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