2024 Decatur Book Festival returns this weekend
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Fall is in the air, and what better place to spend it than at this weekend's Decatur Book Festival.
Why it matters: This beloved Atlanta tradition, which went on hiatus last year, returns with a two-day lineup featuring nationally recognized and local authors and the bibliophiles who love them.
Driving the news: The festival begins Friday at 7pm with a keynote session featuring author Joyce Carol Oates.
- The National Book Award winner and Pulitzer finalist will be in discussion with former NBA All-Star Joe Barry Carroll at First Baptist Church of Decatur.
Stacey Abrams kicks off Saturday's events with a "kidnote" chat moderated by Katie Rinderle, the Cobb County educator who was fired after reading a book about moving beyond the gender binary to students.
- Abrams recently published the third installment of her children's book series, "Stacey Speaks Up."
- That discussion will take place at 10am at the First Baptist Church of Decatur.
What else we're watching: DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond, the author of recently released book about James Oglethorpe, will talk Georgia history with author Paul Pressly in a session that starts at 11:15 am.
- Still We Rise with Erika Council (owner and chef at Bomb Biscuits).
- A Meditation on Writing with author Natasha Trethewey.
- Southern Fiction featuring authors Terah Shelton Harris, Karen Spears Zacharias and Jeffrey Blount.
- Poetry reading session with Karen Head, Collin Kelley, Erin Hoover and Willie Kinard III.
- Chef Todd Richards discusses his cookbook, "Roots, Heart, Soul: The Story, Celebration, and Recipes of Afro Cuisine in America."
Stop by: Festival sessions run from 10am to 5pm. View Saturday's full schedule here.