The Decatur Book Festival (DBF) has unveiled the full lineup for its 21st annual festival, taking place Oct. 2–3 in downtown Decatur.
Free and open to all, the festival takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in various locations, including the new Decatur Square Stage.
This year’s lineup includes authors working in literary fiction, picture books, romance and romantasy, nonfiction, science fiction, poetry, horror, memoir, chapter books and graphic novels for young readers, young adult, and many more.
Pulitzer Winner Brian Goldstone (There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America) will open the festival on Friday evening at 7 p.m. for the keynote session, in conversation with Brea Baker. The session is free although advanced registration is encouraged.
The remaining sessions will run Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., including:
- Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko, I Am a Good Dog: A Dogtown Book, as DBF’s “Kidnote.”
- Tomi Adeyemi, The Siren
- Marcia Chatelain, How Bright The Path Grows: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the March on Washington
- Ryan Douglass, Night of Madness
- Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Live Laugh Love: The Secret History of White Christian Women and the World They Made
- Celeste Headlee, Freedom’s Daughter’s: How a Generation of Black Women Resisted Oppression Through Literacy and Education
- Silas House, The Tulip Poplars
- Meherwan Irani, No. 1 Best Indian Cookbook in the World: At-Home Recipes from the Streets, Truck Stops, Villages, and Palaces of India
- Tareasa “Reesa Teesa” Johnson, What (TF) Do I Do Now?: Reclaiming Myself, One Piece at a Time
- Tayari Jones, Kin
- Patricia Lockwood, Agate Head / Stone Soup
- Madeline Martin, A Time of Witches
- Pedro Martín, Mexikid Dreams: A Graphic Memoir
- J.Tom Morgan, A Rainy Night in Georgia
- Lynn Painter, Trust Fall
- Steven Raichlen, Man on Fire: Of Life, Love, Literature, and Really Good Barbecue
- Chelsea Rathburn, Broken Houses: Poems
- Roopika Risam, Data Empire: The Power of Information to Organize, Control, and Dominate
- Eliot Schrefer, Fatal Glitch: Let’s Play a Game
- Arthur Sze, Transient Worlds: On Translating Poetry
- Aiden Thomas, Cemetery Boys: Espíritu
- Colleen AF Venable and Honie Beam, Junie B. Jones and Some Sneaky Peeky Spying: The Graphic Novel
- Nghi Vo, The Scarlet Ball
- Michelle A. Williams, The Cure for Everything: The Epic Struggle for Public Health and a Radical Vision for Human Thriving
On Saturday, downtown Decatur will transform into a lively street fair featuring more than 125 exhibitors: authors, poets, publishers, booksellers, artists, and local businesses and nonprofit organizations, alongside food trucks and Decatur buskers.
Family-friendly programming for DBF’s youngest attendees (ages 0 – 5) includes storytimes and performances with Alliance Theatre, Atlanta History Center, and Music Together of Decatur.
Other events happening during the festival include an audiobook walk, a celebration of the Lillian Smith Book Awards, a meeting of the Silent Book Club, and more.
The Emerging Student Writers at the Decatur Library will showcase readings by students from the following universities:
- Agnes Scott College
- Emory University
- Georgia College and State University
- Georgia State University
- Mercer University
- Morehouse College
- SCAD Atlanta
- Spelman College
- University of Georgia
The full author lineup is available at decaturbookfestival.com. The schedule of sessions will be announced in September.
