Before saying a final farewell to 2011 –- as we recycle our dead trees (they gave their all, so you could have Christmas) --- it’s time to recognize the “Best Local Reading of the Year of 2010” or more specifically, the “Best Local Reading of the Year (That I Attended), ” which does narrow the field considerably. My rating criteria are rather simple and subjective:
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Did I learn something that otherwise I would not have learned, even if I read the book?
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Did the author and the audience seem to engage with each other?
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Did I come away with a little buzz (or buy the book) after the reading?
Some of this year’s candidates include well known authors such as Sarah Vowell, Charles Mann (technically his reading was a slide show), Thomas Lynch, Brian Dettmer (art exhibit), Tayari Jones along with Lang Whitaker, Ned Stuckey-French, Barry Brown, and Gordon Elwell. I realize it it is not much of a list for a blog that “muses about book-related events,” but what can I say? It's a challenge for anyone to get out to some literary event at least once a month, so when you are rewarded with something worthy of the effort, it deserves some recognition.
This year’s Best Local Reading of 2011 (That I Attended) goes to Andisheh Nouree's appearance at Eddie's Attic last August for his book Americapedia: Taking the Dumb Out Freedom (co-authored with Jodi Lynn Anderson, and Daniel Ehrenhaft). Basically the afternoon was a romp and it included Nouree singing a medley of “America” themed music. Moreover, who can resist having a much-needed beer (hence the buzz) when hearing about the shortcomings of the American political system during the budget gridlock. (The book's raisons de'tre is to help people get informed and then get involved.)
Nouree joins previous winners, which includes the four poets (Kevin Young, Thomas Lux, David Bottoms, and David Kirby) from last year, who read from the University of Georgia Press Anthology Seriously Funny. Other winners were the late E. Lynn Harris (2009) and Chandler Burr (2008).
January 2012 – Atlanta Calendar of Book Events
If your New Year's resolution needs more refinement -- more than just using fancy sounding phrases like raisons d'etre in a sentence -- then examine the following book related events for the month of January. I purposely don't put the times in the announcements, so you will have double check each website before heading out. All events are in Atlanta unless noted otherwise and the ($$) indicates their is a small admission fee required.
Monday, January 9. Janny Scott author of A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mother. Georgia Center for the Book at Dekalb Public Library, Decatur.
Thursday, January 12. Heather Donaghue author of How My Life Changed After the Blair Witch Project and Went to Pot. ($$) Pizzeria Vesuvius (an A Cappella Books event)
Friday, January 20. Georgia State University Professor Layli Phillips Maparya, author of The Womanist Idea. Charis Books & More.
Monday, January 23. Brad Taylor, author of All Necessary Force. Peerless Books, Alpharetta.
Thursday, January 26, Lori Beard-Daily, author of Destination D. Auburn Avenue Research Library.
Sunday, January 29. Billy Collins reading at Emory University, but tickets to the event are no longer available.
Tuesday, January 31. Gin Phillips, author of Come In and Cover Me. Savannah College of Art and Design's Ivy Hall.
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