The Book Shopper - Atlanta

Atlanta Area Book Calendar – May 2012

Here are your local opportunities for literary discourse during the month of May in the Atlanta area. I basically scout around various sites looking for what interests me and provide the links. (I purposely don't include the details, in case there is a last minute change of schedule, etc.)

It's the final two weeks for The Art Institute of Atlanta-Decatur's exhibit, Wallbound where a number of national and international artists rethink the idea of the bound book. For more information, check the comments section below. ("Precarious Balance" by Serey Andree is shown at the left.)

Austen Burroughs, author of the novel This is How will be at the Savannah College of Art and Design's Ivy Hall on Saturday, May 12th ($10 admission or free with book purchase).

On Thursday, May 17th, Jonathan Odell, author of the novel The Healing, will read and sign books at the Carter Presidential Library & Museum Theater. Other authors visiting the Carter Library in the month of May include Steve Coll (Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power) on May 23rd and Nancy Gibbs & Michael Duffy (The Presidents' Club) on May 24th.

Ron Rash, author of Serena and Michel Stone will be at the Decatur Public Library on Tuesday, May 15th. Rash celebrates the publishing of his new book The Cove and is joined by his friend Stone whose first novel The Iguana Tree has recently been published. Robert Craig who has written a new book about architecture in Atlanta, The Architecture of Francis Palmer, Atlanta's Scholar Architect will be at the DPL on May 23rd. Craig, Rash and others are just a few of authors brought in by The Georgia Center for the Book in the month of May.

 The Auburn Avenue Research Library is hosting several events in May including a reading and signing of author's Javon Brothers latest book, A Deadly Night in the Harbor of Hospitality on Saturday, May 5th.

Atlanta Area Book Events Calendar – April 2012

Here are your on-ramps for literary discourse during the month of April in the Atlanta area:

The Auburn Avenue Research Library is hosting many events this month ranging from a signing and reading of acclaimed journalist and civil rights icon Charlyne Hunter-Gault's To the Mountaintop: My Journey through the Civil Rights Movement ( Monday, April 2nd) to Langston Out Loud: Celebrating the Power of Langston Hughes' Poetry in the Modern World (Saturday, April 21st).

Lauren Groff, author of the novel Arcadia will be at the Savannah College of Art and Design's Ivy Hall on Tuesday, April 3. Stephen King, Lorrie Moore and Richard Russo have all praised Groff's fiction. Groff is part of this spring's SCAD Ivy Hall Writer Series. Andre Dubus III will be there April 12th. Admission ($$) is charged.

On Wednesday, April 11th, Winston Groom, author of Shiloh 1862, (and Forrest Gump) will read and sign books at the Carter Presidential Library & Museum Theater. Other authors in the month of April include syndicated columnist Rheta Grimsley Johnson, author of the memoir Hank Hung the Moon...and Warmed Our Cold, Cold Hearts appears at the library on April 30th.

On Wednesday, April 18th Kevin Wilson author of the novel The Family Fang and the book of short stories Tunneling to the Center of the Earth (he was at the Decatur Book Festival a couple of years ago) will be at the Decatur Public Library. Wilson's appearance is just one of authors appearing locally via the Georgia Center of the Book. Austin Kleon author of Steal Like and Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You about Being Creative appears at the library on Wednesday, April 11th.

Atlanta Area Book Events Calendar – March 2012

Here's are some of your best bets for literary discourse during the month of March in the Atlanta area:

Wednesday, March 7 – Alexandra Styron daughter of William Styron (you know, the author of Sophie's Choice) will be discussing her book Reading My Father: A Memoir as part of the Savannah College of Design's Ivy Hall Writing Series. There is an admission charge.

Throughout March - in celebration of Women's History Month 2012 – the Auburn Avenue Research Library is hosting many, many events ranging from a book discussion of Geographies of the Haitian Diaspora (Dr. Regine O. Jackson, on March 8) to Time Served: My Days and Nights at Death Row Records (a memoir by photographer Simone Greene – March 29). There is a wide variety of lectures and films as well.

Wednesday, March 21 - Poet Kevin Young, previous co-winner of this blog's prestigious Best-Local-Reading-That-I-Attended Award  (and Graywolf Press' NonFictionPrize) will be celebrating the publication of Young's first book of non-fiction essays, The Grey Album: On the Blackness of Blackness. The party and signing will be at the Highland Inn Ballroom.

Tuesday, March 27 - Yangzum Brauen, author of Across Many Mountains: Three Daughters of Tibet will be doing a reading and signing at the Carter Library and Museum.

The Georgia Center of the Book is promoting a variety of authors throughout the month including equal pay advocate Lilly Ledbetter (March 6) and nationally known author Anne Lamott (March 23 ).

Also several local bookstores are hosting events:

• Peerless Books in Alpharetta
• Bound to Be Read
• A Cappella Books
• Eagle Eye Books
• Charis Books and More

Banner design by Caitlin Salmon

 

Atlanta Area Book Events Calendar – February 2012

Here's are some of the Atlanta area book highlights for the month of February:

Wednesday, February 9 – McEver Poetry Reading at Georgia Tech will feature the works of poets Theresa Davis, Chris Forhan and H. Bruce McEver at 7:30 p.m. at the Kress Auditorium, Robert C. Williams Paper Museum.

Most of the month of February - In celebration of Black History Month 2012 the Auburn Avenue Research Library is hosting many events ranging from the Introduction of the Black Age of Comics: Past, Present and Future (Feb 9) to Black Stars in Orbit: NASA's African American Astronauts (Feb. 11). The Georgia Center for the Book also has many similar events scheduled throughout February.

Tuesday, February 28 - Peggielene Bartels author of King Peggy: An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village will be doing a reading and signing at 7:00 p.m. at the Carter Presidential Library and Museum Theatre. The Bartels book is being compared to the Alexander McCall Smith series, the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I can't say that I've read the McCall book, but I certainly enjoyed the screen adaptation of Ladies Detective Agency by Anthony Minghella who directed The English Patient.

Wednesday February 29 – Rob Walker a former columnist for The New York Times Magazine will appear with Bobbi Patterson from Emory University's Department of Religion in an informal conversation about Buddhism and Desire. Walker is the author of Buying In: The Secret Dialogue of What We Buy and Who We Are. I didn't read Buying In when in was published in 2008; I studied it. It is a fascinating book and his Times column “Consumed” was insightful and is now sorely missed. The conversation between Patterson and Walker begins at 7:30 p.m. at the reception hall of the Carlos Museum on the campus Emory University.

And don't forget February is also Read Your Favorite Abraham Lincoln Biography Month. 

 

Best Local Reading of 2011 (That I Attended) & January 2012 Calendar of Events

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:

• Did I learn something that otherwise I would not have learned, even if I read the book?

• Did the author and the audience seem to engage with each other?

• 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)

 

Atlanta Book Event Calendar - December

Here's a sampler of book related events for the month of December. As you can because of the holidays, it's a light month. I purposely don't put the times so you will have double check each website before heading out. All events are in Atlanta unless noted.

Tuesday, December 6. Lt. Col. Steve Russell (Retired), author of We Got Him! A Memoir of the Hunt and Capture of Saddam Hussein. Peerless Books, Alpharetta.

Tuesday, December 6. Jennie Knight, author of Feminist Mysticism and Images of God. Charis Books & More.

Wednesday, December 7. Charles Mann, author of 1493: Uncovering the New World That Columbus Created. William Carlos Museum, (shown above) Emory University. For details on this event and others visit here.

Wednesday, December 7. Scott Wallace, author of The Unconquered. Eagle Eye Books, Decatur.

Saturday, December 9. Annual Friends of the Auburn Avenue Research Library Book Sale. Details here.

Tuesday, December 13. James Robertson, author of The Untold Civil War: Exploring the Human Side of War. Carter Presidential Library & Museum. For details on this event and others at the library, visit here.

Atlanta Book Event Calendar - November 2011

Let this bumpersticker serve as a reminder that there's a variety of book related events for the month of November here in Atlanta -- opportunities to expand your mind.

Think of this page  as a collection of links of different venues, so you can surf and plan your month ahead. I purposely don't put the times so you will have double check each website before heading out. The dollar sign designation ($$) indicates some kind of admission fee is charged. All events are in Atlanta unless noted.

Wednesday, November 2. Bobbi Kornblitt, author of Shelter of the Texas Heat. Tall Tales Book Shop. For details, call 404-636-2498.

Thursday, November 3. Anne Emanuel, author of Elbert R. Tuttle: Chief Jurist of the Civil Rights Revolution. (A UGA Press Book) Blue Elephant Books, Decatur.

Saturday, November 5. Cameron McWhirter, author of The Summer of 1919: The Awakening of Black America. Book signing and discussion. Auburn Avenue Research Library.

Saturday, November 5, Timothy P. Spira, author of Wildflowers and Plant Communities of Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont: A Naturalists Guide of the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Details here.

Beginning November 5 thru November 20. The Book Festival of the MJCCA. ($$) Details here.

Sunday, November 6. Southern Showcase for Listening. Jessica Handler, Sam Starnes and Tony Grooms, World Improv Theatre. For details, visit Bound to Be Read Books.

Georgia Center for the Book: David Bottoms (November 7), Terry Kay (November 9), George McGovern (November 14), Winston Groom (November 15) and more. Check all their November events here.

 

Atlanta Book Event Calendar - October 2011

Here's a sampler of book related events for the month of October. (Check out all the activity on October 5 alone.) Think of it as a collection of links of different venues, so you can surf and plan your month ahead. I purposely don't put the times so you will have double check each website before heading out. The dollar sign designation ($$) indicates some kind of admission fee is charged. All events are in Atlanta unless noted.

Friday, September 30. Sesquicentennial Civil War evening. Nell Dickerson, architect photographer and author of Gone: A Photographic Plea for Preservation and Robert Hicks, author of A Separate Country. Peerless Books. Alpharetta.

Tuesday, October 4. Don Goodman and Thomas Head, authors of The Happy Table of Eugene Walter. Book signing and refreshments by Chef Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene. A Cappella Books.

Wednesday October 5 thru Sunday, October 9. American Association of University Women (AAUW) book sale at Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody. Details here. (Banner photo courtesy of AAUW)

Wednesday, October 5. A reading from short story writer and novelist Richard Bausch. Robert Woodruff Library, Emory University. Details here.

Wednesday, October 5. Charles Frazier, author of Nightwoods (and Cold Mountain), Georgia Perimeter College. Clarkston. Details here.

Wednesday, October 5 and Thursday, October 6. Dr. Siddharta Mukherjee author The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer at the Atlanta History Center ($$) and the Arena at the Gwinett Center respectively. Call A Cappella Books at 404-681-5128 about the Mukherjee's History Center appearance and Eagle Eye Books at 404-486-0307 about the Arena. (Tell `em who sent ya.)

DBF 2011 Postscript & September Calendar of Book Events

Postcards from the DBF

Strike the tents. Pitch a few unwanted books into the dumpster. The Decatur Book Festival 2011 is now over as the rain from Tropical Storm Lee washes away the ink and funnel cake residue off Ponce de 
Leon Avenue. I am still processing the event, but my favorite moment of irony, besides the book vendor who disappeared from his booth with customers waiting cash in hand, was the Saturday morning festivities near the Children's Stage. There was a long queue of parents and children wanting to have a book signed and it was hot (as if Bookzilla was belching steam) and the line was long and some of the kids were not feeling any love for reading. The dedicated parents looked a little tired. Not all the zombies were at DragonCon in downtown Atlanta this weekend.

My favorite addition to the Festival was the Kudzu Readers Lounge south of the Old Courthouse. It was shaded and they brought their inventory of vintage lawn furniture to share. I didn't see a lot of people sitting and reading, but a few weary book shoppers used the respite as a place to rest or chow down on festival food and beverage.

Atlanta Area Book Events Calendar – September 2011

But as all dedicated book shoppers know, the DBF is just opening day for the fall season. Here's a sampler of book related events for the month of September. Think of it as a collection of links of different venues, so you can surf and plan your month ahead. The dollar sign designation ($$) indicates some kind of admission fee is charged. All events are in Atlanta unless noted.

Wednesday, September 7. Madeleine Albright, author Read My Pins. Lecture. Cecil B Day Chapel. Carter Presidential Library & Museum Theater.

Thursday, September 8. Marsha J. Peters, counselor and author of He Said, She Said, I Said: 7 Keys to Relationship Success. Blue Elephant Books. Decatur.

Thursday, September 8. Linda Niemann, author of Boomer: Railroad Books. Charis Books and More.

Sunday, September 11. Local poets and writers share their works of commemoration on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 attacks. Bound to be Read Books.

Tuesday, September 13. Heywood Smith, author of Wife in Law. Peerless Books, Alpharetta.

Thursday, September 15. Jeffery Wells, author of The Atlanta Ripper, The Unsolved Case of the Gate City's Most Infamous Murders. Manuels Tavern (and A Cappella Books).

 

Atlanta Area Book Events Calendar – August 2011

  Here's a sampler of book related events for the month of August. A leaner calendar than usual, because of the upcoming Decatur Book Festival, I suspect. Think of it as a collection of links of different venues, so you can plan your month ahead.

Wednesday, August 3 Cameron McWhirter author of Red Summer: The Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America. Lecture and book signing. Carter Presidential Library & Museum Theater.

Saturday, August 6. Andisheh Nouraee author of Americapedia. Talk and signing. (In conjunction with A Cappella Books, details here) Eddie's Attic, Decatur.

Saturday, August 6. Charles Salter author of The Georgia Rambler. Eagle Eye Book Shop, Decatur.

Saturday, August 6. Martha Hawkins author of Finding Martha's Place: My Journey Through Sin, Salvation, and Lots of Soul Food. Auburn Avenue Research Library.

Tuesday, August 16. J.M. Redmann editor of the anthology Women of the Mean Streets: Lesbian Noir. Charis Books and More.

Wednesday, August 17. Beers for Books. (a kind of get S-faced for Literacy). A benefit for the Atlanta Chapter of Room to Read. The Tap, 1180 Peachtree. Details here.

Wednesday, August 17. Lisa Unger author of Darkness, My Old Friend at the Decatur Public Library.  See the Georgia Center for the Book events page.

Thursday, August 18. Johnny Diaz author Take the Lead. Outwrite Bookstore and Coffeehouse.

September 2 to 4, Decatur Book Festival. Details here.