My Decatur Book Festival (DBF) Schedule

Friday, September 3 - 7:00 p.m. Scalp my tickets for the Jonathan Franzen keynote address. Show support for Jodi Picoult.

Friday, 7:45 p.m. Rethink my scalping strategy. As a Midwesterner (like Franzen) “my moral seriousness” tells me not to take advantage of those less fortunate.

Friday, 8:45 p.m. Ask Franzen, during the question and answer session, “What’s with that psychedelic turd scene (p. 316) in The Corrections?”

Saturday, September 4  – 9 a.m to Noon. Report for my stint as a volunteer for the Festival. Double check that my book festival service gets me dibs on working at the Decatur Beer Festival, (on October 16).

Saturday,  12:01 p.m.  Remove DBF volunteer shirt, so I don’t have to ask questions such as:  “Where is the Antiquarian Book Fair?”  Replace with my vintage DBF Blogzilla shirt from last year. Start looking for a food tent that sells turkey legs.

Saturday, 12:01 to 12:30 p.m. Visit some of the book exhibitors. Upon request, go back to the tent that sells turkey legs and get more napkins.

Saturday, 12:30 to 2:15 p.m. Check out the tribute to the A Confederacy of Dunces at the Decatur High School. Tell one of the panelists Bill Cotter, a former antiquarian book dealer, to go across McDonough street and check out Books Again. (They are having a sale this weekend.)

Saturday 3 p.m. Stop by McSweeney’s  (Booth 526) and recycle my extra Believer magazines, compliment them about using an Atlanta studio to produce their music CD (Vol 8. No. 6) and complain that the print is too small in their cartoons.

Saturday, 4 p.m to 6 p.m. Start reading some of the books I purchased. Nap.

Sunday, September 5 - 1:00 to 3 p.m. Check out the Emerging Authors at the Gazebo. Commiserate with authors who try to get their works out in the public. (I understand, believe me). Shouldn’t it be comforting to the authors knowing that someone listening in the audience is not a family member?

Sunday, 4 p.m.  Stop by the AJC (Booth 503) and ask how the Sunday paper keeps getting thrown into my geraniums. Join the Book Fest-On-a-Budget crawl with Bargain Hunter blogger and columnist Rana Cash  to look for a discounted copy of Franzen’s new book Freedom. (Publisher’s suggested retail price $28)

Sunday, 6 p.m. Resume reading some of the books I purchased. Nap.