2019 AJC Decatur Book Festival Aug 30 to Sep 1

The AJC Decatur Book Festival is the largest independent book festival in the country, which features over 250 authors who will appear from Friday through Sunday of Labor Day weekend (August 30 to September 1). Decatur is a charming town immediately east of Atlanta and close to the campus of Emory University, the sponsor of this year's festival. Talks take place in a variety of venues in downtown Decatur, which are within walking distance from each other, and there is easy access to the festival by car or public transit, as there is a MARTA subway station in the middle of the Square where the festival is centered. There is a section dedicated to children's and young adult authors, along with a centralized food stand, and downtown Decatur has numerous superb restaurants as well. Over 80,000 people attended last year's festival, which featured local, regional, national and international authors, including award winning and nationally prominent writers.

Some of the notable authors who will appear at this year's festival include Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor; Téa Obreht, winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction; Stacey Abrams, the Democratic candidate for governor of Georgia and a rising star in the party; Dr Louise Aronson, a geriatrician whose new book Elderhood is a valuable guide for the elderly and those who care for and know them; Richard Blanco, the author of the poem read at Barack Obama's presidential inauguration; and numerous others. The lineup of authors is as diverse and as interesting as any book festival I've ever attended, and when I went last year my main challenge was deciding which author to see during a particular time slot, as several times there were multiple talks that I wanted to attend simultaneously.

This year's festival features an opening talk on immigration, and several authors will discuss the topic on Friday. The list of presenters can be found here: https://decaturbookfestival.com/festival/presenters/

Best of all, the festival is free!

Five of us met to attend last year's festival, and in the 22 years I've lived in Atlanta that was the best weekend I've ever had here. Kay (RidgewayGirl) and I, at least, will go again this year, as I found out earlier this morning that I'll be off those three days. If anyone is interested in joining us, please let us know!