Inside the July/Augus Issue
AJC Decatur Book Festival to Host Jonathan Franzen
The fifth annual AJC Decatur Book Festival will kick off Sept. 3 with a keynote address by National Book Award winner Jonathan Franzen. He will open the festival Friday night of Labor Day weekend as he launches a national tour for his first book since The Corrections, which won the 2001 National Book Award for fiction. Franzen’s new book, Freedom: A Novel, will be released Aug. 31.
The festival kicks into full gear on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 4-5, and is expected to attract thousands of book lovers to Decatur.
Diana Gabaldon, author of the award-winning No. 1 New York Times bestselling Outlander novels, will return after hosting standing-room only crowds in 2009. Other featured authors include Pulitzer Prize winner David Finkle, George Dawes Green, founder of The Moth, a not-for-profit storytelling organization, young adult author Cassandra Clare, adult and young adult author Ridley Pearson and New York Times bestseller Emily Giffin.
The festival will also partner with Atlanta’s Theatrical Outlet to celebrate the company’s original adaptation of John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces. Events planned with the acting company include a presentation by executive artistic director Tom Key and scenes from the play.
SCVNGR, an interactive, location-based game, will lead players through the festival grounds and nearby Decatur hotspots. Prizes for this 21st century scavenger hunt will include signed books, T-shirts, posters, and other goodies.
A children’s parade each morning of the festival will help generate excitement in children about books and reading. Each parade will feature a popular children’s book and the book’s creators – Ladybug Girl, by Jackay Davis and Davis Soman, and Llama Llama Red Pajama, by Anna Dewdeny.
Visit www.decaturbookfestival.com for more information.
Also in this issue:
• Focus on Downtown Development
• Season of Giving Seeks Volunteers
• Calling Decatur Hometown Heroes
• Oakhurst Community Garden News
• From the DBA President
• Barbecue, Blues and BluegrassFest
• Upcoming Shows at The Seen Gallery
>July/August Focus Newsletter (PDF)
>Decatur Focus archives
About the Decatur Focus
The Decatur Focus is the official newsletter of the City of Decatur. Supported by the City of Decatur, the Decatur Business Association and the Decatur Downtown Development Authority, the Focus is published 10 times per year and mailed to every household, business and professional license-holder in the City. January/February and July/August are combined issues.
The Decatur Focus is filled with announcements and information about the City of Decatur including City services, downtown development issues, school news, business news, and news about individual residents and neighborhood associations. The purpose of the newsletter is to promote the City and encourage the exchange of information among residents, business owners, and the school system.
Submissions are encouraged and should be submitted by the first of the month prior to the month of publication (i.e., information that appears in the January issue should be submitted by December 1). The Decatur Focus also accepts advertising. For information about ad rates, download an ad rate card or call 404-371-8386.
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Letters to the editor, editorials, or other opinion pieces are not published. All press releases, announcements, and other information received for publication are subject to editing.
Information found in the Focus is also posted here on Decatur's official website. The deadline for submitting articles, announcements, or advertising is the first day of the month preceding publication. Contact: Editor, Decatur Focus, P.O. Box 220, Decatur, GA 30031, 404-371-8386; fax 404-371-1593; email Linda Harris.
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