EVENT PREVIEW
Book Festival of MJCCA. Nov. 2-17. Most events at MJCCA, 5342 Tilly Mill Road, Dunwoody. Free-$24. www.atlantajcc.org.
For two weeks next month, the Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta brings to town more than 40 authors whose books span literary genres from fiction, memoir and self-help to history, humor and art. There are also a couple of Pulitzer Prize winners and some blockbuster best-seller writers, as well as self-published authors you may not know but the MJCCA thinks you should.
“We never say no to an author because they’re self-published,” said Pam Morton, director of the festival. “The way the publishing industry is today, many people have self-published books that are successful. We have four this year, which is fewer than in past years.”
The festival’s mission is to promote books by Jewish authors, books about Jewish subjects or books on topic of interest to the community at large. That’s a wide spectrum. So on the one hand, you have “The Sisters Weiss,” a novel by Israeli author Naomi Ragen (1 p.m. Nov. 3, $14) about an ultra-Orthodox family in 1950s Brooklyn. And on the other, you have the memoir “The Death of Santini” by Pat Conroy (7:30 p.m. Nov. 17, $24).
And in between are special events targeting specific audiences, such as the Family Reading Festival for children 6 and younger (10 a.m.- 1 p.m. Nov. 10, $10) and the Southern Writers’ Showcase moderated by the Atlanta Writers Academy (4:30 p.m. Nov. 10, free).
Here are a few more recommended events:
Scott Turow. The festival kicks off with the lawyer/author of nine best-selling novels, many of which have been made into successful movies. His latest book, "Identical," sets the stage for a mythical struggle between a pair of twins, one a powerful politician and the other a convicted murderer freshly released from prison. It may not be the best-reviewed book in Turow's canon, but as the New York Times says, "It is always a pleasure to visit Kindle County" (the author's fictional stand-in for Chicago). 8:15 p.m. Nov. 2, $24.
Alan Salkin. The former New York Times reporter goes behind the scenes of the Food Network and chronicles its rise in popularity and influence in "From Scratch: Inside the Tumultuous Billion-Dollar World of the Food Network." This will be an "In Conversation" event with local restaurateur Kevin Rathbun, who has made winning appearances on the Food Network shows "Iron Chef America" and "Chopped." 6:30 p.m. Nov. 6, $18.
Two Pulitzer Prize winners. On two separate programs, see two of the nation's finest writers, according to the Pulitzer Prize committee. Sheri Fink, author of "Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital" appears "In Conversation" with Elizabeth Cohen, CNN senior medical correspondent. 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11, $18. Also a National Book Award winner, A. Scott Berg discusses his new biography "Wilson," about President Woodrow Wilson, which was 10 years in the making. He appears in a "Two Authors" program with Gregory J. Wallace, author of "America's Soul in the Balance: The Holocaust, FDR's State Department and the Moral Disgrace of an American Aristocracy." 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5, $18
Jane Weitzman. The wife of shoe designer Stuart Weitzman has published the fanciful book "Art & Sole," which contains colorful photographs of 150 pairs of fantasy art shoes designed by her husband. Made more for looking than wearing, they're crafted from unlikely materials, ranging from Swarovski crystals to corrugated cardboard. Noon Nov. 12, $14.
Pat Conroy. Closing out the festival is that celebrated Southern man of letters who talks about his new book, "The Death of Santini." The memoir brings a resolution to Conroy's previously fictionalized tales about the man who has always loomed large over the author's life. His appearance will be "In Conversation" with Atlanta magazine columnist Teresa Weaver. 7:30 p.m., Nov. 17, $24.
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