Zadie Smith, "Feel Free: Essays." Smith's new collection, including previously unpublished work, as well as already classic essays, offers a survey of important recent events in culture and politics, as well as Smith's own life. With television journalist Gail O'Neill. 7 p.m. Feb. 12. Reading, discussion, signing. $30. Ticket includes signed book. SCADshow, 173 14th St. NE., Atlanta, 404-253-2740, scad.edu
Jamie Quatro, "Fire Sermon." Following her acclaimed short-story collection, "I Want To Show You More," Quatro returns with a novel about a married woman and mother who begins a platonic affair with a poet that challenges her sense of loyalty and morality. 7 p.m. Feb 13. Reading, Q&A, signing. Free. SCAD's Ivy Hall, 179 Ponce de Leon Ave., NE., Atlanta, 404-253-3324, scad.edu
Jim Auchmutey, "Class of '65." For a new series "Beyond Books," hosted by Atlanta's Alison Law, Auchmutey will discuss his thought-provoking account of the students at Georgia's Americus High School, the civil rights struggle that embroiled the school and the surrounding community, and an unexpected reconciliation decades later. 7 p.m. Feb. 14. Talk, signing. Free. Wren's Nest, 1050 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. SW., Atlanta, 404-753-7735, facebook.com/events/309226089483491/
Tony Grooms, "The Vain Conversation." With his new novel, Grooms ("Bombingham") reflects on the 1946 lynching of two black couples in Georgia from the perspectives of three characters—one of the victims, a presumed perpetrator, and a 10-year-old boy who witnesses the murders. In conversation with Ruth Yow. 7 p.m. Feb. 15. Talk, Q&A, signing. Free. Wrecking Bar, 292 Moreland Ave. NE., Atlanta, 404-681-5128, acappellabooks.com
John A. Burrison, Face Jugs/People Pots: Southern Tradition, Global Human Impulse. Regents Professor of English and Director of the Folklore Curriculum at GSU, Burrison ("Global Clay") will explore the tradition of jugs with human faces — now icons of Southern folk art — and address questions about their provenance and meaning. 8 p.m. Feb. 15. Talk, signing. $10. RSVP required. Atlanta History Center, 130 W. Paces Ferry Road NW., Atlanta, 404-814-4150, atlantahistorycenter.com
Poetry reading: Tracy K. Smith. Smith, 22nd U.S. poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, "Ordinary Light," and three award-winning books of poetry; her collection "Life on Mars" won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize. 4 p.m. Sat. Feb. 17. Reading, signing. Free. Emory University Schwartz Center, 1700 N. Decatur Road, Atlanta, web.library.emory.edu
Bryn Chancellor, "Sycamore." When a newcomer to Sycamore, Arizona, finds what appear to be human remains embedded in the wall of a ravine, residents fear the bones may belong to a teenage girl who disappeared 18 years earlier. 2 p.m. Feb. 17. Signing. Free. FoxTale Book Shoppe, 105 E. Main St., Woodstock, 770-516-9989, foxtalebookshoppe.com
Joyce D'Mot, "Risking It All." Clark Atlanta University alumna D'Mot's novel follows a CDC scientist who falls for a homeless man unjustly accused of attempted murder. 3 p.m. Feb. 17. Reading, signing. Free. Tall Tales Book Shop, Toco Hill Shopping Center, 2105 LaVista Road NE., Atlanta, 404-636-2498, talltalesatlanta.com
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