The Book Worm’s weeklong book celebration kicks off Monday and culminates with a festival Saturday, April 13.
Book Worm owner Julia Davis said it will be a week full of fun. The festival will include a collection of author panels from local writers as well as themed events and a live mystery. Over 25 authors are scheduled to appear.
“We want to continue to bring the community together through literacy,” Davis said. “We want to see everyone see themselves in a book.”
At 6 p.m. Monday, author Denny Bryce will make an appearance at the Book Worm. Bryce is the author of such books as “Can’t We Be Friends,” about the friendship between Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe; and the upcoming historical fiction novel “The Trial of Mrs. Rhinelander,” a story about a “secret interracial marriage among the New York elite, and the sensational divorce case that ignited an explosive battle over race and class,” according to her website. That book is set to come out July 23.
Credit: Joe Adgie
Credit: Joe Adgie
At 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Cobb County Library’s Bookmobile will make an appearance at Thurman Springs Park.
At 4 p.m. Wednesday, a celebration of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” including crafts and games, takes places in the Powder Springs Library.
A poetry slam is scheduled for Thursday, April 11. Davis said anyone can take to the stage and recite their own poems. The slam starts at 6 p.m. at Rooted Trading Co., 4455 Marietta Street.
“We’re still looking for poets, or anyone who wants to do anything that’s a live version of literature,” Davis said.
Friday night, author Vanessa Riley will host “The Case of the Missing Script,” the only ticketed event of the festival. The mystery is at the Green Magnolia House and is from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $35 and includes a box of items used to help solve the mystery.
Riley is a local author who specializes in historical fiction and mystery. Her novels include the Lady Worthing Mysteries, featuring Lady Abigail Worthing, who is “an engaging heroine with an independent streak, a notorious past and a decided talent for sleuthing,” according to Riley’s website.
Saturday, April 13, is the main festival, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in downtown Powder Springs. The day starts with a parade of book characters down Marietta Street at 9:30 a.m.
“We reached out to the schools to dress up as your favorite book characters,” Davis said.
A carnival for children, author signings and several panels have been scheduled for Saturday, as well as food trucks and other exhibitors.
Credit: Joe Adgie
Credit: Joe Adgie
A Mayor’s Reading Club Panel is also scheduled, featuring Powder Springs Mayor Al Thurman and Austell Mayor Ollie Clemons. Another option is a panel of independent bookstore owners, including the owners of Brave + Kind Bookshop in Decatur, Birdsong Books in Locust Grove, Read it Again Bookstore in Suwanee and All Things Inspiration Giftique in Mableton. Davis will moderate.
“I’m excited for the Book Fest and One Book One City next week,” said Powder Springs City Manager Pam Conner. “The One Book One City campaign is a remarkable partnership created and led by Julia Davis and The Book Worm Bookstore and the Cobb County Library System that the city is proud to support and host.”
One Book One City is a Powder Springs program that encourages the community to read the same book at the same time.
The One Book for 2024 is “The Overnights: An Ashe Cayne Novel” by Dr. Ian K. Smith, a book about a former Chicago detective turned private eye who “finds himself in a race against the clock to protect a high-profile Chicago news anchor and solve the racially charged murder of a Black teen by a white police officer,” according to a press release from the Cobb County Library.
Smith will discuss the book with the community at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 13, at the Hardy Family Automotive Amphitheater at Thurman Springs Park.
For more information, visit festival’s website at thebookwormbookfest.com.
Credit: Marietta Daily Journal
Credit: Marietta Daily Journal
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