The Decatur Book Festival returns this year after a one-year hiatus and plans to bring in one of the country’s literary giants.
Joyce Carol Oates, 86, has amassed a staggering list of awards and honors, including the National Book Award for Fiction for her 1969 novel “Them.” She’s been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize five times.
Her keynote conversation with Joe Barry Carroll will take place on Friday, Oct. 4, and there will be a full day of author panels and other activities on Saturday, Oct. 5.
For Oates, this is a return visit. She was keynote speaker for the festival 10 years ago.
As previously announced, the “kidnote” address will be delivered by Stacey Abrams.
In its heyday, the festival drew as many as 80,000 people over three days to downtown Decatur and nearby venues on Labor Day weekend. In 2020, the festival went virtual in the wake of the pandemic, and in 2021 and 2022, it shrank to just a few events. It has now been moved to October.
Leslie Wingate, former vice president of the Decatur Book Festival Board, has taken over as executive director of the festival, which had gone rudderless since Joy Pope stepped down following the 2021 festival.
Wingate, in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Friday morning, said she was drawn back to the festival after DeKalb County contributed $150,000 and the Joe Barry Carroll Family Foundation kicked in another $100,000.
“People have told me how excited they are about the festival coming back,” Wingate said. “This year it’s Friday night and all day Saturday. Next year, we’ll bring back events on Sunday.”
The festival will use the Decatur library, the Courtyard by Marriott and the First Baptist Church for indoor talks and Decatur Square for outdoor vendors and other events. The Reading Room, a new coffee shop which opened in February, will also host a stage for emerging authors.
