Weekend in Pics

I’m keeping an eye on the weather channel today and hoping that friends and family are safe in Louisiana.  Instead of a proper fest recap, a handful of pictures of the Decatur Book Festival will have to do the talking.

The festival began with between 600-a million kids marching in the "Madeline" Parade

Paste Magazine was offering a festival special - "pay what you want" subscriptions - at that kind of price, we had to get two

While taking a break from the Book Festival - we hit the Grant Park Summer Shade Festival - also awesome

As predicted, we spent lots of time at the Target Children's Stage - here Doreen Cronin reads from "Thump, Quack, Moo"

The McSweeney's tent was offering a "sweaty guy discount" on tons of their books, back issues of the quarterly, and the Believer Magazine. A pile of my money ended up here.

Working on my Brer Rabbit impersonation at The Wren's Nest tent.

It was a great weekend all over town.  We are truly sad to have missed this year’s DragonCon parade, but you can only do so much.

Special thanks to Ryan and the gang at Lenz Marketing for extending your fantastic hospitality to the Baby Got Books family for this year’s fest.  You guys are the best.

Tim’s Guide to the DBF

Each year when the Decatur Book Festival rolls around I study the schedule and carefully plot out a full weekend of bookish fun.  The ironclad schedule falls apart within moments of arrival as I’m pulled in unexpected directions.  I always forget to allow adequate time for booth visiting and Brick Store Pub happenings. That said, here’s this year’s pie-in-the-sky game plan:

Saturday

9:30 Madeline Parade – This one is non-negotiable.  My four year old daughter has firm plans to meet up with pals to celebrate the first Madeline book in 50 years.

10:00 – The author events begin with a toss up.  I’d love to see the New Stories from The South panel just to see ZZ Packer (one of Granta’s Top Young American Novelists).  However, a few stages away Douglas Blackmon will be reading from Slavery by Another Name, which has a shot at a Pulitzer (says me).  Also: John Bemelmans Marciano will be reading from the new Madeline at the kids stage.  A game time decision will be made.

11:15 – This one is easy.  I’ll be introducing the Sleep is for the Week: Best of the Mommybloggers panel at the Decatur Presbyterian stage, which features Kristen Chase and Mir Kamin.   I pretty much need to be there.

12:00 – Laughing Pizza in concert at the Kids Stage.  I mentioned the four year old, right?

12:30 – Another toss up.  I hope to see either Rick Bragg reading from The Prince of Frogtown OR Doug Crandell’s Of Hissy Fits and Hairdos panel.  I just saw Crandell at Wordsmiths a few weeks ago, so I’m leaning towards Bragg.

Then it’s lunch and wandering around the booths.  I’ll catch what I can in the afternoon.  Hopefully that will include the Tretheweys.

Saturday night there is a Writer’s Conference Happy Hour at Twain’s, “which will feature live music, a wet flannel shirt contest, and a kissing booth with wax lips, womaned by Hollis Gillespie.” Aye carumba.

Sunday

1:00 We’re hitting the Kids’ Stage for Doreen Cronin, author of at least four children’s books that are currently in my home.

2:00 Andy Runton, author and illustrator of the Owly books, is at the Kids’ Stage.

2:30 Someone go see Robert Olen Butler and ask him about this e-mail.  I just can’t.

3:45 Jed Horne reads from Breach of Faith.  Meanwhile, Jack Pendarvis reads w/ Sheri Joseph.  I caught Jack Pendarvis a few weeks ago at Wordsmiths and it was the hit reading of the summer.  Hmm.

5:00 The Cook’s Warehouse Stage features John T. Edge, editor of the Southern food writing compilation, Cornbread Nation 4.  I have a firend who has a piece in CN 4, so I’ll be checking this one out.

7:30 The fest closes with Drive By Trucker Paterson Hood performing solo on the square.  Aw yeah.

Speaking of music, each day there is live music (and cool air-conditioning) at Eddie’s Attic.  There is also a full slate of poetry at the Java Monkey Stage both days, too.  I always forget to spend enough time at those spots.  And there is always the Brick Store for plotting the next move.

Decatur Book Festival 2008

The Decatur Book Festival is right around the corner.   I did not know this, but apparently our book fest in in the US top ten in terms of the number of authors appearing and in attendance.  Cool.

Author appearance highlights:

• Karen Abbott – Sin in the Second City
• John Bemelmans Marciano – author of the first new Madeline book in 50 years (grandson of the original author)
• Douglas Blackmon – Slavery by Another Name
• Roy Blount, Jr.
• Rick Bragg – The Prince of Frogtown
• Robert Olen Butler – Intercourse (bonus: opportunity to ask about that e-mail)
• Doug Crandell – The Flawless Skin of Ugly People and Hairdos of the Mildly Depressed
• Doreen Cronin – Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type
• Hollis Gillespie – Bleachy Haired Honky Bitch
• Rheta Grimsley Johnson – Poor Man’s Provence: Finding Myself in Cajun Louisiana (Wait?! Poor man’s who in the what now?)
• Jed Horne – New Orleans journalist and author
• Jennifer 8 Lee – The Fortune Cookie Chronicles
• ZZ Packer  – One of Granta’s Top Young American Novelists
• Jack Pendarvis – Awesome
• Andy Runton – Owly books (!)
• Laurel Snyder – poet, children’s author, and a local
• Natasha Trethewey – Pulitzer-winning poet

Those are some of the names that jumped out at me on first glance.  See the complete list to find your must-see authors.  We’ll have more to come as we get closer.