Decatur Writers To Gather for 'Great Day' Photo

It's difficult enough to gather everybody for a photograph during a family reunion.

The Decatur Book Festival is trying to do something even tougher on Thursday: Pull together the town's many writers for a group picture at the old DeKalb County Courthouse.

As the festival explained,

With so many well-known authors living and working in Decatur, including the current Poet Laureate of the U.S., Natasha Trethewey, [festival executive director Daren] Wang believes the time is right to highlight the town’s talent. Reminiscent of the iconic 1958 photo of jazz legends called, “A Great Day in Harlem,” the photo will include published authors with a Decatur zip code.

 With the seventh annual AJC DBF set for Aug. 31-Sept. 2, Wang says, “A mission of the festival is to help nurture this community and to celebrate the great things we have here.”

Writers expected for the shoot include newly appointed U.S Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey, Amanda Kyle Williams, Joshilyn Jackson, Mickey Baskett, Amy Benson Brown, Joe Crespino, James Dean, Amber Dermont, Elizabeth Dulemba, Ken Foskett, Tony Martin, Terra Elan McVoy, Andisheh Nouraee, Susan Puckett, Josh Russell, Allen Tullos, and Kevin Young.

After the photo, the festival will hold a reception inside the Old Courthouse to kick off the “My Festival” campaign in which authors, local business owners, and area residents share the reasons they love and feel ownership in the festival.

The public is invited. For more information, visit the Decatur Book Festival website.

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