September 6, 2016 (Atlanta) —
The 2016 Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival Presented
by DeKalb Medical (DBF) successfully concluded its 11th annual event
this past weekend with a return to its Southern roots.
For
the second consecutive year, emotion marked the Keynote event at Emory
University’s Schwartz Center for Performing Arts — as did more than a
little humor — as family and friends of late Southern literary icon Pat
Conroy honored his life and his work. In 2015, the 19th Poet Laureate of
the United States Natasha Trethewey performed her breath-taking
“Meditation at Decatur Square,” which references her mother’s murder,
prior to a charged debate about feminism between Keynote speakers Erica
Jong and Roxane Gay.
Conroy, who died of pancreatic cancer in March, was a mainstay at DBF over the years.
“Pat’s
sudden passing was a shock to all of us,” DBF Founding Executive
Director Daren Wang said. “His physical presence at the festival created
a void this year but he will always have a lasting legacy at DBF. This
year’s Keynote event ensured that we will have fond new memories of
Pat.”
Conroy’s wife, Cassandra King Conroy, his
daughter Melissa Conroy, Pulitzer Prize-winner Rick Bragg,
award-winning novelist Ron Rash and journalist Bronwen Dickey were the
speakers for the Keynote event. Trethewey continued her participation in
DBF during a panel discussion that included three Georgia Pulitzer
Prize winners, with journalist and Civil Rights historian Hank Klibanoff
and AJC cartoonist Mike Luckovich representing the others.
Other
Southern writers at the festival included Thomas Mullen, Patrick
Phillips, Kevin Young, Terry Kay and Carol Anderson. In all, DBF was
comprised of more than 600 writers, 21 stages and 16 tracks.
“This
year’s line-up included a number of local and regional authors who are
or becoming important voices,” DBF Programming Director Julie Wilson
said. “The festival helped to shine a light on those writers for readers
who might not have been familiar with them. We see it as a vital part
of our mission to provide that forum.”
Earlier
this year, DBF created the Decatur Writers Studio (DWS), whose goal is
to serve both established and aspiring writers. DWS offers
workshop-style creative writing classes led by instructors, including
some of the area’s most accomplished authors.
“The
Decatur Writers Studio has helped to make the Decatur Book Festival
more of a year-round organization,” Wang said. “With the festival
returning to its roots and with the creation of DWS, DBF took another
important step as an enterprise in ensconcing itself in the Southern
literary scene.”
The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival Presented by DeKalb Medical
(DBF) is the largest independent book festival in the country. Over
Labor Day weekend tens of thousands from metro Atlanta and beyond share
the historic Decatur Square with world-class authors, illustrators,
editors, publishers and booksellers for a weekend filled with
literature, music, food and fun. For more information, visit www.decaturbookfestival.com,“l