Friday, May 21-Sunday, May 30 • all around the Square

---

Authors Speak . . .

Decatur Public Library Auditorium ● 215 Sycamore St.
Presented by the Georgia Center for the Book

Robin Oliveira
Friday, May 21 ● 7:15 pm
If you were caught up in the atmosphere and power of Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain and Robert Hicks’ The Widow of the South, you’ll want to hear Robin Oliveira talk about her new Civil War-era novel My Name is Mary Sutter. It’s about a headstrong young woman who becomes a midwife and then seeks to enter medical school on the eve of the war. Rejected because of her sex, she finds a surgeon to mentor her who becomes even more in her life. A moving story of love and war and a young woman’s determination and vulnerability.

John Sandford
Monday, May 24 ● 7:15 pm
The author of the bestselling Prey series will read and sign Storm Prey, the 20th in the series. John Sandford is the pseudonym of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp, who worked as a reporter for the Miami Herald (1971-78), covering killings and drug cases with his colleague, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Edna Buchanan. In 1978, while working for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Camp was named a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. In 1986, he won the Pulitzer for writing a series of articles on the farm crisis in the Midwest.

Joe Dabney
Tuesday, May 25 ● 7:15 pm
The author of two entertaining books about Southern traditions of eating and drinking, Dabney will talk about his new book The Food, Folklore, and Art of Lowcountry Cooking. He treats readers to a tour of Charleston, Beaufort and Savannah to examine food experiences there. The book is filled with colorful photographs and the authentic voices of local people. Dabney's previous books include Mountain Spirits: A Chronicle of Corn Whiskey and the bestseller Smokehouse Ham, Spoon Bread, and Scuppernong Wine: The Folklore and Art of Appalachian Cooking, which won the prestigious James Beard award for Best Cookbook of the Year.

Mary Richardson
Wednesday, May 26 ● 7:15 pm
Truckers is 126 pages of lyrical vignettes and photographs that study the work lives of American truck drivers. The book is a collaboration between three photographers and the author, who also directed and edited the project. Richardson was inspired by her experiences as the editor of a national trucker magazine, and the book reveals the sadder, more intimate, and lesser-known elements of the world of truck drivers, highlighting their personal struggles and challenging common stereotypes. The presentation will include photography from the book.

Joe Davich, assistant director
Georgia Center for the Book

 

---

Dancing Monkey Cabaret

Friday, May 28 • 5-10 pm; Saturday, May 29 • 10 am-2 pm and 3-6 pm; Sunday, May 30 • 11-6

Performers will rotate through various styles of street performance including acoustic music and puppetry. Festival-goers can stop and watch if they are interested, or pass by easily if not.

---

Speak . . . Easy!
A Celebration in Words and Music

Friday, May 28 • 7-9 pm
Old Courthouse on the Square

Host: Jerry G. White
Music: Kim Armstrong’s “A Popular Dance” – an audience-interactive performance showcase.

Featured Artists:
Southern Order of Storytellers

Audrey Galex
A veteran of the dating and marriage scene shares tales from the front lines. Join her for an adults-only reflection on the state of the date and setting the date.

Grace Hawthorne
The Washing Machine
This writer, editor and performer has appeared at numerous festivals and corporate events. Stories from her CDs, Waterproof Stories and More Waterproof Stories, have been heard on NPR.

Janice Butt
2010 Seanachie Award Recipient
Founder of Women’s Imaginative Guild of Storytellers, Janice dreams of new ways and places people can tell stories. Her stories weave a comfortable quilt that wraps around listeners and brings them in close.

Connie Prunch Dodge
Storyteller, story teacher
Connie’s repertoire includes folk tales, myths, tall tales, healing stories, diversity/multicultural stories, character education, and much more.

Jan Cribbs
Writer, performer, coach
Jan has been featured in local and regional storytelling and arts festivals, the Story History series at the Carter Library, and in many other venues. She conducts workshops on using stories in the business world.

Including the voices of:
BJ Abraham – Lusty Cheesecake
Feriel Feldman
Janan Henry – The Illustrated Woman, by Ray Bradbury, adapted from Sharon Mathis

Throughout the evening: hear from some of the artists represented in the Artists Market.

Special Guests: Literacy Volunteers of Atlanta
LVA was founded in 1986 by 19 volunteers committed to helping Metro Atlanta adults who are eager to improve their literacy abilities. LVA provides Basic Literacy, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Family Literacy, and Workplace Literacy.

---

Mt. Zion Community Exhibit

Saturday, May 29 - Sunday, May 30 • 10 am-5 pm
Old Courthouse on the Square

The DeKalb History Center presents photographs and artifacts from the historic Mt. Zion Community, a small African-American enclave off LaVista Road that was settled in the 1800s. Research by Arbor Montessori School students is also included. During the 20th century, the area changed from family farms to suburbs, but the community remains close-knit and retains its cultural heritage today. The exhibit is on the first floor of the old courthouse.

---

Literary Arts Festival Tent

Saturday, May 29
Literary Arts Tent on the Old Courthouse Lawn

Noon-12:45 ● TellTale Theatre
TellTale promotes imagination education through original plays and innovative workshops. The group has entertained children and special audiences with more than 6,000 performances and 40 original plays. TellTale’s improv troupe, the OTC, is available for special events.

1-1:45 pm • OnStage Atlanta
Decatur's oldest theater has produced live entertainment for more than 38 years. Cast members from the current season will perform selections from past shows for your family's entertainment.
www.onstageatlanta.com

2:15-2:45 ● Hazard/us Productions
The husband/wife team of Neal Hazard and Michele McCullough Hazard will perform excerpts from Langston and Zora and Natural Mystic. They have appeared on the stages of Theatrical Outfit, Horizon Theater, the Alliance, Theatre in the Square, 7 Stages, Georgia Ensemble Theatre, and Push Push Theatre.

3:15-4:30 ● Working Title Playwrights
WTP presents a cornucopia of short plays that celebrate the spirit of lively new American theater. The group makes new plays happen by developing playwrights.

4:45-5:30 ● Laughing Matters
Enjoy a performance by Atlanta’s longest running improvisational comedy troupe. Laughing Matters performs at the Academy Theatre and Manuel’s, and provides training for schools and companies. Laughingmatters.com

Sunday, May 30
Literary Arts Tent on the Old Courthouse Lawn

Noon-1 ● Glenn Weinstein (aka Abuwan)
Glenn presents “Music from All Sides" – an entertaining, educational tour of the wide world of instruments: flutes, strings, drums and even a kitchen sink.

1:30-2:30 ● Julie Austin
This dynamic, energetic children’s musician sings and plays guitar, autoharp, ukulele and jawharp. She travels nationally and has had several award-winning children’s recordings. Guaranteed to have your toes tapping, your hands clapping and your fingers snapping! JulieAustin.com

3-4 pm ● Will Power Ensemble
The husband/wife team of Neal Hazard and Michele McCullough Hazard will perform excerpts from Langston and Zora and Natural Mystic. They have appeared on the stages of Theatrical Outfit, Horizon Theater, the Alliance, Theatre in the Square, 7 Stages, Georgia Ensemble Theatre, and Push Push Theatre.

Literary Arts Festival Committee
Jerry G. White, coordinator
Lisa Kay Bokovoy
Joe Davich
Melissa Forgey
Mia Manekofsky
Karen Skellie
Bill Starr