2015 Georgia Literary Festival: Part 2

Joe Davich from the Georgia Center for the Book introducing Terry Kay
Photo courtesy of Jeska Clark

Terry Kay speaks to a packed house
Photo courtesy of Jeska Clark

The day was packed with panels featuring authors of various genres from all over the Peach State: Susan Boyer, Kim Boykin, Karen White, Christine Deriso, Kami Kinard, Becky Albertalli, Ron Smith, Mary Boyle, Gould Hagler, Carolyn Newton Curry, Ann Hite, Tom Mack, Perry Smith, Don Rhodes, Susan Crawford, Jim Grimsley, Allen Gee, Cindy McMahon, Ravi Howard, Bernie Schein, Jessica Handler, Steve Uhles, Jenny Wright, Danielle Wong Moores, Brian Panowich, Eric Morris, Colleen Oakley, Linda Lee Harper, Laurel Blossom, Ed Wilson, Lynn Cullen, Tom Turner, Bill Harper, Catherine Adams, and Theresa Davis!

Georgia's Historic Places panel. From Left to Right: Moderator Susan Mucha, F. Martin Harmon, First Lady of Georgia Sandra Deal, Jennifer Dickey, Catherine Lewis
Photo courtesy of Jeska Clark

Personal Stories: Memoirs and Journals panel (Turner Simkins, Jonathan Barrett, Tom Robertson, and moderator Jane Blanchard)
Photo courtesy of Jeska Clark

 

Catherine Lewis, Jennifer Dickey, First Lady of Georgia Sandra Deal, and Jonathan Barrett at the authors' signing table
Photo courtesy of Jeska Clark

Patti Callahan Henry at the authors' signing table
Photo courtesy of Jeska Clark

Joshilyn Jackson (moderated by Karin Gillespie)
Photo courtesy of Jeska Clark

Melissa Johnson moderating the Nathalie Dupree panel
Photo courtesy of The Augusta Chronicle

Jonathan Bryant talks about his book Dark Places of the Earth
Photo courtesy of The Augusta Chronicle

Augusta's best (and only) independent bookstore, The Book Tavern, set up a "pop up bookstore" so that festival attendees could purchase books to be signed by their favorite authors

Charmain Brackett signing a book for a fan

Theresa Davis, Lynn Cullen, and Jonathan Bryant at the authors' signing tables

Lots of literary goodies!

Book Tavern pop up store
Photo courtesy of Jeska Clark

Photo courtesy of Jeska Clark

Wait, there's more! Other vendors that joined us in celebrating the written word in Georgia include: Slumdog Writers, Augusta-Richmond County Public Library System, Marsha Maurer and Rose Chandler Johnson, UGA Press, South Carolina Academy of Authors, The Chattahoochee Reviews, USC Press, David Hanks, Barbara Turner, Georgia Writers Museum, Pilcrow and Dagger, Bryce Gibson and Charles Campbell, Jose Lucio, Florence Brown, VSU Master of Library Science and Information Science program, Augusta Literary Festival, Barbara Turner, and Broken Ink.

Our official sponsors were: The Georgia Center for the Book, GRU Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Porter Fleming Foundation, Red Wolf Marketing & Design, The Augusta Chronicle, Beasley Media Group, WRDW Channel 12, Strother's Printing, Augusta Authors Club, the Knox Foundation and various individual sponsors!

Star Wars Reads Day and the Georgia Literary Festival



 

Designed by local artist Kenneth Benson

 

 

Literary fans in Georgia have two events to look forward to within the next month! I am on the planning committees for the 4th annual Star Wars Reads Day and the 14th Georgia Literary Festival which are both taking place in Augusta this year. Star Wars Reads Day is Saturday, October 10th and is a national and annual event created and designed to promote literacy in children through their love of Star Wars. Many libraries and bookstores around the country will be participating in this fun event (I'll post pictures this weekend of the event my local library is hosting). 

The Georgia Literary Festival will take place on the beautiful Georgia Regents University (soon to be Augusta University) campus on Saturday, November 7th from 9am-5pm and will feature over 40 Georgia authors, a vendor marketplace, food trucks and a Children's Entertainment area (Savannah River Ecology Lab, ventriloquist Tawanna Kelly, and local children's musician, David Neches). Listed below is the festival schedule for you to drool over:

9 to 9:45—Terry Kay Keynote, Ballroom

10 to 10:45 Georgia’s Historic Places (Jennifer Dickey, Catherine Lewis, Sandra Deal, F. Martin Harmon) Ballroom, Patti Callahan Henry, Butler; Exploring Today’s Publishing Options, (Susan Boyer, Kim Boykin, Charmain Brackett), Coffee House; Personal Stories: Memoirs and Journals, (Turner Simp...kins, Jonathan Barrett, Tom Robertson), Hardy; Picture Books with Miranda Paul, Children’s Stage 

11 to 11:45 Karen White, Ballroom; Novels for Younger Readers (Christine Deriso, Kami Kinard, Becky Abertalli, Deron Hicks), Butler; Prohibition in Atlanta, (Ron Smith, Mary Boyle) ; Coffee House, Reptiles with Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Children’s Stage

12 to 12:45 Joshilyn Jackson, Ballroom;  Civil War Memories,(Gould Hagler, Carolyn Newton Curry), Butler; How to Get Published, (Ann Hite), Coffee House; Augusta’s People and Places (Tom Mack, Perry Smith, Don Rhodes), Hardy; Children’s author, Robyn Hood Black, Children’s Stage

1 to 1:45 Mystery and Suspense (Susan Mucha, Susan Boyer, Susan Crawford) Ballroom; Grit Lit (Kim Boykin, Karin Gillespie, Ann Hite), Butler; Making Sense of Our Identities (Jim Grimsley, Allen Ghee, Cindy McMahon), Coffee House; Songs and Stories with David Neches, Children’s Stage

2 to 2:45 Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart, Ballroom; Breaking Into Children’s Literature; (Kami Kinard), Butler; Literary Reads, (Ravi Howard, Bernie Shein, Jessica Handler), Coffee House; Local columnists, (Steve Uhles, Jenny Wright, Danielle Wong Moores), Hardy; Shakespeare Mysteries with Deron Hicks, Children’s Stage

3 to 3:45 Debut Novelists (Brian Panowich, Eric Morris, Colleen Oakley) Ballroom, Poetry (Linda Lee Harper, Laurel Blossom), Butler; Children’s Performer (Ventriloquist, Tawanna Kelly), Children’s Stage

4 to 4:45 Slave Ship Antelope, (Jonathan Bryant) Ballroom; Twain’s End, (Lynn Cullen); Butler; Augusta’s Literary History, (Tom Turner, Bill Harper and Catherine Adams), Coffee House); Performance poetry (Theresa Davis), Hardy; TBA, Children’s Stage.

Signings will follow each author’s appearance and will be in the JSAC breezeway.

The children’s stage is the outdoor amphitheater. Inclement weather location for the children’s stage will be University Hall Room 170.   11 to 11:45 Karen White, Ballroom; Novels for Younger Readers (Christine Deriso, Kami Kinard, Becky Abertalli, Deron Hicks), Butler; Prohibition in Atlanta, (Ron Smith, Mary Boyle) ; Coffee House, Reptiles with Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Children’s Stage

If you are going to be in the Augusta area October 10th or November 7th please consider supporting these local events!