Book Festival brings music, art, beer and, oh yeah, books to Decatur

[Above: Readers take the stage at the Decatur Book Festival.]

Last Friday evening, 1,000 people lined up to witness the Decatur Book Festival’s keynote address by former United States Poet Laureate Billy Collins. The New York native, whom the AJC termed “thoughtful and hilarious,” is one of the most recognized names in contemporary poetry. Though this year’s festival was only the third annual, Collins headed a powerhouse list of featured authors-- and he apparently had the sold-out audience rolling in their seats. That was just the beginning of a weekend that saw the streets of Decatur teeming with literature enthusiasts, despite the oppressive heat.

The variety of the festival was such that it would slake most any literary thirst. You could rap with folks from McSweeney’s and Poets & Writers about publishing trends, try to coax the timid Georgia Tech poetry students into looking up from their shoelaces, listen to live readings at the Target stage or march in a parade with the characters from Madeline. Some tents were adorned with paintings, others with aromatic leather notebooks and handmade paper. I sometimes felt as though I had accidentally bumped into an art show, or even a renaissance fair. Even a cursory perusal made it clear: Books were only half the point.

By the end of the first day, I had subscribed to the AJC, bought a signed copy of a local author’s children’s book for my little sister, spent an hour discussing narrative development in graphic novels with the guy from Top Shelf and-- of course-- eaten some truly delicious festival food.

Sunday night, the festival culminated in a packed (Paste-sponsored) concert by Drive By Truckers frontman Paterson Hood that had people swarming the downtown Decatur square, lined up for what seemed like miles in front of the local beer stand. Just half a block away, Java Monkey was bursting with poetry slam fanatics. The opportunity to perform in front of the festival-drawn lit mob certainly drew in the night’s highest number of poets, but this open mic also featured one of DBF’s less-publicized events: a reading of Natasha Trethewey’s Pulitzer-prize winning poetry.

I spent the evening running back and forth between Paterson Hood and Java Monkey, where I held the formidable (and thoroughly incidental) position of post-keynote reader. The open mic didn’t wrap up until after 11 p.m., when the poets stayed to meet and congratulate one another. There was a palpable afterglow of the weekend’s celebration as writers circled tables cluttered with wine glasses and Moleskins, discussing everyone's work, signing up for Atlanta poetry events e-mail lists and making plans for next year's festivities.

Related links:
Local folks' picks for best of Decatur Book Festival
Drive By Truckers: The rise, fall and redemption of the redneck warrior poets of rock 'n roll
McSweeney's new Wholphin to feature Rudd and Deschanel