It's that time of year again, the Decatur Book Festival will be running through the Labor Day weekend. They've managed to attract some very cool authors, like Charles Frazier (Cold Mountain) and Kinky Friedman (who is more famous for being Kinky Friedman than for writing, really. But he should be a hell of a keynote speaker.) Check it out! There's quite a range of activities beyond discussions/signings with the 200 invited authors, like cooking demonstrations and live music.
Book Fairs aren't all that common, but Decatur is quite the literary stronghold. There's kind of a intelligentsia feedback loop at work. Taxes are so high that you can only afford to live there if you have an advanced degree. The high taxes support a school system that parents are rabidly tied into, so the kids learn to read well. They grow up and pay high taxes and read books. It all makes sense, yes? I remember going to the downtown Decatur library when I was a kid, it was pretty big for the relative size of the city. They've expanded the building now and it hosts tons of authors, book discussion groups, and even musical artists.
All the local bibliophiles also support offbeat independent bookstores. Wordsmiths just opened in the old Post office building. It carries some of the books you'll find at the big chains, but the space is much cooler than the local Borders. My favorite ice cream shop, Jake's, shares a space with Little Shop of Stories, a bookstore aimed at kids. Normally this would drive me nuts, but Decatur children are remarkably well behaved. Yet another reason to live in Decatur.
