If Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee offer book festivals in their state capitals' downtowns, why can't Georgia?
Louisiana's book festival takes place Saturday on the grounds of Huey Long's towering state Capitol near the Mississippi River. Texas holds its book festival in downtown Austin Nov. 11-12, near its gold-domed Capitol.
Tennessee's Southern Festival of Books took place in downtown Nashville Oct. 15-22 at the Tennessee state Capitol.
With the wildly popular Decatur Book Festival on hiatus, Atlanta lacks an inner-city event celebrating books. The suburban Marcus Community Center's Jewish Book Festival, this weekend through Nov. 19, is oriented toward celebrity authors rather than lesser-known writers published by small presses.
In contrast, the book festivals in downtown Nashville, Austin and Baton Rouge give attention to regional writers and independent and university presses.
Indicating the Texas Book Festival's promotion of small, literary publishers, Dallas' excellent Deep Vellum books will have eight authors, editors and translators at the event, co-founded by former first lady Laura Bush, who serves as honorary chair.
A book festival near the majestic Georgia gold dome would bring book people together to celebrate the state and South's literary culture and promote downtown.
Atlanta needs an eclectic literary festival like those that bring thousands of book lovers each year into the downtowns of Nashville, Austin and Baton Rouge.
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