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Decatur Book Festival is a tax-exempt nonprofit, recognized since 2007, that reported $3,836 in revenue for tax year 2023.

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Decatur Book Festival Announces 2026 Lineup for Festival, Featuring Over 80 Authors

Decatur Book Festival Previews 16 Authors Participating in 21st Anniversary Festival

Decatur Book Festival Builds for the Future with New Literary Leadership

Decatur Book Festival Appoints Bailee Yarbrough to Lead Its Next Chapter

Bailee Yarbrough

Heidi Hill

Anna Dobben

Rachel Batiste

@librofm was kind enough to supply all of this year’s (300+) volunteers with a free audiobook download 🎉 Check out our link in bio for a special DBF related promo and get three audiobooks for the price of one when you start a new membership 📚 🎧

So honored to be in the running for Best Community Event by @decaturish — we’d love if you could vote for us at our link in bio!

it’s been a month since the festival! Here’s some of our favorite takes 👀

Starting November with #NationalAuthorsDay 🖊️ So grateful for our amazing lineup from this year’s festival — including @pulitzerprizes winner @brian_goldstone 🎉

Happy Halloween! Here’s a spooky good list of festive books written by some of our featured authors from this year 👻 Step into @madelinemartin ‘s A Time of Witches, where two spirited women discover the depths of their powers and dare to defy the men and the forces that threaten to destroy them. In present-day Georgia, Lilith Legare is plagued by random appearances of animals and a recurring nightmare of burning alive at the stake. In 1645 Suffolk, Sybil Brantham is accused as a witch—and as arrests and panic arise across England, she must protect her younger sister despite betrayal on all sides. This perfect novel for the Halloween season weaves together the mysteries that connect women across centuries—and the truths that will ultimately save them. Join us for a session that will delve into Martin’s yearslong research for this project, writing strong women, and keeping hope alive even during humanity’s darkest times. @ryan_souflee shares his brand-new novel for young adults, Night of Madness, in which teen influencers compete in a horror movie–themed overnight competition . . . only to realize the real test is staying alive in this chilling, blood-soaked horror novel. New York Times–bestselling author @aidenschmaiden returns to the beloved world of Cemetery Boys, this time following Julian—chaos magnet extraordinaire. With restless spirits vanishing and a dark demon from their past emerging, he and Yadriel might be the only ones reckless enough to stop a threat that could tear their world apart.

October is National #readinggroup month 📚 Check out the “community” page on our website to find a book club near you!

Pat Conroy’s Lowcountry was one of our featured books at the festival this year. Tomorrow, join us at the @thetaraatlanta for even deeper insight into his life and legacy in this special screening of THE GREAT SANTINI, adapted from Pat Conroy’s book, published 50 years ago this year. Conroy was a frequent attendee of DBF and his widow/fellow writer Cassandra King Conroy will be in attendance, along with other members of the Conroy family. Tickets available in our bio.

Kinda chic to spend your day at a book festival 📚 what’s the next book event you’re attending?

National Writing Day celebrates your creativity, your stories, and your work being shared with the world! We are so grateful for this beautiful community of authors and readers 🥹

Today is Black Poetry Day — and we were honored to have @poemsandcake and @phillipbw_author on our poetry stage this year 🎉

October is National cookbook month! Checkout the authors from our Culinary category this year 🍽️

Rainy weekend means staying in to read 📚 What’s on your TBR?

National banned books week became officially recognized in 1982, denouncing censorship and promoting the freedom to read. Celeste Headlee opened up our festival Saturday morning with a discussion on the right to literacy and education. Her new book, Freedom’s Daughters: How a Generation of Black Women Resisted Oppression Through Literacy and Education, reminds us that we must continue to defend our right to learn with the same fierce determination of the generations before us. The book is available for preorder from our partner bookstore @charisbooksandmore

It’s #nationalbookmonth 📚 Tell us what you bought at DBF yesterday ⬇️

The forecast has cleared up, and we’re all smiles for the 21st annual Decatur book festival 🎉 Drop a 📚 below if we’ll see you there 👀

We know how the forecast looks 🌧️ Come prepared with your rain boots, jackets and umbrellas — we’re not gonna let a few puddles stop us from the best bookish weekend 📚 We’re continuing to monitor the forecast and will update you here on any delays, location changes, etc.

The Decatur Book Festival is made possible by the generous support of our sponsors and the dedication of our booksellers. Thanks to their partnership and commitment, our festival remains free and open to all.

Honored to be featured on @atlantanewsfirst this morning! If you missed it live on TV, watch now to learn more about this year’s festival ✨

If you thought you’d seen everything the Decatur Book Festival has to offer, keep on looking 👀 We can’t wait to see all of this come to life in a few weeks 📚

Want to be a part of the 2026 Decatur Book Festival? Sign up through the @cityofdecaturga to volunteer with us 🎉

The wait is over and the countdown is on ⏰

Stroll down memory lane with us as we share some of your favorite DBF moments from the past 20 years 🥹 We can’t wait to keep writing our story this year 🩵 Feel free to comment below with your favorite memory if you’ve been, or something you’re looking forward to this year!

We are so excited to see the community support behind our recent author release! All of their books will be made available for purchase at the festival through our amazing partner bookstores 📚

It’s here! 📚 Unveiling the full list of 90+ authors joining us at the Decatur Book Festival for Festival Day on October 3! Who are you most excited to see? See the full lineup at the link in our bio—and get ready for a FREE day of celebrating books in downtown Decatur on 10/3! The schedule of events will be announced in early September!

Sending the love to our Bookish community (Decatur and beyond!) 🩵If you want to celebrate independent bookstore romance day, check out some of these events happening around town!

Couldn’t wait until next week to reveal our our 2026 Poster — Designed by @vedikamehra_ 🎨 Countdown to the 2026 Book Festival is on ⏰. Save the Date for October 2-3. See you in Decatur, GA 📍

Thanks to everyone who came out to our fundraiser last night at @beerwildheaven 🎉 We had some great finds at our book swap, met new faces from all over the city, and did a special reveal of our poster and author line up — tune in next week!

The wait is (almost) over — we’re one week away from the poster reveal for this years festival 🎉 Any guesses on the look we have going 👀

Happy national book lovers day 📚 We’re spending the morning Loading up our favorite reads for the book swap at our fundraiser on Thursday 🎉 Bring a book, take a book — our shelves are literally overflowing and we have lots to share! Ticket link in bio 🎟️

Some of you have asked about when our full festival lineup will drop? That date is August 18th, but you can be among the first to receive it in advance by coming to our fundraiser August 13th at Wild Heaven in Avondale. All ages welcome! Thanks so much for your support and we hope to see you there!

The Black Girl Book Fair has become a cherished summer tradition in ATL 💕 Comment below if you were there ⬇️

Check your emails for our official press release on the 2026 festival 🎉 Here’s a sneak peek of some of the amazing authors joining us this year 👀

It has come to our attention that some local authors have been contacted by people impersonating book festival staff. This is so disheartening to us and we want to make sure that none of our community members fall victim.

Great opportunity for all the little bookworms out there 📚 The @atlhawks are giving away a FREE ticket to a home game next season for kids K-12 who complete five books this summer 🎉 What a great opportunity to entice your children for their summer reading 🏀 For more info, email checkitout.reading@hawks.com 📧

This Independence Day we want to highlight what makes our country great — indigenous history, revolutionary feminism, immigrant culture and so much more. Take a look at these stories that may give you some new insight into American life.

Special Father’s Day shoutout to the @thelibrarydads — a local collective of fathers committed to encouraging child literacy 📚 Check out their page for upcoming events near you!

Honoring freedom, and highlighting some of our favorite local voices in the black literary space! From authors, bookstores, book clubs, and bookstagrammers — these community members are using their platforms to share meaningful stories. Make sure to give them a follow — and tag any others below that we missed (we’ll share on our story!) 👇🏾 And follow a TikTok for a list of some of our favorites there as well 👀

Celebrating pride with a local community spotlight 🏳️‍🌈 From @charisbooksandmore: “As a more than 50-year-old, queer-owned, mission-driven feminist bookstore, we strive to offer a selection of books that reflects our community in complex and intersectional ways. On our shelves you’ll find LGBTQIA+ books for people of all ages, as well as queer and trans books in all sections of our store. ” Check out their social media for a few upcoming events and make sure to support them (this month and always)!

Alright community — we’re building a summer reading list together 🫱🏼‍🫲🏾 What are you currently reading 👀⬇️

Twenty years of book totes, standing ovations, tents lining the Square, kids chasing down Bookzilla, and strangers bonding over their favorite books. For more than two decades, DBF has been a place where stories come to life, not just on the page but in the hearts of those who gather here. And our story is still unfolding...📖 Tell us in the comments, what year did you first attend DBF?

We need to know: what book has had you absolutely glued to the page this month? Drop your current read in the comments — we're always taking notes. 👀

Poetry has always had a home at DBF. From main stages, emerging student writers, and intimate readings, it's one of our favorite parts of the festival. During #NationalPoetryMonth we're celebrating the poets who have graced our stages and the verses that have stayed with us long after the last page...

Six months from now, Decatur will become the most exciting place in the literary world. 🧡 October 2–3 is closer than it looks and we're busy building something special. Stay tuned for author announcements, programming reveals, and more coming your way this summer. Save the date. Tell a friend. Add it to the calendar cause you're BOOKED!

We did it. Every. Single. Book. Our TBR pile? Gone. Finished. Not a page left unread. 📚✅ …April Fools'. Our stack just grew by three more titles this morning, and we have zero regrets. How many books are on your TBR list?

Truth be told, this weather is putting us in a big #bookfest mood. 🥳 See you again on October 2-3, 2026!

Our 2026 reading lists are already growing… 📚 Tell us: what are you most excited to read this year? Whistler by Ann Patchett Empire of Madness: Reimagining Western Mental Health Care for Everyone by @khamkidia Service Ready by @chaipanimom Kin by @tayari Maybe the Body: Poems by @asaldrake

We’re thrilled to welcome two new leaders to the Decatur Book Festival! ✨ Meet Anna Dobben, our new Literary Director. With experience spanning the San Antonio Book Festival, the National Book Foundation, and major publishing houses, Anna brings a deep understanding of literary programming and a personal connection to DBF as a graduate of Emory University. We’re also excited to introduce Heidi Hill, our new Assistant Director. An editor, consultant, and writer with more than two decades in independent publishing, Heidi has long been part of the DBF community as an attendee, volunteer, and moderator. Please join us in giving Anna and Heidi a warm welcome! 💛📚

We’ve so enjoyed these books by DBF female authors and couldn’t let Women’s History Month pass without sharing them. Add one (or two!) to your reading list this year! 📖 Awake by Jen Hatmaker Black Women Taught Us by Jenn M. Jackson Fox by Joyce Carol Oates The Mediterranean Dish: Simply Dinner by Suzy Karadsheh Just Keep Going by Lynn Smith Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer Replaceable You by Mary Roach #WomensHistoryMonth

This February, we honor Black History Month by highlighting how Black authors have shaped our world with powerful insights on culture, identity, joy, resistance and resilience. Featured here are a few of our favorite works from previous years’ festival authors. We invite you to read with intention and stay curious all year long. For Children and Young Adult Readers: Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Book of Anansi by Angie Thomas The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze by Derrick Barnes The Scammer by Tiffany D. Jackson Truth Is: A Novel in Verse by Hannah V. Sawyerr

Book lovers, allow us to introduce our new Executive Director, Bailee Yarbrough! A Decatur resident, avid reader, and dedicated festival volunteer, Bailee brings a rare blend of community passion and operational leadership. She holds a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and previously led large-scale initiatives at ExxonMobil and Dow Chemical Company. She now brings that same strategic and analytical expertise to guiding DBF into its next chapter. “At its heart, the Decatur Book Festival is about the community coming together to share stories and ideas,” said Yarbrough. “I am honored to steward DBF forward and continue creating welcoming spaces where readers and writers of all ages can gather, spark curiosity, and explore new perspectives.” Join us in thanking her predecessor, Leslie Wingate, and welcoming Bailee to our leadership!

We’re excited to announce that the 2026 Exhibitor Applications for the Decatur Book Festival are NOW OPEN! We welcome exhibitors whose offerings center on books, literary materials, and merchandise aligned with DBF’s mission. This year, applications will be reviewed and accepted in batches as we finalize the festival layout. With major improvements and construction underway on the new Decatur Square, the exact footprint of the festival is still being determined. Thank you for your patience as we incorporate these exciting changes into this year’s festival. Please note that space is limited and due to capacity constraints, and not all applications will be approved. Apply through the link in our bio!

Because of YOU, 2025 was an unforgettable chapter! To our attendees, authors, moderators, volunteers, sponsors and donors: thank you for showing up, supporting us, and making DBF what it is. This year felt especially meaningful as we celebrated 20 years of stories. Two decades of gathering around books, ideas, and community is no small thing, and the 2025 festival carried that legacy forward in a way that felt joyful, intentional, and deeply connected. P.S. If you’re planning year-end giving, we invite you to include us in your support. As a 501(c)(3) organization, every contribution is tax-deductible and helps ensure our next chapter is just as meaningful as the last.

Today, we’re asking our community to rally behind us. Creating something meaningful takes time, and each gift gives us the staying power to keep this beloved festival growing, evolving, and remaining free for everyone. For 20 years, we’ve built something extraordinary together. Now, we’re ready to do even more but we can’t do it without you. Our Giving Tuesday goal is simple and bold: 200 donors in one day Your gift, whether $5, $20 or $200, helps us expand our festival footprint, reach more readers of all ages, and bring bestselling and leading authors to our stages. Every gift counts, and every contribution is tax-deductible. Thank you for being part of our story.

As #GivingTuesday approaches tomorrow, we hope you’ll consider supporting us so we can continue showcasing today’s leading voices and keep our festival free. Whether you’re ready to make a gift or keep us in mind for tomorrow, every contribution matters.

On this day of gratitude, we’re giving thanks for you — the enthusiastic, curious, book-loving community that has shaped 20 years of stories at DBF. 🧡 We hope your holiday is full of warmth, joy, and a book you can’t put down. Happy Thanksgiving!

We’re still savoring the incredible conversations and culinary magic from this year’s Culinary Stage and Georgia Grown Culinary Village. . .but we’re already dreaming up what’s next. 🍽️✨ Which chefs, food lovers, and food writers would you love to see at the 2026 Decatur Book Festival? Tell us in the comments!

Reliving an hour of Romantasy with bestselling authors Rebecca Ross and Analeigh Sbrana, who swept us straight into their worlds of Lore and Divine Rivals. 📚✨ A huge thank you to moderator Kate McNeil, owner of All the Tropes, for guiding such an enchanting conversation. We’re still dreaming about worlds where fantasy and love collide… And in case you were wondering: Rebecca recommends the Lords of Power score as the perfect soundtrack for Wild Reverence, while Analeigh swears by the Bridgerton soundtrack to set the mood for Lore of the Tides. 🎧💫

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