Printers ink must run in Zachary Steele’s blood. Before he founded Broadleaf Writers Conference and before he wrote the novel “The Weight of Ashes,” he owned and operated a bookstore in Decatur called Wordsmith Books.
Now he’s back to selling books again, this time for Hub City Bookshop in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where Steele now lives. The store is part of Hub City Writers Project, an outstanding nonprofit organization that includes Hub City Press, a publisher of Southern authors.
Fans of Broadleaf Writers Conference fans need not worry, though. The conference will not be affected.
“We have a fabulous board of directors. They’ve been handling the conference planning for a couple of years on their own, which is where I always wanted it to go anyway,” said Steele. “As far as the conference is concerned, I run support, basically. As far as the everyday operations, I still have plenty of time — because I’m an endless workaholic — to do the work needed for Broadleaf. At least for now.”
The conference, which hosts seminars with writers such as Nic Stone, Emily Carpenter, Theresa Davis, Lynn Cullen and Mary Kay Andrews, marks its 10th anniversary this year. The lineup hasn’t been announced yet, but it will take place Sept. 20-21 at Decatur Library.
Steele also has a new novel coming out in the spring from Story Plant Publishing. “Perfectly Normal” is about a 16-year-old autistic boy with chromesthesia, which means he sees colors in sound, whose life is upended by his parents’ separation.
“It’s a coming of age story through an autism lens,” he said.
Festival news: Diane Capriola, co-owner of Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, used to program the children’s program for the Decatur Book Festival, but after that event took a hiatus in 2023, she established the Decatur Children’s Book Festival the following year.
This year the festival is back under a new name: The Little Shop of Stories Children’s Book Festival, and it will be held May 2-4 on the Decatur Square alongside the Decatur Arts Festival.
Festivities include a presentation by keynote speaker Dave Eggers, author of the 2024 Newbery Award-winning “The Eyes and the Impossible,” and appearances by Katherine Applegate, Carmen Agra Deedy, Leland Melvin, Jewell Parker Rhodes and Varian Johnson. There will also be two parades.
Some events may require tickets. For details go to littleshopofstories.com.
Credit: Steven Forster
Credit: Steven Forster
In other festival news. The 20th annual Dahlonega Literary Festival celebrates books with an emphasis on Appalachian authors on March 1. The headline speaker is Rick Bragg, author of “All Over but the Shoutin’” and “Where I Come From: Stories From the Deep South,” among others.
Former Gov. Nathan Deal will also be a featured speaker at a luncheon where he’ll talk about the children’s book he wrote, “Veto, the Governor’s Cat.”
Other participating authors include Kimberly Brock, Ashley M. Jones, Dan Leach, Wanda Morris, Brian Panowich and McCracken Poston Jr.
All events except the lunch will be held at Dahlonega Baptist Church. Some events require tickets. For details go to www.literaryfestival.org.
It’s GAYA nomination time. The deadline is fast approaching to nominate contenders for the 2025 Georgia Author of the Year Awards. Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. Feb. 17.
To qualify, books must be published in 2024 by an author currently living in Georgia or who was living in Georgia when the book was written.
Books can be nominated in 18 categories, including first novel, graphic novel, memoir, chapbook, children’s book, YA book and cookbook.
Winners and finalists will be announced in June. For details go to georgiawritersassociation.submittable.com.
Suzanne Van Atten is a book critic and contributing editor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She may be reached at Suzanne.VanAtten@ajc.com.
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