So you’ve heard all about the #READdifferent campaign but you’re not sure where to start on your journey of literary exploration and discovery. We’re here to help! Each week we will be featuring a new theme or genre that you can use to #READdifferent at the 2015 AJC Decatur Book Festival.
Poetry can make us laugh, cry, accept, and question, all in ways we did not expect. Here are five fantastic poets coming to this year’s AJC Decatur Book Festival. Not used to reading poetry? #READdifferent and check out these amazing authors and their events at #dbf2015!
Saeed Jones comes to DBF this year with his award-winning debut poetry collection Prelude to Bruise. This collection balances simple existence with constant chaos, discuss how to embrace the past without letting it destroy you, and teeters on the edge of danger. The poet in Prelude to Bruise uses his story to anchor the reader and keep the narrative moving.
Domestic Garden, the third book of poetry from John Hoppenthaler, is all about an American Dream. What role does devotion play in it? Does it even exist anymore? Hoppenthaler offers an incredibly diverse sampling of poems and uses human truths and personal history to uncover a topic not often handled in such a way.
Evie Shockley, the winner of multiple prestigious national awards for her racio-centric poetry collections, is featured in Best American Poetry 2015, an anthology of premier poetry from around the country. The anthology was edited by award-winning author Sherman Alexie, who wrote a clever and unconventional essay at the beginning of the book. Shockley and four other poets featured will also take part in a discussion about the style and direction of American poetry at this year’s DBF, on Sunday, Sept. 6 from 3:45–4:30.
The News is a collection of poems from Jeffrey Brown, the Chief Correspondent for Arts, Culture, and Society at the PBS NewsHour. Brown’s first ever book of poems, The News explore the link between politics and poetry, and uses his experience in journalism to recollect current events in an incredibly artful way. Brown documents human triumph and pain, using the true stories of others to put together a masterful piece of journalism.
Experienced poet Afaa Michael Weaver brings to DBF the final book in the Plum Flower Trilogy, called City of Eternal Spring. This collection focuses on the author’s experience with childhood abuse, but does so through Daoist renderings of nature. It tells of the time Weaver traveled through Taiwan and China, as a context for cultural influence and personal discovery. He was also featured in Best American Poetry 2015 alongside Evie Shockley, and will be appearing with her during the discussion about the collection and what it says about the future of poetry in this country.
This year the AJC DBF has no shortage of exciting poetry focused events, touching on everything from childhood anguish to surrealist human tumult. So what better time to #READdifferent and dive into the beautiful world of poetry?