Georgia Center for the Book at DCPL

Lawrence Wright presents Redemption at First Baptist Church Decatur tonight! Learn more about this and our other upcoming events in our newsletter. - https://mailchi.mp/dekalblibrary/october-2026-at-gcb-2774033

On Thursday, October 29, 2026, A Ca****la Books, Georgia Center for the Book and First Baptist Church of Decatur welcome Lawrence Wright in honor of his new book, Redemption: Faith, Justice, and Sisterhood on Death Row, a powerful and startling account of the unsparing connection between a convent of cloistered nuns and the condemned women on Texas’s death row, exploring questions around crime and punishment, faith, and retribution in America as only Lawrence Wright can.

Wright will be in conversation with Dr. Elizabeth (Liz) Bounds, an Ethics professor at Emory's Candler School of Theology. Dr. Bounds worked with Susan Bishop two decades ago to establish Emory's Certificate in Theology program at the women's prison (of which Kelly Gissendaner was a graduate, whose story is similar to those featured in the book).

This will be held in the Sanctuary of First Baptist Church of Decatur. Learn more and register here:

Redemption with Lawrence Wright - Decatur Library - October 29th 2026 | Afton Tickets Redemption with Lawrence Wright | Decatur Library | October 29th 2026

Join us tonight! Melanie Pappadis Faranello, award-winning writer and author of the story collection, Everybody Needs Something (Donald L Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence/CSU Press, 2026) will share a presentation on Poetry on the Streets, her community engagement project that brings everyday people’s stories and words into public spaces to create social impact. Discussing the power of stories to connect us, there will also be an opportunity to add your own words to a community poem as part of a public art installation. The presentation will be followed by a short reading from Everybody Needs Something and a book signing.

Register here: https://aftontickets.com/everybodyneedssomething

About the Book: Melanie Faranello’s debut collection, Everybody Needs Something, delves into the interior lives of characters longing for connection, revealing the deep human desire to reach one another. A poignant exploration of the complexities of love, loss, and what is often left unsaid, the stories center on the space between us—couples, families, aging parents, children, and evolving selves that are shaped over time. A newly widowed construction worker travels to a debris-filled healing pool to ease his grief; a retired couple relocates across the globe hoping to escape their troubles only to discover a new problematic infestation; a father places an ad inviting strangers to his first solo Thanksgiving dinner; a couple on the brink endures a wildlife lecture at the elementary school between hospital visiting hours for their daughter; a young divorcee has an unexpected encounter with her long-dead father during a Latin Ballroom dance class. Quietly powerful and carefully observed, these fourteen stories resonate with emotional landscapes and hidden heartbreaks as characters meet their breaking points before somehow finding the courage to keep going.

Tomorrow is the last day to see The Book As Art v.14: Ghosted (between 1:00 and 5:00 p.m.)! We also welcome Melanie Pappadis Faranello on Monday and Lawrence Wright on Thursday of next week (and more!). Discover everything going on here at the Georgia Center for the Book in our newsletter. - https://mailchi.mp/dekalblibrary/october-2026-at-gcb-2773914

The Pat Conroy Literary Center is hosting a special screening of The Great Santini at the Tara Theatre in Atlanta on October 27, 2026, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Pat Conroy’s novel of the same name! The event will include a discussion with actor Michael O’Keefe, nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Great Santini, and other special guests. Learn more in our newsletter and check out what's coming up with Revival: Lost Southern Voices! - https://mailchi.mp/6d5ae06c4a15/2026-revival-lost-southern-voices-2773903

The Pat Conroy Literary Center is hosting a special screening of The Great Santini at the Tara Theatre in Atlanta on October 27, 2026, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Pat Conroy’s novel of the same name! The event will include a discussion with actor Michael O’Keefe, nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Great Santini. Other special guests will include author Cassandra King Conroy (Tell Me a Story: My Life with Pat Conroy), and more members of the Conroy family. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. with a cash-bar reception, followed by discussion and the film screening. You won't want to miss this! Tickets are available to purchase here: https://www.taraatlanta.com/movie/the-great-santini-50th-anniversary/