(All events free; no tickets or reservations necessary)

November Author Schedule

Jamie Ford. The acclaimed young novelist discusses his first book, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet. Its a powerful story that spans several generations, set on the West Coast during the internment of Japanese citizens during World War II. It focuses on a young Chinese boy who falls in love with a Japanese girl and the difficulties and challenges their relationship must endure. Critics call it "engaging," and "an old fashioned historical novel." 7:00 p.m., Thursday, November 12, Toco Hill-Avis G. Williams Library.

Savannah Children's Book Festival. We invite you to the sixth annual festival celebrating authors and illustrators of books for young readers that brings thousands of families to Savannah. The Center for the Book is again one of the participants, and we hope you'll drop by to visit our tent and meet the award-winning writers we'll have with us: Laurel Snyder and Ted Dunagan. Among the dozens of authors who'll be taking part in the festival are Laura Numeroff, Michael P. White and David Biedrzyski. For details, go to www.liveoakpl.org/scbf. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Saturday November 14, Forsyth Park, Savannah.

Raymond Atkins & Philip DePoy. Two fine Georgia writers visit us to talk about their exciting new books. Ray Atkins, the Rome-based author of The Front Porch Prophet, has a novel about a murder investigation in a small Southern town that leads to secrets of the human soul. It's a page-turner called Sorrow Wood. Philip DePoy's new historical thriller is The King James Conspipracy, centered on a series of gory slayings among the team of scholars preparing a new English translation of the Bible. DePoy's popular novels include Dead Easy and The Drifter's Wheel. 7:15 p.m., Monday, November 16, Decatur Library Auditorium.

Mary Kay Andrews. The delightful Atlanta writer and New York Times bestselling author (Hissy Fit, Savannah Breeze, Deep Dish) Kathy Trocheck returns as Mary Kay Andrews with a laugh-out-loud, wonderful new novel, The Fixer Upper. It's the drop-dead funny story of one woman's quest to re-do an old home. It was written at the same time the author was fixing up an old home at Tybee Beach, and we'll have some before-and-after photos to help illustrate how art imitates life. 7:15 p.m., Tuesday, November 17, Decatur Library Auditorium.

Debbie Macomber. The bestselling author visits us with a new and unusual book: One Simple Act: Discovering the Power of Generosity. It's a book you won't soon forget with "a master storyteller's true stories showing how simple acts of generosity had lasting, life-changing impacts on givers and recipients." It's a heart-sharing book that all Macomber fans will want to celebrate with her here. Her books, which have sold millions of copies, include The Manning Brides, Right Next Door, Moon Over Water and Back on Blossom Street. 7:15 p.m., Friday, November 20, Decatur Library Auditorium.

Sherri Shepherd. You've seen her co-hosting TV's hugely popular show "The View," and now she's visiting us with a delightful, exciting new book, Every Woman's Guide to Giving Herself a Break. She is a dynamic, energetic personality whose book exudes the same qualities, and we know you won't want to miss her special appearance with the Georgia Center for the Book. We'll have copies of her new book for sale at this event, and we urge you to purchase yours here. She'll be signing books after her talk. 2 p.m., Saturday, November 21, Decatur Library Auditorium.

Debbie Macomber. The bestselling author visits us with a new and unusual book: One Simple Act: Discovering the Power of Generosity. It's a book you won't soon forget with "a master storyteller's true stories showing how simple acts of generosity had lasting, life-changing impacts on givers and recipients." This program is part of the "We the People" series funded by the Georgia Humanities Council and co-sponsored with the Hall County Public Library system. 7 p.m., Saturday, November 21, Spout Springs Library, 6488 Spout Springs Road, Flowery Branch, GA.(All Georgia Reads/"We the People" program)

December Author Schedule

Sue Grafton, the "master of mystery" and one of America's most popular authors, makes her first visit to the Center for the Book with an exciting new Kinsey Millhone mystery: U is for Undertow. It's the 21st in her amazing alphabet mystery series, all featuring the heroine "with foibles you can laugh at and whose faults you can forgive." It's the follow-up novel to her bestseller T is for Trespass. We know you won't want to miss this special pre-Christmas appearance! Friday, December 4, Time/Location TBA.

Deirdre O'Connell, a prize-winning documentary filmmaker, visits us with a remarkable new book: The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist. Blind Tom, born in 1848 in Columbus, GA, was a piano prodigy and national curiosity in the 19th century who performed for thousands of people including Mark Twain. He also suffered at the hands of greedy promoters and managers, and this biography is a brilliant accounting of his life. Critics say its well researched narrative "reflects the tenor of the times, the culture of the Old South, the chaos of emancipation and Blind Tom's devotion to his performances." 7:15 p.m., Tuesday, December 8, Decatur Library Auditorium.

Deirdre O'Connell, a prize-winning documentary filmmaker, visits us with a remarkable new book: The Ballad of Blind Tom, Slave Pianist. Blind Tom, born in 1848 in Columbus, GA, was a piano prodigy and national curiosity in the 19th century. This biography is a brilliant accounting of his life. Critics say its well researched narrative "reflects the tenor of the times, the culture of the Old South, the chaos of emancipation and Blind Tom's devotion to his performances." The author's appearance is part of the Georgia Humanities Council's "We the People" program and is co-sponsored by the Chattahoochee Valley Library. 7 p.m., Wednesday, December 9, Columbus Library.(All Georgia Reads/"We the People" program)

Rick Bragg & Sonny Brewer. Join us for a special evening with two of the finest Southern writers around. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Bragg (All Over But the Shoutin', Ava's Man) has a wonderful new book, The Most They Ever Had, a powerfully affecting story of a mill community in Alabama and the hardscrabble lives of the people who worked there. Brewer (The Widow of Tolstoy Park) has a terrific new novel, The Widow and the Tree, an Alabama tale of dark deeds based on a true story. 7:15 p.m., Friday, December 11, Georgia Perimeter College, Cole Auditorium.

January 2010 Author Schedule

Poetry Night. We host some of Atlanta's finest poets for a reading from their work as we continue with another program in our popular series co-sponsored with Poetry Atlanta. 7:15 p.m., Tuesday, January 12, Decatur Library Auditorium.

Janisse Ray, the prize-winning and very popular Georgia author, will present a talk based on her acclaimed books Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, Wild Card Quilt and Pinhook: Finding Wholeness in a Fragmented Land. Her work is included on the Georgia Center for the Book's list of "25 Books all Georgians Should Read," and her talk is part of the "We the People" program funded through the Georgia Humanities Council. Her appearance is co-sponsored by the Ben Hill Library. Time TBA, Monday, January 25, Ben Hill County Library, Fitzgerald. (All Georgia Reads/"We the People" program)

Janisse Ray, the prize-winning and very popular Georgia author, will present a talk based on her acclaimed books Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, Wild Card Quilt and Pinhook: Finding Wholeness in a Fragmented Land. Her work is included on the Georgia Center for the Book's list of "25 Books all Georgians Should Read," and her talk is part of the "We the People" program funded through the Georgia Humanities Council. Her appearance is co-sponsored by the Moultrie-Colquitt County Public Library. 7 p.m., Tuesday, January 26, Moultrie Library. (All Georgia Reads/"We the People" program)

March 2010 Author Schedule

Carol Goodman, the best-selling author of The Ninth Villa, The Ghost Orchid and The Sonnet Lover, visits us with a thrilling new novel, Arcadia Falls. Her mystery/suspense novels have made her among the most popular writers in America, and we welcome her for her first visit to the Georgia Center for the Book. We'll have more details soon. 7:15 p.m., Tuesday, March 16, Decatur Library Auditorium.

Kevin Young, one of America's most acclaimed young poets and in residence at Emory University, will discuss his eagerly anticipated new volume of poetry, The Art of losing: Poems of Grief and Healing. Young, a popular reader, is the author of several notable books of poetry including For the Confederate Dead, Jelly Roll, To Repel ghosts, Dear Darkness and Black Maria. He'll be signing copies of his new book as well as his earlier releases. 7:15 p.m., Thursday, March 18, Decatur Library Auditorium.

Anne Perry. We welcome one of the world's most popular and prolific writers of mystery and suspense, Anne Perry, for a delightful evening discussing her forthcoming mystery, The Sheen on the Silk. She is the author of dozens of books, bestsellers everywhere, including Death by Horoscope, Sherman's Creek, A Breach of Promise, Paragon Walk and Brunswick Square. 7:15 p.m., Wednesday, March 24, Decatur Library Auditorium.