Decatur Book Festival, day 1

I spent most of today at the Decatur Book Festival, and will be back tomorrow for at least part of the afternoon. I was really pleased to see that the DBF folks and Dragon*Con have gotten together at least a little, so that several people who I assume are primarily in town for D*C ran over to Decatur to participate in a DBF event. It makes so much sense to both groups (or so it seems to me), and I hope it will continue and expand. I must drop the DBF group an email next week and say thanks, and ask them next year to see if Tamora Pierce will come. I almost fought the D*C hassles this year because she is there...almost.

( Sabuda/Reinhart do pop-ups )

( 4 D*C authors at one blow )

( Mystery authors, then _Garden Spell_'s Allen )

( YA events )

I noticed one major difference in DBF and D*C, or SF cons in general (I don't know about other book festivals). The "Young Ones" group operated as a panel just as at a con, and sort of drafted the guy who was there to introduce them (a writer for Creative Loafing) to act as a moderator. All the other events got to had one or two writers who got an introduction but then filling the time was up to them. Trocheck just stood up and talked about herself and her writing (and she's an excellent speaker), Kelby tried a little of the "just talking" less successfully then read a little, Allen did about the same but wasn't trying for so much humor and came across better for it. I think either approach will work, but the panel/moderator gives some insurance against the author who hasn't learned to hold an audience solo.