How the Decatur Book Festival’s Leslie Wingate is helping build community through books
Margaret Wheatley once wrote that “…we can change the world if we start listening to one another again.” The author of “Turning to One Another” said that if more people stepped up, let go of their judgments of others and became curious, conversation could begin.
Since 2005, the Decatur Book Festival has followed that paradigm in becoming an annual literary celebration—the kind of communal gathering that ignites passion for reading and community engagement (it went virtual during COVID and took a hiatus in 2023). Books have long been a source of entertainment, knowledge and power—tools that create opportunities for people to engage in meaningful conversations, explore diverse ideas and find common ground.
These are the tools that Leslie Wingate loves to have at her disposal. Today, she is in charge of spearheading all that is literary and cultural as Executive Director of the Decatur Book Festival (DBF), Oct. 4-5, which this year features famed author Joyce Carol Oates as the keynote speaker. With a career in and a love of books, Leslie was former VP on the DBF Board and long-time Emory employee at the alumni association, then as Director of Campus and Community Relations for Emory Libraries, from where she recently retired to help bring the festival back to our city.
“The Festival is a beloved community event, not just for Decatur and Atlanta residents, but for folks from far-flung places. It brings people together, creating a sense of community.”
There is so much to see. For example, not only will you find the latest great reads and authors (Stacey Abrams, Tara Coyt, Thomas Mullen), but there also is live musical entertainment, food trucks, activities for kids and a diverse array of exhibitors. This year, 90 exhibitors will represent authors, publishers, booksellers, writing clubs, literacy organizations and companies with book-related products. There also is an entertainment stage, which will feature the Agnes Scott Collegiate Chorale, a family friendly performance by the Atlanta Shakespeare Company, music by the Swimming Pool Q’s, and more.
Among the participating booksellers in 2024 are Brave and Kind Bookshop; Charis Books and More; Eagle Eye Books; and Little Shop of Stories. “There are so many educational opportunities for all ages where people can read, engage with authors, and feel intellectually and culturally stimulated.”
And while DBF’s primary focus is the festival, it also is committed to the community. Take its work with X Books, an Atlanta-based organization that addresses the lack of available books in prisons and jails. DBF also recently received a grant from the Decatur Rotary Club to partner with X Books or a similar organization again this year to help them with their mission. “If I can steal a thought from our sponsor opportunities document, ‘We come to be moved, challenged, enlightened, amused and roused to action. We come to find the next great read. We come together to be transported by the gift of storytelling.’”
