Decatur, GA — The Decatur Book Festival will be held on Saturday, Oct. 1, at First Baptist Church of Decatur, located at 308 Clairemont Ave. The festival will also feature a keynote address by former White House photographer Pete Souza on Friday, Sept. 30, at 8 p.m.

The book festival will highlight selected authors, who have new fall publications, in 15 sessions presented in three categories – adult fiction, adult non-fiction, and children and youth, according to the festival’s website.

All sessions are free to the public. The festival will not require attendees to wear masks or show proof of COVID-19 vaccination this year.

Souza was the chief official White House photographer for during Barack Obama’s presidency. He is the author of several books, including “Obama: An Intimate Portrait and Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents,” according to a press release.

At the keynote event, Souza will discuss “The West Wing and Beyond: What I Saw Inside the Presidency.” He was also an official White House photographer during the Reagan administration, a freelance photographer for Life and National Geographic, and the Washington-based national photographer for the Chicago Tribune.

The keynote event is a ticketed event as seating is limited. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are free, but don’t guarantee a seat.

“Please arrive early to secure check in and your seats before showtime. Unclaimed seats will be released 15 minutes before showtime,” the press release states.

Signed books may be pre-purchased and picked up in the store or at the Will Call table in the venue lobby, if the guest has also registered on Eventbrite.

Sessions taking place on Saturday include:

– Georgia Politics Past and Present with Ernie Suggs, Mike Luckovich and Greg Bluestein, moderated by Robin Morris at 9:30 a.m. in the sanctuary at First Baptist Church of Decatur.

– Animal Antics: A Picture Book Panel with Carmen Deedy, Michael Sampson and Shanda McCloskey, moderated by Shelli R. Johannes at 10 a.m. on the children’s stage.

– Explorations Near and Far: A Travel Panel featuring Jennifer Richardson, Patricia Schultz, moderated by Joe Barry Carroll at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary.

– A panel on graphic novels featuring Roshani Chokshi, John P. Green and Justin A. Reynold, moderated by Preeti Chhibber at noon on the children’s stage.

– Remembering and Resistance: Social Justice Across Genres with Efren Olivares, Elizabeth Hughey and Tricia Hersey, moderated by Jeremy Redman at 1 p.m. in the sanctuary.

– Killer Reads: A True Crime Panel with Mark Pinksy, William Rawlings and Kathryn Miles, moderated by Chris Joyner at 2:30 p.m. in the sanctuary.

– A Novel Bunch featuring Carolyn Curry and Lo Patrick, moderated by Nicki Salcedo at 4 p.m. in Carreker Hall at First Baptist Church of Decatur.

To see the full list of sessions, click here.

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