Decatur Book Festival, Dragon Con go virtual

By Collin Kelley

Two of Intown’s biggest end-of-summer events are going virtual due to the ongoing pandemic. Both Dragon Con and the Decatur Book Festival will become online events over Labor Day weekend.

Details were still being ironed out at press time, but Dragon Con, which usually takes over Downtown hotels and hosts an annual cosplay parade down Peachtree, is planning online panels, workshops, contests, and a chance to virtually meet scifi/fantasy actors, authors, and artists.

Some of the special guests lined up for 2020 include “Dresden Files” author Jim Butcher; “Star Wars” books author Timothy Zahn; “Steven Universe” voice actors Estelle, Zach Callison, Jennifer Paz, Grace Rolek and Deedee Magno Hall; “Star Trek: Enterprise” and “Resident Evil” actor DC Douglas; and actor Gil Gerard from “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.”

More guests and events will be added, so be sure to visit DragonCon.org for the lineup. Book lovers who usually flock to Decatur will also be watching their favorite authors online, as the annual Decatur Book Festival goes virtual.

“In the interest of public health, we have determined that holding a large-scale physical festival this Labor Day weekend is not feasible,” said Joy Pope, the festival’s Interim Executive Director. “Instead, we are planning a virtual festival that will celebrate the DBF’s 15th anniversary in a way that is unique to our community. We want to bring content, candor, and civic engagement into our lives in meaningful ways – something that the events of the past week have made more urgent than ever before. Beginning on the Friday of Labor Day weekend and continuing through September, the festival will present 15 virtual events that will represent the best of what the DBF does: ignite conversations inspired by diverse books and authors that engage our hearts and minds.”

The DBF has already begun virtual programming with its popular Joshilyn Jackson Reads series. With the help of Georgia Center for the Book and metro Atlanta libraries, the festival is featuring a total of eleven talks between New York Times-bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson and 18 writers of her choosing whose works span genres and topics. Visit decaturbookfestival.com to see the full lineup of events for the virtual festival.