{"id":314237,"date":"2025-08-03T10:03:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T10:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/314237\/"},"modified":"2025-08-03T10:03:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T10:03:10","slug":"atlanta-book-festival-looks-to-attract-fans-of-booktok-in-fall-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/314237\/","title":{"rendered":"Atlanta Book Festival looks to attract fans of #BookTok in fall debut"},"content":{"rendered":"

ExploreThe Little Shop that could celebrates 20 years of books in Decatur<\/a><\/p>\n

The ability to focus on the upside of a situation is indicative of the enthusiasm the Douglasville native brings to her endeavors. A graduate of Emory University with a degree in psychology, Evans is pursuing a career in marketing by day \u2014 but her passion is for books. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe always had books in the house,\u201d said Evans. \u201cI grew up an avid reader. I was at the top of my class in reading, and I started my first book club in the third grade.\u201d<\/p>\n

After college, Evans moved to Midtown and fell back in love with reading for pleasure. She wasn\u2019t alone. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of people \u2014 particularly Gen Zers, like Evans, and millennials \u2014 turned to books for comfort and entertainment. And their social media posts about it gave birth to the highly active TikTok subgroup #BookTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ExploreDecatur Book Festival announces keynotes for 20th anniversary<\/a><\/p>\n

Evans, who was reading between three and five books a month, would share her reviews on social media. As people engaged with her posts, she detected a sense of community beginning to develop, which <\/b>she wanted to parlay into face-to-face interactions. So, she started the Atlanta Book Club in late 2023. The first meeting was held at a restaurant in Buckhead. Ten people showed up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew we had something when people wanted to stay together and go thrifting afterwards across the street,\u201d she said. \u201cPart of the vision and mission when I started it was, I wanted this to be about relationship building and creating a positive impact in Atlanta. I don\u2019t want the book to necessarily be the focus, but I want it to be the launching pad for actual relationships and conversations to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to traditional monthly book discussions at various locations around town, Atlanta Book Club also hosts socials, book swaps, silent book reads, craft sessions and audio book walks where participants stroll the Beltline together while listening to different audio books on their respective devices. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut honestly,\u201d said Evans, \u201chalf the time, we just start talking. People express themselves in so many different ways. Some people don\u2019t want to just sit at a table and talk about a book. They\u2019d rather be outside. (The Atlanta Book Club) offers so many different things for different kinds of people.\u201d <\/p>\n

ExploreAtlanta Quilt Festival takes a stand with banned book exhibit<\/a><\/p>\n

The club now has more than 400 members. Although participants are primarily female, Black and between the ages of 23 and 50, Evans said everyone 17 or older is welcome, and she\u2019s actively recruiting more male members.<\/p>\n

The club reads all genres of fiction and nonfiction, and members vote on which books they read. Recent titles have included \u201cRemarkably Bright Creatures\u201d by Shelby Van Pelt and \u201cAnd Then There Were None\u201d by Agatha Christie. <\/p>\n

\u201cI personally love a good psychological thriller. I like to be kept on my toes,\u201d said Evans. \u201cI also have been recently into sci-fi thrillers. Some of my favorites are by Blake Crouch, \u2018Dark Matter\u2019 and \u2018Recursion.\u2019 I love the dystopian feel. These books have me reflecting a lot on my own life and how I see myself in this world because of its topic on time travel and the ability to change the past or future.\u201d <\/p>\n

In light of the book club\u2019s success, Evans thought organizing a festival was <\/b>the next natural step. When she began looking into it, she was surprised by what she found.<\/p>\n

ExploreSuburbia can\u2019t save you: Marietta peers write addiction book after losing 30 friends<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, wait, there\u2019s not even a book festival actually here in Atlanta? There\u2019s one in Decatur, there\u2019s one in Conyers, but we don\u2019t have one here for the people in this area.\u201d She also noted that those festivals were for all ages, from children to adults.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere wasn\u2019t one just for the Gen Z and millennials. \u2026 We wanted something just for us. That\u2019s what people love about the book club is they see themselves,\u201d said Evans. \u201cThey see people that look like them in so many different ways, whether it\u2019s race, whether it\u2019s the kind of book they like, the genre. In so many different ways, they see similarities across the board, and I wanted to bring that to life with the festival.\u201d<\/p>\n

Naturally, Evans plans to put her own twist on the festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t just do the thing,\u201d Evans said. \u201cWe have to tweak it and make it more fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

ExploreEnjoy the spooky vibes of two Southern gothic debuts<\/a><\/p>\n

The one-day festival starts at 4 p.m. at The Gathering Spot<\/a>. It will feature an author panel, poetry readings, book sales, crafts, a matcha pop-up and more. The names of participating authors have not yet been released. Tickets are $30-$40, plus fees. For details, go to eventbrite.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

Leading up the festival, there will be additional events like a Pilates class, a book swap and a dinner with authors. If all goes well, Evans hopes the festival evolves into a multiday event.<\/p>\n

To keep up with Atlanta Book Club events, follow them on Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Suzanne Van Atten is a book critic and contributing editor to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She may be reached at Suzanne.VanAtten@ajc.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n