By Collin Kelley

After nearly 20 years in business, Atlanta LGBT landmark Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse has closed and will not relocate. The iconic store in the heart of Midtown at 10th Street and Piedmont Avenue evolved into more than just a place to buy books;  it was a community center, a gathering place and a safe environment for young LGBT people coming to terms with their sexuality.

On Tuesday night, I was honored to read at “The Last Tango” event at the store alongside Karen Head, Hollis Gillespie, Mary Kay Andrews, Cleo Creech, Daniel Helminiak, Franklin Abbott and more. Atlanta City Councilman Alex Wan presented Outwrite owner Philip Rafshoon with a proclamation signed by the mayor and council (pictured above). It was a celebratory event, but with bookcases, tables, chairs and remaining stock at fire sale prices, it was obvious to everyone that the last chapter for Outwrite was being written that night.

I remember going to Outwrite when it opened in its first location – a tiny hole in the wall in Midtown Promenade – and buying Jeanette Winterson’s Written On the Body. Internet was in its infancy, there was no Amazon, so if you wanted an obscure title, you had to track it down. That’s part of the fun of bookstores. When Oxford Books closed its locations in the late 90s, I was gutted. I sat in the parking lot at the old Pharr Road store and wiped away a few tears. I did the same Tuesday night after The Last Tango.  Philip and Outwrite embraced me and my books, so I knew I always had a “home” in the store for my work. As a writer, losing a bookstore is a stab in the heart, but it’s also a great loss for the community.

With more people buying books online, at big box stores and downloading eBooks, brick and mortar bookstores are becoming an endangered species. I love my Kindle, but I also make it a habit to shop local. We live in a world where instant gratification takes too long, so when a bookstore doesn’t have a title you want but can order it, be patient. It won’t kill you to wait a few more days. Your  patience and dollars will keep bookstores – and other local businesses – around for years to come. Choose local, shop local.

Philip sent out this letter to the community this morning:

Dear Outwrite Community,

We regret to inform you that effective January 26, 2012, Outwrite Bookstore and Coffeehouse is closed for business. For over 18 years, we have been privileged to serve Atlanta residents and welcome visitors from across America and around the world. We sincerely thank you for your patronage.

As an independent bookstore and coffeehouse focused on the LGBT community, Outwrite has served as a symbol of strength and diversity in this city; and we have helped create a vibrant, pedestrian environment in Midtown. Our community has made an incredible amount of progress in the past 18 years and we are proud to have been part of that progress.

Since we shared our financial struggles with you nine months ago, we have been very encouraged by the strong show of support. We have listened to your insights and your desire for us to stay in business. So many of you have generously stepped up, shared your ideas and volunteered your time in an effort to transform Outwrite to meet the changing needs of our customers and our community.

Unfortunately, we have run out of time and money to make that transformation. We have examined and exhausted all possibilities for continuing this company given our financial situation.

All of us at Outwrite believe in the strength of our community and you will continue to see us working to strengthen and enrich it. While it is a challenging economy and the bookselling industry is rapidly evolving, there is still a need for neighborhoods with a strong LGBT presence and independent bookstores serving communities throughout the world.

Thanks to all of you who made Outwrite the special place it has been over the past 18 years. Thank you to all who came in on a regular basis, showing your commitment to supporting independent, local businesses. And thank you to all of the authors, poets, artists, musicians, volunteers, and activists, who have entertained, educated and energized us: your contributions have highlighted the strength, beauty, vitality, and creativity of our lives and changed the face of Atlanta. Thank you for making our community a better place.

Sincerely,
Philip Rafshoon
& the Outwrite Staff and Family

Images of America: Virginia-Highland:

Divorce Ministry: A Guidebook: A broken marriage can often leave people feeling broken and unsure of their next steps. “In the best of cases, divorce rips apart soul, spirit, home, community, and finance,” writes Dr. Charles Qualls author of Divorce Ministry: A Guidebook. Over 1,400 people looking to regain stability have participated in Dr. Qualls’ divorce support groups over the past 16 years. His experiences working with them and various insights from particular cases are part of this recently published book. The guidebook sheds light on what it is like to work with the groups and divorcees and covers topics such as self-esteem, handling grief and breaking free of patterns. Ministers, church leaders and support groups can use this as a resource for healing and comfort and as a model for their own recovery program. Kind and compassionate, Dr. Qualls is an active member of the intown community and associate pastor for Pastoral Care at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church. He leads at least two divorce support groups each year. You can reach him at cqualls@spdl.org. For more information, visit spdl.org and helwys.com.

Upcoming Readings & Events

Charles Frazier: The author of bestselling Civil War tale, Cold Mountain, will discuss his new book, Nightwoods, on Oct. 5, 7p.m. at Georgia Perimeter College, 555. N. Indian Creek Dr. The event is presented by the Decatur Book Festival and Eagle Eye Books. eagleeyebooks.com

William Kennedy: The Pulitzer Prize-wining novelist will read and discuss his new book, Chango’s Beads and Two-Tone Shoes, on Oct. 11, 7 p.m. at the Jimmy Carter Library. A Cappella Books will have copies for sale. acappellabooks.com

Soraya Miré: The award-winning filmmaker and activist will read and sign her memoir, Girl With Three Legs, about surviving female genital mutilation in her native Somalia and her ongoing campaign to end the barbaric ritual at Charis Books in Little 5 Poins on Oct. 12. charisbooksandmore.com

Alan Hollinghurst: The winner of the Man Booker Prize for The Line of Beauty will read from his latest novel Stranger’s Child on Oct. 26 at Outwrite Books in Midtown. outwritebooks.com

Poetry at Tech: Carl Dennis and Kate Johnson will share the stage on Oct. 27 at Kress Auditorium in the Robert C. Williams Paper Museum on the campus of Georgia Tech. poetry.gatech.edu

Georgia Center for the Book: The organization has a busy October full of author appearances including Patti Digh (Oct. 4), John Fowler and David Parker (Oct. 10), Alison Weir (Oct. 12), John Sanford (Oct. 13), Candice Millard (Oct. 17), poets Janisse Ray, John Lane and Thomas Rain Crowe (Oct. 18), Amy Stewart (Oct. 24), chefs Virginia Willis and Kim Severson (Oct. 26) and Marianne Walker (Oct. 27). Most events are held at the Decatur Library. Visit georgiacenterforthebook.org for more details.

Book Festival of the MJCCA: Mark your calendars for the 20^th annual festival, which will feature appearances by Erica Jong, Regis Philbin, Jim Lehrer, Melissa Fay Greene, Dyan Cannon and many, many more from Nov. 5-20. For tickets and a full schedule, visit atlantajcc.org.

Decatur Book Festival

Wheelbarrow Festival
The Reynoldstown celebration is set for Sept. 10 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Lang-Carson Park on Flat Shoals Avenue. There will be a 5K run, an artist market, silent auction, health fair, food vendors, a kids area called Wheelbarrow Jr. and, of course, plenty of music. Featured artists this year include Col. Bruce Hampton & Grant Green Jr., 4th Ward Klezmer Orchestra, Beverly “Guitar” Watkins, Atlanta Funk Society, 3052 Dub Collective, Dante Harmon and more. For more information, visit wheelbarrowfestival.com.

Mid-East Festival
The 37th annual festival will be held at St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church, 2045 Ponce de Leon Ave., from Sept. 16-18. There will be music, dancing, food, church tours and much more. For more, visit steliasofatlanta.org.

East Atlanta Strut
Come on out and strut your stuff at the 14th annual music and arts festival. This one-day extravaganza will take place on Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Attractions include five stages of live local music, kids village, bull ride, community booths, food and beverages, and the famous Strut Parade. The Strut is planned, organized, and staffed all by volunteers. All funds raised will benefit community projects and organizations. For more information or to volunteer, please visit eastatlantastrut.com.

Atlanta Arts Festival
The annual festival will be held in Piedmont Park on Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sept. 18 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The event is free and open to all ages. It will bring together outstanding artists from all over the country and will feature 200 of the country’s finest painters, photographers, sculptors, glass blowers and more. There will also be artist demonstrations, classes, and live entertainment. Festival food, beverages, and merchandise will be available for purchase. For more information, visit atlantaartsfestival.com.

Sandy Springs Arts Festival
The annual festival will be held at Heritage Green on Sandy Springs Circle on Sept. 17 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sept 18 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be a car show, museum, pet parade, 5k and 10k race, vendors, and live entertainment. Bring the entire family, the dog as well, as we celebrate the art and soul of the city. For information or to purchase tickets, visit sandyspringsfestival.com.

Music Midtown
After a six-year hiatus, Music Midtown returns on Sept. 24 for an afternoon and evening of music in Piedmont Park, headlined by Coldplay. Other acts include The Postelles, Mona, The Joy Formidable, The Constellations, The Black Keys, Manchester Orchestra, Young the Giant, Band of Skulls and Cage the Elephant. Tickets are $55. Visit musicmidtown.com for details.

A Note on Midtown Festival of the Arts: Due to lack of funding, this year’s MidtownFestival was canceled. Organizers are planning to remount the event in 2012. To keep up with developments, visit facebook.com/MidtownFestival.

Best known for his inventive and timeless melodies and lilting vocals, Meloy is the lead singer of indie band The Decemberists. Ellis, known for her illustrations of books such as The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart and The Composer Is Dead by Lemony Snicket, as well as album covers for The Decemberists, created illustrations for the fantasy novel of magic, wonder, and danger.

Continuing on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 3-4, the festival will host more than 300 authors and is expected to attract tens of thousands of book lovers to the historic Decatur Square.

“I’m thrilled about the line-up we have for this year’s Festival, and think we have something for any reader,” said Program Director Terra Elan McVoy. “We have a great combination of established, much-loved DBF traditions as well as exciting, new offerings.”

Other featured authors at this year’s festival include: Howard Wasdin, Hal Needham, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, Shirley Strawberry, Jessica Handler, Joshilyn Jackson, Gregg Hurwitz, George Pelecanos, Robert Olen Butler, River Jordan, Jericho Brown, Jennifer Haigh, James Swanson, Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, Kim Severson, Holly Tucker, Tom Perrotta, Mary Kay Andrews, and Karen Russell.

Special performances during the festival include a presentation by famed Southern writer Clyde Edgerton. Celebrating his newest book, The Night Train, Edgerton will share not only his writing skills, but also some singing and guitar playing as well.

Decatur-based singer/songwriter Caroline Herring, featured in 2010 on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor, will share her songs inspired by children’s books (including The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton, and Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak) on the Children’s Stage.

The fourth volume of Java Monkey Speaks: A Poetry Anthology will debut on Sunday night at 8 p.m. at Java Monkey Coffee House with an open mic and featured reading by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey, who is featured in the new anthology.

The Theatrical Outfit, one of Atlanta’s oldest professional theater companies, will present two separate stage offerings, including Calvin Alexander Ramsey’s world premiere drama The Green Book, and a first ever workshop of Tom Key’s stage adaptation of Eudora Welty’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Optimist’s Daughter. Caroling Herring and fellow singer/songwriter Kate Campbell will provide a musical component to this event.

The Atlanta Opera will also present a special preview of their upcoming children’s opera based on the tales of Brer Rabbit – popularized by Atlanta’s own Joel Chandler Harris.

The Festival will feature two children’s parades again this year. The Saturday morning parade will be led by Skippyjon Jones and followed by a presentation by Judy Schachner (Skippyjon Jones, Class Action). The Sunday morning parade will be a Pete the Cat theme, followed by James Dean and Eric Litwin sharing their new book (Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes).

For a full schedule and to see more authors, visit www.decaturbookfestival.com.

By Angela Milkie

Little Five Points mainstay Charis Books & More is growing and expanding despite the trend of brick and mortar bookstores closing around the country.

In business for more than 37 years, Charis is one of the last independent feminist bookstores in the country, and the oldest in the South. The shop is also the base for Charis Circle, a nonprofit organization created 15 years ago to help bring people together through community programs. Charis Circle offers author readings, book signings, writing groups for both teens and adults, and a number of reading groups focusing on gender and feminist related books and topics.

Charis Books & More and Charis Circle are planning to open a new feminist center in Atlanta in 2012, which means the little purple house on Euclid Avenue will be sold and the store will likely move out of Little Five Points.

I spoke with Kelley Alexander, Board Chair of Charis Circle, and Sara Luce Look, co-owner of Charis Books & More, to find out more about their upcoming plans.

Tell me about Charis Books. What is it like owning a feminist bookstore?

Sara: We love what we do, and we love getting information and books into people’s hands. We really believe books can and do change people’s lives. Our bestsellers are consistently multicultural children’s books, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (GLBTQ) topics, political and global nonfiction and literary fiction.

Tell me about Charis Circle.

Kelley: Charis Circle was created in 1996 as a nonprofit sister organization to Charis Books and More. The goal of the nonprofit has always been to expand program offerings, particularly those that are offered free to the community. Charis Circle is funded mainly through individual giving efforts and foundation gifts. Our mission revolves around sustainable feminist communities, social justice and providing a platform for diverse and marginalized voices.

Why have you decided to build the new feminist center?

Kelley: Pursuant to our mission of sustainability, the move is a product of necessity in the current economy. We all know what’s happening to independent bookstores, feminist bookstores even more so. I think at last count, there are 15 feminist bookstores in the U.S. and Canada, down from a few hundred over the last 20 years.

Why is Charis important to the Atlanta community?

Kelley: Charis has always been this wonderful, small independent bookstore that has offered the community free programming through the nonprofit Charis Circle, but more than that, has offered a space for diverse groups of people to engage and connect on the common ground of social justice and feminism. Over the years, our vision has grown larger than what we can offer in the current space. This move is important because we’ll be able to offer the place of connection that has always been Charis’ strength and expand the footprint of the communities we serve.

What are your hopes for the new center?

Kelley: In addition to adding a café, we plan to have a large theater space for events, some child-friendly space, and office space to rent to like-minded nonprofits. The larger goal is to become a community hub. We want to give people reasons to come all the time, not just for programs. We already see Charis as a place in Atlanta that brings people together in the community, and we are excited about expanding that vision.

How will the new center change and enhance the bookstore? How will it change and enhance Charis Circle?

Sara: We are in the process of rethinking what it means to be a feminist bookstore in these times. We are excited by the possibilities of a new space and new energy.

Kelley: The new space will give priority to the nonprofit side of things. We are essentially flipping our model to a nonprofit center that offers books and book activities through Charis Books.

Where will the new location be?

Kelley: We’re not sure yet. but we’re probably looking to move away from Little Five Points. We don’t know a space in the area that can support our big idea, and we are currently challenged by not having enough parking. We want to be in a high-traffic, retail location, and we are actively looking for a generous donor who believes in our vision and has just the right building to donate to Charis Circle.

What are current and future volunteer opportunities and events with Charis Books, Charis Circle, and the new feminist center?

Kelley: We’re taking a “Team Charis” approach and enlisting the support of community members to provide specific expertise during our big transition. We currently have around 72 volunteers who have agreed to help with various tasks such as marketing, fundraising, and programming, to name a few focus areas.

If you are interested in volunteering or have questions, ideas, etc., you can email Kelley Alexander at kelley@chariscircle.org. For more about Charis Books, visit charisbooksandmore.com.

Terra Elan McVoy announces DBF line-up.

The Decatur Book Festival held a party last night at Eddie’s Attic to announce authors and events for the 6th annual event, which will be held Labor Day weekend. With a focus on children and young adult literature this year, the keynote speakers will be Colin Meloy (singer/songwriter  from the acclaimed baned The Decemberists) and  illustrator Carson Ellis, who will launch their collaboration, Wildwood, at the festival.

The festival will feature two children’s parades led by Skippyjon Jones and Pete the Cat, while Caroline Herring will share her songs inspired by children’s books, including The Tale of Peter Rabbit and more. The Atlanta Opera will give a sneak peek at its upcoming opera based on Joel Chandler Harris’ Brer Rabbit tales.

Theatrical Outfit will provide a glimpse into the creation of its stage adaptation of Eudora Welty’s classic novel, The Optimists Daughter, and Clyde Edgerton will celebrate his new book, The Night Train, with a reading and music.

Other authors slated to appear include Howard Wasdin, Stan Needham, Ann & Jeff VanderMeer, Shirley Strawberry, Joshilyn Jackson, Gregg Hurwitz, George Pelecanos, Robert Olen Butler, River Jordan, Jennifer Haigh, James Swanson, Cheryl Lu-Lien, Kim Severson, Holly Tucker, Tom Perrotta, Mary Kay Andrews and Karen Russell.

For more visit, www.decaturbookfestival.com and follow on Twitter at @dbookfestival.

Southern literature is alive and well and here are interviews with four authors with brand new novels keeping the tradition alive.

Tayari Jones – author of the award-winning novel Leaving Atlanta set during the Atlanta Child Murders – is back with Silver Sparrow. Karen White follows up her bestseller On Folly Beach with The Beach Trees set during Hurricane Katrina. Terra Elan McVoy, the program director for the Decatur Book Festival, has a new young adult novel, The Summer of Firsts and Lasts, and Man Martin time warps back to 1960s Florida with his picaresque new book, Paradise Dogs.

Grab a cool drink and curl up by the pool.

Tayari Jones
Author of Silver Sparrow

What was your inspiration for Silver Sparrow?
I have always been intrigued by the idea of “half” sisters. I have two sisters with whom I share a father, but we each have different mothers. They were born before my father met my mother and grew up in different states and led complete different lives. I was out with some friends one night and we were discussing one of those cases you hear about – a man dies and the other grieving widow shows up with her stair-step kids. One of my girlfriends said, ‘You know, he had to have some help from the inside. You cannot get local bigamy off the ground unless one of the women is willing to work with you.” It was all I could do to keep from running out of the bar to get home and start writing. The first line, “My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist,” jumped into my head and I sent it to myself on my Blackberry so I wouldn’t forget it.

Why did you tell the story through the perspective of the two daughters, Dana and Chaurisse?
I don’t have a “why” for artistic directions. The story felt incomplete without both girls’ perspectives or without their mothers’. Like Chaurisse, I have a close relationship with my father. I had such fun writing their scenes together, and in order to do it, I was able to tap into my own inner-girl – and think of life before I understood my parents as people with layers and complications. At the same time, I am a daughter in a family that really values boy-children. My parents were not overtly chauvinistic, but I lived in a space where many girls find themselves – just sort of there.

You use the girls’ voices to tell the stories of their parents, relating events that happened before they were even born. Why did you choose this unusual technique?
Again, I don’t think I have a hard “why.” It felt quite natural. I think we all tell stories about things we could not have possibly witnessed. When stories are handed down we feel that we have the authority to tell them. We take what we were told and let our imagination fill in the details. I often joke that our parents’ courtship story is our first encounter with propaganda. I know that I, for one, can recite the way my parents met – at an NAACP meeting in 1963 – as if I was right there hiding in my mother’s purse.

Like your previous two books, Leaving Atlanta and The Untelling, Silver Sparrow is set in Atlanta in the 1980s.
Sometimes I wonder if my imagination just lives in Atlanta. When the story comes to me, the characters tend to be hanging out in all my old stomping grounds. Atlanta has been such a gift to my work. The “new” and urban South is ever-changing, but we still wear our history on our sleeves. This is what makes Southern literature so rich, ultra-specific and universal at the same time.

Jones will sign her novel June 8, 7:15 p.m. at the Georgia Center for the Book auditorium at the Decatur Library. www.tayarijones.com

Man Martin
Author of Paradise Dogs

Tell us about the genesis of Paradise Dogs.
It’s interesting you use the word “genesis.” In a way, the story is about this crazy desire we have to return to Paradise. It’s like we look around and see how screwed up everything is and think, there must have been a time when it was still screwed down. And if we just work hard enough, we can make everything perfect again. Unbungle all our old bungles.  Of course, usually we just create a new set of problems.

Which writers influenced you the most?
On different days, I’d give different answers to that.  For Paradise Dogs, my biggest influence was P.G. Wodehouse. I wanted to capture the zany spirit of his novels.  But I also wanted a sadder, deeper undertow.  My ambition as a writer is to be as funny and sad as I can at the same time.

Like your first book, Days of the Endless Corvette, Paradise Dogs is set in the South. This time in Florida instead of Georgia. Do you mind being labeled a Southern Writer?
I don’t mind.  I don’t really consider myself that way, though.  What I really am primarily is a humorist.  If I’d been born in New York or Paris, I think I still would have been a writer.  What motivates me isn’t locale.  It’s just that I see the world this cock-eyed way and want other people to see it that way, too.

There’s an autobiographical element in Paradise Dogs, too.
My father was an alcoholic who ran a realty business down in Ocala.  He was bigger than life in some ways. When he proposed to my mother, he borrowed a dozen loose diamonds and poured them in her lap and told her to take her pick. She couldn’t refuse. That’s the starting point of my story. Of course in my version, he loses the diamonds.

In addition to being a novelist, you teach high school English.  That must make for a pretty hectic work schedule.
It does. I have to squeeze in my writing time early mornings and on the weekend. A teacher of mine, Tony Grooms, once said if you wrote just two hundred words a day, at the end of a year, you’d have a seventy thousand word novel. So that’s my technique. I write two hundred words a day.

After you came out with Endless Corvette, was there a lot of pressure on you to write another book?
Yes, especially from my readers. “When is your next book coming out?  When is your next book coming out? Are you working on another book?”  They meant well, but it made me feel very anxious. Now when anyone asks me if I’m working on another book, I just say no. t makes things simpler.

Martin will sign his book June 11, 1 p.m. at Eagle Eye Books in Decatur. www.manmartin.net

Karen White
Author of The Beach Trees

What is The Beach Trees about?
It’s about a woman whose younger sister disappears and, while searching for her, stumbles upon many secrets in her family’s past. The story is book-ended by Hurricane Camille in 1969 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Like On Folly Beach, the book has elements of historical fiction.

When did you start on the book?
I wrote a version of it in 1998, but put it away because I could never find a publisher. Then Katrina happened and it was so personal to me. I went to Tulane in New Orleans and my father is from Biloxi, so it was the hurricane and the destruction that finally put The Beach Trees on track.

It sounds like you wrote the version that has been published pretty quickly.
The story already had good bones, so it took about five months and part of that was research on Hurricane Katrina.

How and when do you write?
My best time to write is in the morning. I don’t answer emails and deal with anything else while I’m writing. I have to shut out the world. But I’ve also found that I can get work done at the beauty salon, while I’m having my hair worked on. I just bring the laptop along with me.

Who inspired you to write?
My maternal grandmother and father instilled stories. My grandmother was obsessed with Hollywood and wanted to be movie star. She was a wonderful storyteller, a character. My father was a huge reader, and that inspired me. You can’t be a writer without being reader.

What about your influences?
They started out as Margaret Mitchell and Pat Conroy, but now I’m really inspired by Kathryn Stockett and Helen Simonson.

What’s next for you?
The third book in my Charleston mystery series, The Strangers on Montague Street, will be out this fall. And I’m working on another novel now. Oh, I just realized I left my laptop at the salon! Thank goodness they know me there!

For more about Karen White visit www.karen-white.com

Terra Elan McVoy
Author of  The Summer of Firsts and Lasts and After the Kiss

Tell us about The Summer of Firsts and Lasts.
The Summer of Firsts and Lasts is a special book for me because it is about three sisters and one life-changing summer for them at their favorite summer camp. The narrative alternates between all three girls as they deal (individually, and ultimately together) with first love, a “bad girl” best friend, in-cabin bullying, a first “real job,” love that may or may not be unrequited, and many of the other adventures that a good summer camp session can bring!

What is After the Kiss about?
Plot-wise, After the Kiss is about two different girls – Becca and Camille – who end up kissing the same boy – Alec – and how that moment changes all three characters’ lives forever. Theme-wise, After the Kiss is about how to find balance in your own heart: keeping love from coming in so far that it destroys you, but also not shutting it out so much that you destroy yourself.

Who or inspired you to write the After the Kiss?
After I finished the final proofs of Pure, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to work on next. So I went to my trusty editor, Anica Rissi at Simon Pulse, and she had some ideas in mind. One of the most intriguing things she suggested was a novel in verse. I’d studied poetry very seriously in college and grad school (so in a way, all my poetry teachers and colleagues inspired me too), but had never thought about attempting a whole novel. There were some other ideas in this email she sent, including writing something about a love triangle. About half an hour after closing my laptop, I was sitting on my floor working on some decoupage, and I started to get this idea of a love triangle story where the three characters involved spoke in three different types of poetry. I jumped up, started writing down some thoughts and ideas, and After the Kiss was born.

When do you write?
When I was working several other jobs on top of trying to be a writer, I wrote just whenever I could. Sometimes it would be early in the morning, sometimes late at night. Sometimes I could only write an hour at a time, and other times it’d be in a nine-hour stretch. Because that was my training ground, I still sort of write that way. Some days I will write very little, at whatever time I get the chance, and other days I’ll just coop myself up in the house for 12 hours. I’m trying to find a rhythm though now, and that seems to be turning into taking care of non-writing stuff in the morning, and then writing in the afternoon/early evening.

Who are your influences?
I’ve literally been reading since I was four years old, so it’s hard to tell exactly who’s influenced me at what point. And I truly believe that every writer you read influences you in some way. But, starting from my earliest reading and moving up to this moment, I’ll say Robert Louis Stevenson, Margaret Wise Brown, Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein, Ann Martin (Babysitters’ Club), Francine Pascal (Sweet Valley High), Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Gertrude Stein, William Faulkner, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, John Irving, Alice Munro, Lorrie Moore, Richard Yates, Lauren Myracle, Laurie Halse Anderson and David Levithan.

Do you consider yourself a Southern Writer?
I think I think of myself as a young adult writer before anything else, but mostly I just think of myself as a writer, period. That said, I grew up in the South, and my books are all placed in the South (specifically Decatur and the greater Atlanta area), and certainly those places have a significant, purposeful presence in my books. The issues of Southern Literature though –race, class, gender, history, etc. – aren’t as prevalent in my books as I think they probably ought to be to qualify for that title.

For more about McVoy visit www.terraelan.com.

While Facebook and Twitter have become the most popular social media platforms, blogs are still going strong. As part of our ongoing series, we met up with three local bloggers who have built loyal followings.

These are the kinds of blogs people bookmark or set up Google alerts to make sure they are caught up with the latest items being posted. The blogs also give a snapshot of Atlanta’s ever-growing, social media savvy populace.

Ready, set, click.

What Now, Atlanta?
whatnowatlanta.com

One of the city’s most controversial blogs is What Now, Atlanta? maintained by 22-year-old Caleb J. Spivak. The blog focuses on the openings and closings of local retail and restaurants, with a bit of Spivak’s opinion thrown in for good measure. He often announces closings before the staff has been informed, and he’s drawn the ire of restaurant owners for posting failed health inspection scores.

Spivak created What Now, Atlanta? four years ago, and can often be found in his “office” at Inman Perk Coffee Shop. When he’s not tracking down leads and fielding tips from a network of contacts, he’s at his day job or in class at Georgia State University, where he’s a marketing major. Spivak also spends untold hours sifting through public documents gleaning information about local businesses.

“I spend an average of eight hours on each post,” Spivak says. “And while that’s happening, I’m getting more tips in my mailbox or on my phone. Sometimes, it’s information overload.”

Spivak was the first to get the details on Phipps Plaza’s deal with Legoland and the abrupt closings of the 5^th Street Café and Nikimoto’s. Spivak said he often turns to fellow blogger and mentor Michael Alvear when he has questions or concerns about posting a potential item.

Spivak considers himself more of a curator than a journalist, but says he strives to present factual information and correct it quickly when he gets it wrong.

“My readers are incredibly passionate and they have their own opinions,” he says. “I’m reporting this information and it creates dialogue.”

The Thrifters Blog
thethrifters.net

Looking for bargain luxury label clothing and accessories, but don’t feel like trolling through the thrift shops to find it? Daniel Troppy does it for you and provides the details on his blog, The Thrifters. The blog has been so popular, it led Troppy to open Doubletake boutique in Studioplex, where he sells many of his finds.

“I started shopping in thrift stores while I was poor and destitute during college,” he says. “It really is amazing what you can find at Goodwill if you’re persistent and patient. It takes stamina.”

Troppy goes to thrift stores almost every day and recounts his adventures and finds on the blog. He spends up to three hours in each one, and often returns more than once a day.

Troppy has find Chanel jackets, Pucci dresses and Prada bags, often in brand new condition. He says big fashion labels liquidate their merchandise to places like TJ Maxx and Ross, but if those discounters can’t sell the items, they often just donate them to thrift stores.

Goodwill and Salvation Army shops yield the best finds, he says, and he also goes to estate sales. Even when he’s out of town on vacation, he’ll pop into thrift stores. “Houston has some particularly good thrift stores,” he laughs.

The best-of-the-best in Troppy’s daily thrifting expeditions winds up for sale in Doubletake. “The shop wouldn’t be here without the blog,” he says.

Troppy’s best advice for those looking to find luxury for a few dollars: “It’s all timing; if you don’t find what you’re looking for, keep going back.”

Baby Got Books
babygotbooks.com

Grant Park resident Tim Frederick created Baby Got Books in 2005 after reading The New York Times’ annual list of 100 notable books and realized he’d only heard about a half dozen of the titles.

“As an avid reader, I couldn’t believe that I was that out of touch,” Frederick recalls.  “BGB was born shortly thereafter as a New Year’s resolution to become more engaged with reading and more up to date with literary news.”

Employed by the Environmental Protection Agency by day, Frederick said the blog was a good hobby and he was able to recruit friends who were also book lovers to join the effort. With newspapers and magazines cutting back on their coverage of books and reviews, BGB has become a must-read for the literati. The site gets between 5,000 and 7,000 visitors each month.

“I’m amazed and humbled daily that we’re putting something out there that people other than my mother will occasionally stop to read,” Frederick says.

The reviews that go up on the site include everything from contemporary fiction to books dealing with science and environmental issues. “Our contributors have varied interests – fiction of all stripes, historical non-fiction, classics, etc. I’d like to think we present a fairly eclectic mix of books.”

With summer here, Frederick says he plans to catch up on his reading including The Hunger Games series, David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King and he’s looking forward to China Mieville’s Embassytown, 1Q84 by Haruki Marukami and The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides.