📍 Local reading spots

It’s fall, y’all! 

Nov. 10 — Welcome to the November issue of Stacks, the monthly newsletter about Atlanta’s literary scene. We publish on the second Sunday of every month.

🍂 After the craziness of the election this past week, we hope the upcoming weeks will bring you peace and comfort (out of the political sphere). Enjoy the fall foliage, the last moments of pumpkin spice (maybe?), and reflect on all the great books to be thankful for! 

In this month’s edition of Stacks, we dove into our favorite Atlanta reading spots, explored November’s exciting literary events, celebrated an indie bookstore on its 50th anniversary, and spotlighted a local author. 

📧 Thanks for reading, and please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or feedback! Also, if you enjoy Stacks, please forward it to a friend and encourage them to subscribe using this link.

See you in December! 

-Eloisa, Caroline, and Sarah  

🎄 As the holiday season approaches, Lake Oconee transforms into a magical winter wonderland filled with festive traditions, cozy experiences, and unforgettable moments. Find your reason to linger longer this holiday season at Lake Oconee. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Cozy Corners in Atlanta: The Literary Guide to Atlanta

🛋️ Looking for a place to curl up with a good book as the leaves finally change colors? We’ve compiled 7 of our favorite spots around Atlanta for you to crack open a book and enjoy the fall weather this November. 

☕ Brash Coffee Atlanta History Center

Inside the Atlanta History Center, come grab a warm bowl of soup from Souper Jenny Café and a good cup of coffee from Brash (we recommend My Dad’s Turkey Chilli soup and an iced mocha). Both Brash and Souper Jenny Café are Atlanta-owned businesses which use locally sourced ingredients. We love relaxing on a couch inside the café, on the outside patio, or on the upper level where we can enjoy a beautiful view of the Buckhead skyline. Enjoy the warm atmosphere, the books and artwork lining the walls, and the sound of coffee brewing as you curl up with your book. You can park for free in the Atlanta History Center parking deck.

📖 Read Shop by the Merchant

Part bookstore, part coffeehouse, the quaint and cozy Read Shop in Vinings expertly blends the inviting atmosphere of a coffeehouse with the whimsical feeling of getting lost between rows of books. After ordering a pastry and seasonal drink, peruse the vast selection of titles to find your next page-turner. Surrounded by books on the New-York Times bestsellers lists, as well as numerous fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, children’s literature, and coffee-inspired books, you are bound to find a title that catches your eye. You can choose to crack open your new book in the homey interior with soft rugs and big couches or on the outside patio to enjoy the atmosphere of Vinings Jubilee. 

🌳 Chattahoochee Coffee Company (Riverside Location)

This hidden gem, tucked away inside a gated apartment complex on the Chattahoochee, sits on the Chattahoochee River. While it’s only open to non-residents during the week, this café, reminiscent of a mountain lodge, offers a variety of seating options. Get comfortable on the wraparound porch, in a hammock by the river, or on a cozy couch inside the shop while sipping on Counter Culture coffee. The lush greenery and the soothing sounds of the river make a calming environment, perfect for starting a new book. Plus, their cappuccino is to die for. 

❣️ Cafe Comma

This small café located in Vinings offers an oasis from the hustle and bustle. With their unique philosophy it’s okay to take a break, we love to stop by this café to take a pause from our busy lives and to check out their seasonal drink menu (a butter pecan latté and a pumpkin pie creme latté are both featured in November). Inside, plants hang from the ceiling and inspirational quotes line the walls, inviting you to take a break and curl up with a book and sip from a delicious cup of coffee. 

🫖 Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party

A community tea house nestled in Atlanta’s historic Candler park neighborhood, Dr. Bombay’s Underwater Tea Party serves high tea, coffee, pastries, ice cream, and sandwiches. Most of the funds collected from the shop goes to support their international women’s education program The Learning Tea with the mission to improve the lives of its scholars in India. They’re open Tuesdays through Sundays, so go grab a book, get comfy on one of their many vibrant and comfortable chairs, and do some good!

🍂 Piedmont Park

Piedmont park is beautiful in the fall, especially with the gorgeous foliage and cooler weather. Take the opportunity to enjoy the more tolerable November climate and read outside. We love reading on a picnic blanket with friends, under one of the park’s multitude of trees, or on the swings overlooking the pond. Plus, the easy access to Ponce City Market and the Beltline is perfect for those that love a post-book snack or stroll. With some of the best views in the city, Piedmont Park is a wonderful place to dive into a great book. 

⛲ Carter Center Gardens

If you’re hoping for some peace and quiet, the gardens surrounding the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum are just five minutes from downtown Atlanta. The wooded 35 acre park is open to the public and worth exploring. Take a seat at a picnic table in the Japanese garden or bring a blanket and read among the ponds, waterfalls, and natural forests. 

Charis Books & More Celebrate 50th Anniversary

🎈 This past week, Charis Books & More, the South’s oldest independent feminist bookstore, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a series of readings, lectures, and events. 

Opened by Linda Bryant in 1974, Charis was a mainstay of Little Five Points for its first 45 years. Alice Walker, Gloria Steinem, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Leslie Feinberg, Bell Hooks and Octavia E. Butler were just some of the feminist icons who regularly read or visited Charis over its long history.

In 2019, Charis entered a partnership with Agnes Scott College and moved to Decatur. Located at 184 S. Candler St. in a 1901 Victorian home that was completely renovated by Agnes Scott as part of the partnership, Charis continues to thrive in its 50th year.

Now co-owned by Sarah Luce Look and Angela Gabriel, Charis also has a nonprofit arm called Charis Circle, which plans programming, author events, and fundraises for the shop.

In the highly charged political climate, where LGBTQ+ rights are being used as wedge issues by candidates, Charis realizes just how significant its 50th anniversary is and what’s at stake for the future.

“We want control of our bodies, safe and affordable food, housing, and healthcare, the support to raise a child or not to, the right to choose who we call family, and the right to age with dignity; we want rest and pleasure and love and art, free expression, access to information, a connection to the earth and the protection and renewal of ecosystems, privacy from surveillance, the right to migrate freely and safely, and freedom from interpersonal and state violence,” Charis said in its statement.

Charis’ story has been as much about survival and weathering economic and cultural change as it is about community and success.

“We weathered the hardest parts of our history because of the mostly invisible labor of a handful of staff, board members, and volunteers, and the commitment of a small number of donors who helped us keep the doors open when so many other feminist, queer, and literary institutions could not survive. We did this by refusing many traditional capitalist and nonprofit modes and returning again and again to the will and the wisdom of our people,” the statement said.

Charis marked its 50th anniversary beginning Nov. 2 with a ticketed event at Letitia Pate Evans Dining Hall on the Agnes Scott campus. The event featured a performance by Indigo Girls and guest authors and speakers. 

🎊 Although the week of celebration is over, be sure to stop by and support Charis Books as it heads into its 50th year! 

➡️ Read the full Rough Draft article by Collin Kelley here.

➡️ Learn more about Charis Books here.

🎄 As the holiday season approaches, Lake Oconee transforms into a magical winter wonderland filled with festive traditions, cozy experiences, and unforgettable moments. Find your reason to linger longer this holiday season at Lake Oconee. SPONSOR MESSAGE

Literary Events  

Feel free to email us if you have literary events that you would like to be featured in our newsletter. In the meantime, add them to our free public calendar on howdoyouatlanta.com.

BOOK FESTIVAL OF THE MJCCA

📣 Tonight at 7:30 p.m., award-winning journalist John Quiñones discusses his latest book, “One Year in Uvalde: A Story of Hope and Resilience,” an important year-long story about a community’s activism and resilience. Rough Draft sponsors the event, featuring an introduction from our publisher, Keith Pepper. Tickets are $21.50 for members and $26.50 for members. 

🕍 On Mon., Nov. 11 at noon, Lisa Barr and Talia Carner discuss their novels, “The Goddess of Warsaw” and “The Boy with the Star Tattoo.” From wartime heroics and forbidden love to postwar journeys to justice, Barr and Carner offer riveting novels of loss and resilience. Tickets are $14.50 for members and $19.50 for non-members.

❤️‍🩹 On Mon., Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m., Mitch Albom will speak about his latest novel “The Little Liar,” a powerful story of hope and forgiveness. This event is presented by The Sharon V. Fagin Joy of Reading Program Given in loving memory by the Fagin/Danz Families and in partnership with Congregation B’nai Torah, Holocaust Survivor Support Fund, and JWC Atlanta. A Capella Books will have copies of “The Little Liar” available for purchase at the venue.

🌻 On Tues., Nov. 12 at noon, Jonathon Santlofer discusses his new thriller “The Lost Van Gogh.” He will be joined by Atlanta’s own Jessica Handler, award-winning author of “The Magnetic Girl.” A Capella Books will have copies of “The Lost Van Gogh” available for purchase at the venue.

🪦 On Wed., Nov. 13 at noon, Mary Glickman discusses her novel, “Ain’t No Grave: A Novel”, in conversation with John Lemly, host and producer for WMLB-Atlanta. Set against the early 20th-century American South and the Leo Frank Trial, the novel explores the history of societal obstacles. Tickets are $14.50 for members and $19.50 for non-members.

🤝 On Thurs., Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m., the 33rd Book Festival of the MJCCA presents Stuart Eizenstat as he discusses his book, “The Art of Diplomacy: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements that Changed the World.” Join Diplomat Eizenstat as he offers a firsthand account of negotiations that shaped modern history. Admission is $19.50 for members and $23.50 for non-members. 

⭐ On Sun., Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m., renowned speaker and congresswoman Nancy Pelosi closes the festival with “The Art of Power: My Story as America’s First Woman Speaker of the House.” Tickets start at $51.50 and include a book.

OTHER EVENTS

🤫 On Wed., Nov. 13 at 6:30 p.m., the Sandy Springs Silent Book Club will meet at the Pontoon Brewing Company. Bring along your current read or choose a book from their small on-site collection. Join for a cozy and low-key way to enjoy some reading and socializing! Food and beverages will be offered before reading hour. You are encouraged to stay afterwards to mingle! Event is FREE

🪶 On Wed., Nov.13 at 7:30 p.m., the Atlanta History Center welcomes Kathleen DuVal in conversation with Malinda Maynor Lowery to talk about her book “Native Nations: A Millenium in North America.” Together, they will discuss Native American history and the impact of colonization on the native tribes. The event will take place in the Woodruff Auditorium located inside McElreath Hall. AHC member tickets are $6, non-member tickets are $12

✡️ On Sat., Nov. 16 at 6:00 p.m., Atlanta’s first-ever Jewish Storytelling Festival will meet at the Breman Museum, celebrating the art of storytelling across generations and cultures. This event will span two days, diving into the Jewish storytelling tradition. Participants will take part in a series of activities including a storytelling workshop that explores how memories can be shaped into stories, an open mic event, and a story cabaret. Tickets are $18 for a Saturday pass and $18 for a Sunday pass.

🗽 On Sat., Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m., Miles Beard is coming to Summit Coffee Emory Village to celebrate the debut of his novel, “Americanitis”. Beard will be reading select passages and answering audience questions. Tickets are $20 for a copy of his novel and $10 without.

Local Author Spotlight: Rhana Gittens Wheeler

🏙️ Rhana Gittens Wheeler, an author and assistant professor at Oglethorpe University, just recently published her book, “Ghosts of Atlanta: Cultural Gentrification of the Black Mecca,” where she explores historical narratives in Atlanta and the unsettling reality of cultural displacement of Atlanta’s Black community.

Gittens Wheeler examines and critiques recent urban developments, such as the Atlanta BeltLine, as she shares the complex dynamics of the pain of displacement and the possibility of redemption for the community. The reflective and thought-provoking non-fiction work is essential for anyone who seeks to understand the deep-rooted implications of gentrification on identity and heritage, vested in social equity and cultural preservation. Learn more here.