Former NBA player, author and artist Joe Barry Carroll shares some highlights at this year’s Decatur Book Festival

Joe Barry Carroll (left) and Carl Ware (right) from a previous Decatur Book Festival. (Courtesy of Decatur Book Festival)

After a year’s hiatus, book lovers and writers celebrate the triumphant return of the Decatur Book Festival. This year, a monumental keynote speaker will be a part of the lineup – the acclaimed author Joyce Carol Oates, National Book Award winner and five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

She’s appearing in a live conversation at First Baptist Church of Decatur on Oct. 4 with another accomplished writer, as well as artist, philanthropist and NBA all-star Joe Barry Carroll.

“City Lights” host Lois Reitzes spoke with Carroll about his passion for the written word and some highlights at this year’s festival.

“I think that books, literature– which are essentially ideas – are fundamental to a civilized society,” said Carroll. “I just can’t imagine how we can hold ourselves as being civilized if we don’t have a protected place for books and language and literature.”

More information about the Decatur Book Festival’s keynote conversation is available here.