The New York Times posts tonight that the Library of Congress has named Decatur resident and Emory Professor Natasha Trethewey the 2012-2013 poet laureate of the United States.

The City of Decatur and the AJC Decatur Book Festival are hosting a reception at the gazebo on the square Thursday (tomorrow) from 5pm to 6:30 to celebrate. Come toast Natasha in person. Food and libations supplied by Eddie’s Attic.

Caitie writes in…

My wonderful kitty Coltrane is missing! He is a 2-year-old black shorthair cat with green-yellow eyes, a white tuft on his neck/chest area, and white streaks across his belly. He was last seen wearing a hot pink collar on the evening of Monday, June 4 on Montgomery Street (near the intersection with Ponce De Leon Place). He is VERY vocal and affectionate, but also kind of neurotic in an endearing silly cat kind of way.

If you’ve seen him in the past day or so, please contact Catie at (770)-870-0964 or caitelle@gmail.com. Thank you!

Decatur Mayor Bill Floyd sent this note into DM, reporting that 1,500 Decatur properties will be reassessed by July 2nd and finally an explanation about what’s going on behind the volatile numbers.

The city manager and I met with several people from the tax appraiser’s office on June 5, 2012. The following information was given to us at that time.

1. There are 30 properties that were identified last week with errors. These will be submitted to the BOA for adjustment at their meeting on June 7th. Revised appraisals will be mailed after the meeting. Property owners will have 45 days from the date of the revised notice to file an appeal.
2. The appraisers office has identified an additional 1500 properties in the city that are being adjusted for any of several reasons
3. The list of 1500 will be submitted to he BOA at their meeting on June 21st for approval
4. If approved , these revised notices will be sent out the week of June 25th.
5. Current appeal deadline is July 13th.
6. If you receive an adjusted notice, it restarts the clock and you have another 45 days to appeal

Their Recommendation:

Read the rest of this entry »

In a previous blog I discussed booksellers who became book writers. This will turn the tables a bit.

Last week I asked about AJC Decatur Book Festival keynote speakers. AHID suggested Garrison Keillor, which I thought was marvelous. Keillor has been telling stories for nearly four decades (with one major interruption) on “A Prairie Home Companion,” creating an entire fake town “where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” (It can be heard WABE (90.1 FM) at 6pm Saturdays and 10am Sundays.)

Keillor is also a gifted writer who has pounded out articles for magazines, a newspaper column, an advice column, a series of novels (most of which take place in Lake Wobegon, Minnesota), the screenplay for Robert Altman’s final film, and poetry collections.

Garrison is also a lover of literature who narrates “The Writer’s Almanac,” which can be heard daily on WABE at 10:55 a.m. Read the rest of this entry »

Tunnel under CSX tracks, Decatur, GA Photo courtesy of Caitie