Atlanta's August Book Club confab: Curtis Bunn's National Book Club Conference convenes for its second year.

When hundreds of booklovers gather in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 6 for the second assembly of the National Book Club Conference (NBCC), the person at the center of the action will be Curtis Bunn, an Atlanta author who organized the event.

The inaugural three-day conference in 2003 attracted more than 200 booklovers from 23 states and was hailed as the world's largest book club meeting.

Bunn established the NBCC as an industry leader among consumers of black literature by providing a warm, relaxed space for both authors and readers to fellowship in a host of panels, workshops and book discussions.

Bunn says that while he was aware of the growing number of book dubs, he had no idea how truly passionate readers who at tended the conference could be. "There is a wonderful spirit among the readers, a camaraderie that is hard to explain," he adds. "They are so into the works and so into picking the brains of the authors. I put this event together because it seemed a natural thing to do. But to see and feel how strongly it came together, for the readers and the authors, was really something I did not expect."

A Successful Blueprint

"Our blueprint was established last year" says Bunn, who is the author of a short story collection entitled Book Club: Books Are Their Life and Their Life Is a Book (A&B Book Publishing Distributions, January 2004). "There is access to authors that you just don't get at other events. For devoted readers to have a series of meetings with some of their favorite authors and discover new authors is very appealing."

This year, workshops will include "The Past, Present and Future of Black Literature," with a panel of authors, editors and literary agents. Another session, "The Hush Hush Secrets to Getting Published" is a writing workshop for readers who want to become published authors. In another discussion, 12 self-published authors will describe "The Good and Bad of Self-Publishing."

"Maximizing Your Book Club Experience" is a wildly popular session because "book dub members learn how other book clubs function, what others do in the community, how they keep their meetings fresh and a whole lot of other dynamics that enhance, broaden and influence the readers" says Bunn. "It's more than about the books for book club members. The books are the reason they get together. The friendships are the reason they stay together."

The Spirit of Fellowship and Activism

One mission of the NBCC is to promote literacy among youth. During the conference, students invited from local schools, boys and girls clubs and neighboring recreation centers attend sessions with authors. To date, the NBCC has established 15 youth book clubs, most of them in Georgia. Youth clubs are forming in Jacksonville, Florida, Baltimore, Maryland, and Cincinnati, Ohio.

In the spirit of fellowship and activism, the conference also honors authors and book dubs that are active in their communities.

CONFERENCE PROFILE

What: The National Book Club Conference

When: August 6-8, 2004

Where: Sheraton Buckhead Hotel, Atlanta, GA

Who: More than 200 avid readers, book club members and authors.

Conference Highlights: An awards ceremony, panel discussions, workshops and book and available for purchase.

To Register: For more information and registration questions, please send e-mails to [e-mail] or call 888-406-6222. For hotel reservations, call 888627-9041 and ask for the National Book Club Conference rate, For more information: log onto: www.nationalbookclubconference.com

Pat Houser is a contributing editor at BIBR. If you would like to have your book club mentioned, e-mail her at [e-mail].