Carmen Tanner Slaughter in conversation with Denny S. Bryce, author of "In The Face Of The Sun."

Carmen Tanner Slaughter in conversation with Denny S. Bryce, author of "In The Face Of The Sun."

Registration Types:

Virtual Admission: Receive the link to stream this event on YouTube 

In-person Admission: Join us in the sanctuary at First Baptist Church Decatur.

You must register to attend.

Click here to register for the event on Eventbrite either in person or virtually

COVID-19 safety protocols in place. Please read the information at the bottom of the description. Attendees are allowed to register up to TWO additional, in-person guests. It will be the registrants' responsibility (if guests' e-mails are not provided at registration) to make sure the guests know about the COVID protocols, and that they will have to show proof of vaccination or negative COVID test taken no more than 72 hours prior to the event to enter the venue. 

Pre-signed copies of In the Face of the Sun will be available for purchase from Charis Books and More.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Joshilyn Jackson Reads Summer Reading Series is back for 2022! This series is part of the Decatur Book Festival. Join us for the second night featuring Denny S. Bryce (In the Face of the Sun) in conversation with special guest moderator Carmen Tanner Slaughter. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. COVID-19 safety protocols are in place for the in-person event; masking and vaccination required. Scroll for details. This series is a partnership between the Decatur Book Festival and the Georgia Center for the Book.

The 2022 Joshilyn Jackson Reads Summer Reading Series, featuring Nicki Salcedo and Carmen Tanner Slaughter, is part of the Decatur Book Festival, brought to you in partnership with the Georgia Center for the Book. The Decatur Book Festival will be back in person for October 2022 at First Baptist Church Decatur! Visit decaturbookfestival.com to keep up-to-date with all festival news, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Conversations at First Baptist Church Decatur is pleased to partner with the Georgia Center for the Book and others in the Decatur area to host public dialogues that engage the minds and connect the spirits of our community, at the intersection of faith, purpose, and values.

About In the Face of the Sun:

In this haunting novel set at the height of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, the author of Wild Women and the Blues takes readers on an audacious road trip with a pregnant young woman and her brash, profane aunt from Chicago to Los Angeles to confront a decades-old mystery from 1920’s Black Hollywood.

1928, Los Angeles: The newly-built Hotel Somerville is the hotspot for the city's glittering African-American elite. It embodies prosperity and dreams of equality for all—especially Daisy Washington. An up-and-coming journalist, Daisy anonymously chronicles fierce activism and behind-the-scenes Hollywood scandals in order to save her family from poverty. But power in the City of Angels is also fueled by racism, greed, and betrayal. And even the most determined young woman can play too many secrets too far . . .

1968, Chicago: For Frankie Saunders, fleeing across America is her only escape from an abusive husband. But her rescuer is her reckless, profane Aunt Daisy, still reeling from her own shattered past. Frankie doesn't want to know what her aunt is up to so long as Daisy can get her to LA—and safety. But Frankie finds there’s no hiding from long-held secrets—or her own surprising strength.

Daisy will do whatever it takes to settle old scores and resolve the past—no matter the damage. And Frankie will come up against hard choices in the face of unexpected passion. Both must come to grips with what they need, what they’ve left behind—and all that lies ahead. 

About the Author:

Denny S. Bryce is the award-winning author of historical fiction novels including Wild Women and the Blues and In the Face of the Sun. A former professional dancer and public relations professional, she now is an adjunct professor in the MFA program at Drexel University, a book critic for NPR, and a freelance writer whose work has been published in USA Today, Harper's Bazaar, and FROLIC Media. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society, Women's Fiction Writers Association, and Tall Poppy Writers. Originally from Chicago, she now resides in Savannah, Georgia, and can be found online at DennySBryce.com.

About the Moderator:

Carmen Tanner Slaughter has been a voracious reader since age three. Her love of the written word and its importance led to a career in both the public library and public education systems. She also spent five years working as an event coordinator with independent booksellers, hosting literary festivals as well as moderating book discussion groups, reading series, and conference panels in metro Atlanta. Her passion for words is not limited to those on the page. Carmen has been a raconteur since she was a toddler telling stories to her dolls but in 2009 she achieved professional status and has been a featured storyteller at MothUp Atlanta, Carapace, Stories on the Square, and the Peach State Storytelling Festival series "Stories on the Edge of Night." Carmen is an avid cinephile and music lover who spends hours indulging in those forms of creative expression. She channels her passions into serving her community and is a former board member and executive officer of the Cherokee County Arts Center, the Cherokee County Historical Society, and the Cherokee High School advisory board. Carmen is currently a board member of the Broadleaf Writers Association, a trustee of the Sequoyah Regional Library System, and a contributing editor at The Woolfer, a feminist website and social platform for women over forty.

SAFETY PROTOCOLS:

We are committed to a safe environment for all writers, attendees, staff, and volunteers. Following CDC guidelines and adhering to the protocols of the First Baptist Church of Decatur, we are taking the following steps for safety during this program:

-Masks: Face masks must be worn properly over the nose and the mouth at all times on the entire church property, including outdoors.

-Social Distancing: Attendance indoors is capped at less than 50% of capacity, with alternating rows left vacant.

-Vaccines: Proof of completed COVID-19 vaccination (CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card or image of the card) is required for anyone entering the church. In the rare event of a misplaced COVID-19 card, please provide proof of a negative test taken no more than 72 hours before the event and be prepared to sign a vaccine verification statement.Conversations is a continuing series of Author Events at First Baptist Church Decatur.