First ever book festival coming to downtown Dothan

Richard Everett
·2 min read

DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) — A new event is coming to the Wiregrass that will have literature lovers saying, “Sorry, I’m booked” this weekend.

The first Wiregrass Book Festival will be held on Saturday, March 2.

Between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. that day, book lovers can connect with a handful of local authors at several businesses along Foster Street:

At Downtown Books (150 North Foster Street), you will be able to meet thriller writer Logan Ryles and adventure novelist Mikelyn Bolden.

Cap Daniels, an Air-force veteran and sailing charter captain known for his Chase Fulton thriller novels, will be set up two doors down at the Bird and Bean Coffee Shop (144 North Foster Street).

Down the road, at Foster Street’s other coffee house, Mural City Coffee Company (192 South Foster Street), you can find the author of the post-apocalyptic novel “Zombiearth” Stephen O’Pry.

Southern mystery writer Anessa Kent will set up shop at Downtown Dothan’s staple for children’s clothing and embroidery, Honey Bee Tees (158 North Foster Street).

Downtown Books owner and operator Stacy Fountain says this idea has been in the works for some time, and with the help of several local business owners on Foster Street, she was able to give writers who reside in and around the Wiregrass a chance to show off their talents.

“Every book begins with a single page, a single word, a single letter. That is what we are doing this Saturday,” said Fountain. “It is the beginning of a celebration of literature in our community.”

Fountain says she wants this event to grow and become an annual event that showcases the importance of community involvement and the local art scene.

“We have really big aspirations. This is just a starting point,”

Word of the small festival has even reached across the ocean. Dothan native and Pulitzer Prize nominated author Charles McNair, who currently lives in the Columbian capital Bogota, says he is proud of his hometown for keeping the community active in the arts.

“A town without a bookstore or a theater or a gallery is a kind of ghost town,” McNair said “Where do people go to dream? I’m proud of Dothan, keeping the arts alive.”

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