Author Events Sept. 17-23

“Love and Other Consolation Prizes,” by Jamie Ford.

“Love and Other Consolation Prizes,” by Jamie Ford.

James Forman Jr., "Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America." In his insightful history of the rise of mass incarceration, Forman tells the story of how blacks in law enforcement made the war on drugs their own. 7 p.m. Sept. 18. Talk, signing. Free. First Baptist Church of Decatur, 308 Clairmont Ave., Decatur, 404-373-1653, georgiacenterforthebook.org

Susanne Fincher, "Creating Mandalas with Sacred Geometry." Create your own mandala based on geometry, numbers, and signs, or use color as a meditative process to tap into your creativity and intuition. 7 p.m. Sept. 19. Book launch, workshop, refreshments. Free. Eagle Eye Book Shop, 2076 N. Decatur Road, Decatur, 404-486-0307, eagleeyebooks.com

Leah Weiss, "If The Creek Don't Rise." A young wife and mother in Appalachia longs to leave her husband and grasps at any opportunity to take her baby and run. 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20. Signing. Free. FoxTale Book Shoppe, 105 E. Main St., Woodstock, 770-516-9989, foxtalebookshoppe.com

Jimmy Webb, "The Cake and the Rain: A Memoir." The man behind such classics as "Up, Up, and Away," "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman," "Galveston" and "MacArthur Park," takes readers inside his life and music. 7 p.m. Sept. 20. Talk, signing. Free. Carter Center's Cecil B. Day Chapel, Carter Presidential Library & Museum, 441 Freedom Parkway, Atlanta, 404-865-7100, jimmycarterlibrary.gov

Jamie Ford, "Love and Other Consolation Prizes." A 12-year-old half-Chinese charity student who gets a chance to go to the 1909 Seattle's World's Fair is astounded to learn he will be raffled off—"to a good home." 7 p.m. Sept. 20. Talk, signing. $10. Margaret Mitchell House, 979 Crescent Ave. NE., Atlanta, 404-814-4150, atlantahistorycenter.com

Jared Yates Sexton, "The People Are Going to Rise Like The Waters Upon Your Shores: A Story of American Rage." Political commentator and author Sexton presents a firsthand account of the events that shaped the 2016 presidential election. 7:30 p.m. Sept. 22. Talk, signing. Free. Suggested donation $5. Charis Books & More, 1189 Euclid Ave. NE., Atlanta, 404-524-0304, charisbooksandmore.com/

Blue Cole, "Evil Upriver." In the Georgia author's third novel, a songwriter who stops for the night in an idyllic Southern hamlet teams up with a local bar owner to fight the forces of evil that lurk on its outskirts. 2 p.m. Sept. 23. Signing. Free. Tall Tales Book Shop, Toco Hill Shopping Center, 2105 LaVista Road NE., Atlanta, 404-636-2498, talltalesatlanta.com

Mark Bray, "Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook." Historian and former Occupy Wall Street organizer Bray provides a one-of-a-kind look inside a movement that aims to deny fascists the opportunity to promote their oppressive politics 4 p.m. Sept. 23. Reading, talk, signing. Free. A Cappella Books, 208 Haralson Ave. NE., Atlanta, 404-681-5128, acappellabooks.com