Jeffrey Small, "The Jericho Deception." 10:15 a.m. May 5. Lecture and book signing. Free. St. Martin in the Field, 3110 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Atlanta. 404-261-4292, www.stmartins.org/home.html. Also appearing: 6:30 p.m. May 8. Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, www.prumc.org. In Small's latest thriller (after "The Breath of God"), a Yale neuroscientist is on the verge of a groundbreaking discovery: a machine with the ability to produce religious ecstasy.
Joseph Ingle, "The Inferno: A Southern Morality Tale." 7 p.m. May 6. Signing. Free. Manuel's Tavern, 602 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta. 404-525-3447, http://manuelstavern.com. Ingle, who has spent decades working with those on death row, tells the story of Philip Workman, executed in Tennessee in 2007. Ingle served as Workman's pastor.
Robert Norrell, "Eden Rise." 7:15 p.m. May 6. Talk and signing. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-8450, Ext. 2225; www.georgiacenterforthebook.org. The author of "Up From History," a prize-winning biography of Booker T. Washington, returns with a debut novel about a clash over civil rights in an Alabama town during the summer of 1965.
Poetry reading: W.S. Merwin. 6 p.m. May 6. Free. Emory University, Robert W. Woodruff Library, 540 Asbury Circle, Atlanta. 404-727-6861, www.arts.emory.edu/events. Merwin, whose writing reflects his interest in Buddhist philosophy and deep ecology, was the U.S. poet laureate in 2010 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1971 and 2009.
Nathaniel Philbrick, "Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution." 8 p.m. May 6. Talk and signing. $10. Atlanta History Center, 130 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W., Atlanta. 404-814-4150, www.atlantahistorycenter.com. Philbrick ("In the Heart of the Sea") brings a new perspective to the story of the Boston battle in the American Revolution.
New Poetry Night: Collin Kelley and Theresa Davis. 7:15 p.m. May 7. Reading. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-8450, Ext. 2225; www.georgiacenterforthebook.org. Two Atlanta poets will read from their new books. Kelley's "Render" offers dazzling snapshots of a family in crisis, infidelity and sexual discovery. "After This We Go Dark" comes out this month from Davis, one of America's finest performance poets.
Maria Semple, "Where'd You Go, Bernadette." 7 p.m. May 7. Talk and signing. $10. Reservations requested. Margaret Mitchell House & Museum, 990 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-814-4150, www.margaretmitchellhouse.com. In Semple's latest novel, Bernadette Fox disappears after promising her 15-year-old daughter, Bee, a family trip. Bee is left to find her by sorting through the various emails, letters and documents that make up this endearing, uproarious novel.
Poetry reading: Jenny Sadre-Orafai and Eileen Stratidakis. 8 p.m. May 8. $3-$5. Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, 980 Briarcliff Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-872-5338, www.callanwolde.org/events/index.html.
Josh Hanagarne, "The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength and the Power of Family." 7:15 p.m. May 9. Talk and signing. Free. Decatur Library Auditorium, 215 Sycamore St., Decatur. 404-370-8450, Ext. 2225; www.georgiacenterforthebook.org. In a moving story of overcoming Tourette syndrome, Hanagarne, a Salt Lake City librarian, recounts the important struggles and triumphs that led to his salvation in books and weightlifting.
Akinyele Umoja, "We Will Shoot Back: Armed Resistance in the Mississippi Freedom Movement." 7 p.m. May 10. Discussion and signing. Auburn Avenue Research Library, 101 Auburn Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-730-4001, www.afpls.org/aarl. Umoja is chair of the Department of African-American Studies at Georgia State University, where he teaches courses on the history of the civil rights and black power movements. His new book recounts the use of armed resistance by black activists and supporters in Mississippi from the early 1950s though the late 1970s.
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