It may not match the fanfare of the Oscars or the hysteria of March Madness, but for Georgia literati, the race for the Townsend Prize for Fiction ranks as no less a nail-biter. The winner will be announced April 24 at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
The biennial award, named for Atlanta magazine founding editor Jim Townsend, recognizes an outstanding novel or story collection by a Georgia author. Winners over the prize’s 32-year-history have included reader favorites Alice Walker, Terry Kay, Ha Jin and Kathryn Stockett.
This year’s finalists are Stacia Brown for “Accidents of Providence,” Amber Dermont for “The Starboard Sea,” Joshilyn Jackson for “Someone Else’s Love,” Sheri Joseph for “Where You Can Find Me,” Charles McNair for “Pickett’s Charge,” Josh Russell for “A True History of the Captivation, Transport to Strange Lands & Deliverance of Hannah Guttentag,” Jamie Quatro for “I Want to Show You More,” Susan Rebecca White for “A Place at the Table,” Philip Lee Williams for “Emerson’s Brother” and Anthony Winkler for “God Carlos.”
As the award ceremony nears, we asked the shortlisted authors for their insights on the writing life. Read the story at myajc.com
