In Praise of Georgia Fiction

Every two years, the Townsend Prize is given to the best work of fiction written by a Georgia author. This bi-annum’s winner is set to be announced in a ceremony on April 26th. But right now, the nominees have been carefully pared down to a list of ten books. With a thirty year history and a list of past winners which includes Celestine Sibley, Alice Walker and Ferrol Sams. the Townsend is currently overseen by a partnership between The Georgia Center for the Book, the Chattahoochee Review, and several institutions within Georgia Perimeter College. We recently spoke with Joe Davitch and Anna Schachner, two representatives from the Townsends about the award and its place in Southern literature.