South Arts announces first literary anthology
Southern writers in the spotlight
Yesterday, our partners at South Arts announced the upcoming release of “What We Are Becoming,” their inaugural literary anthology.
The work is a collection of fiction work from nine writers awarded the 2024 Southern Prize and State Fellowships for Literary Arts. The nine featured authors each represent a state within the South Arts region. They are:
- Randi Pink (Irondale, AL).
- Ashley Blooms (Lexington, KY).
- Joanna Pearson (Carrboro, NC).
- Camille Boxhill (Coral Springs, FL).
- Maurice Carlos Ruffin (New Orleans, LA).
- F.E. Choe (Columbia, SC).
- Constance Collier-Mercado (Atlanta, GA).
- Melissa Ginsburg (Oxford, MS).
- Yurina Yoshikawa (Nashville, TN).
“The 2024 State Fellows for Literary Arts are a remarkable group of individuals, including educators, musicians, historians, advocates, and caregivers,” said Susie Surkamer, South Arts president and CEO. “Their writing spans from poetic lyricism to direct, powerful prose, encompassing genres from fantasy and magic to the stark realities of everyday life. This diversity is what inspired South Arts to bring their voices together in a new anthology, celebrating and exploring the complexity of Southern identity through their unique perspectives. This publication marks an exciting moment to uplift their voices, and we look forward to sharing these compelling narratives with a wider audience soon.”
South Arts thinks their “distinct voices and diverse backgrounds create a rich, vibrant portrait of the Southern literary landscape.”
Published in partnership with South Carolina’s own Hub City Press—widely regarded as the South’s premier independent literary press—the publication will debut at the Mississippi Book Festival on Sept. 14, coinciding with a special award ceremony announcing the first-ever winner and finalist of the Southern Prize in Literary Arts.
Hub City is accepting pre-orders of the book, which retails for $17.95 + tax.
In addition to inclusion in the literary anthology, each State Fellow for Literary Arts receives a $5,000 cash award. At an awards ceremony which will be held at the Mississippi Book Festival, two of the State Fellows will receive the larger Southern Prize for Literary Arts awards. The Southern Prize for Literary Arts winner will receive an additional $25,000, and the Southern Prize for Literary Arts finalist will receive an additional $10,000. Both Southern Prize recipients will also receive a residency valued at $5,000 in The Writers Room at The Betsy-South Beach, which is South Arts’ newest partner offering artist residencies for the Southern Prize for Literary Arts.