Faulkner Literary Competition 2019 award winners

Writers from eight states and one foreign country were honored Thursday, Sept, 26, at the 23rd annual Faulkner Literary Luncheon in New Albany.

Joseph Crespino, Jimmy Carter Professor of History at Emory University in Atlanta, spoke about his book, “Atticus Finch.”

The Faulkner Literary Awards were first presented in 1997, the 100th anniversary of writer William Faulkner’s birth in New Albany. The Faulkner Awards have grown in prestige and impact over the years since 1997.

The Faulkner Literary Awards are sponsored by the Union County Heritage Museum, the New Albany Gazette, former New Albany resident Eric Saul, and several other local clubs and organizations.

The speaker for this year’s awards luncheon was Joseph Crespino, a native of Macon, Mississippi, who is a history professor at Emory University in Atlanta. Crespino is the author of “Atticus Finch,” which was published last year by Basic Books of New York.

The book and Crespino’s lecture last week concerned the development of Nelle Harper Lee’s 1960 novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.” The plot of the book is based, in large part, on the author’s experiences in her hometown, Monroeville, Alabama.

Atticus Finch is the fictional name of the novel’s character, who is based on Lee’s father, Amasa Coleman Lee, an Alabama lawyer, politician and newspaper publisher.

Crespino said Harper Lee wrote a novel called “Go Set a Watchman,” now considered an early draft of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Although written in the 1950s, “Go Set a Watchman” was not published until 2015. “Watchman” featured a darker Atticus Finch than the one in “To Kill A Mockingbird.” Its publication in 2015 was controversial.

Nelle Harper Lee was by then blind, confined to a nursing home, and her mental faculties had reportedly declined. A Monroeville attorney, Tonja Carter, had charge of Lee’s estate. Carter said she discovered the manuscript of “Go Set a Watchman.” It was published on July 14, 2015. There were questions about whether publication of “Go Set a Watchman” had Harper Lee’s approval or whether she was even aware the book was being published. She died seven months later on Feb. 19, 2016.

Longtime New Albany Gazette Editor, Lynn West, and Lynne Madden, representing the Union County Heritage Museum, presented the 2019 Faulkner Literary Awards:

2019 William Faulkner Literary Competition Winners

 Novel:

Winner, $2,000

Aimee Parkison of Stillwater, Okla., Where, Lacey?

Honorable Mention Kathy Holladay, Sherwood, Ark., Teaching in the Trenches

Adult Short Story:

First Place, $600

Kate Osana Simonian, Sidney, Australia, The Problematic Collective

Second Place, $300

Manuel Igrejas, Montclair, N. Y., Madam Cluzet

Third Place, $200

Edward Derbes, Philadelphia, Pa., Feliz Rapto

One Act Play:

First Place, $600

Judy Klass, Nashville, Tenn., Untethered

 Second Place, $300

Joe Carlisle, Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., Storm of the Century

 Third Place, $200

Jennifer Bennett, Nashville, Tenn., The Guardianship

 Honorable Mention

Elizabeth Surdo, Erie, Pa., The Attic

Poetry:

First Place, $600

Gail Waldstein, M.D., Denver, Colo., Aurora Borealis

 Second Place, $300

Angela Quinn, New Albany, Impressions of the Artist

 Third Place, $200

Nicholas Alexander Drake, Spartenburg, S.C., Thursday

 Honorable Mention

Linda Treat, New Albany, A Southern Narrative

Student Short Story:

First Place, $250

Gracie Morris, Ingomar Attendance Center, Windows and Mirrors

Gracie Morris’ teacher is Tabitha Dillard

 Second Place, $150

Peyton Rodgers, New Albany High School, Carried Away

Peyton Rodgers’ teacher is Kathy Ball

Third Place, $100

Laura Brevard, New Albany High School, Wacky Kids 

Laura Brevard’s teacher is Lakyn Kirk

More about the Faulkner Literary Competition: https://williamfaulknerliterarycompetition.com/