What We Are Becoming: 2024 Southern Prize & State Fellowships for Literary Arts - Paperback

by John T. Edge (Introduction by), Suzette M. Surkamer (Introduction by)

South Arts' Southern Prize and State Fellowships for Literary Arts acknowledge, support, and celebrate the highest quality literary work being created in the American South. Beginning in 2024, the State Fellowships for Literary Arts will be awarded to writers with a commitment to literary excellence as evidenced by the quality of their work. This anthology contains the nine selected stories and excerpts chosen from the hundreds submitted for consideration over the previous year. The cohort of nine State Fellows included here were selected through a two-tiered selection process by a national jury. Jurors made their selections based on artistic excellence as reflected in the application package (writing sample and artist's statement) that reflects and represents the diversity of artistic expression of the region.

This collection features work from Ashley Blooms, Camille Boxhill, F.E. Choe, Constance Collier-Mercado, Melissa Ginsburg, Joanna Pearson, Randi Pink, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, and Yurina Yoshikawa. The selected stories are accompanied by an introduction by South Arts Board Member John T. Edge and foreword by South Arts President and CEO, Suzette M. Surkamer.

Author Biography

Suzette "Susie" Surkamer began as the South Arts chief executive in 2012. Previously, she had been the Executive Director of the South Carolina Arts Commission until she retired in 2009. Her past service includes president of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), treasurer of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, member of the Coca-Cola Scholarship National Selection Committee, member of the National Arts Education Partnership Steering Committee, member of the Winthrop University Board of Visitors, member of Clemson University's President's Advisory Committee, and on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and other organizations. Winthrop University awarded her its Medal of Honor in the Arts (2006), and NASAA recognized her with the Gary Young Award (2008). Susie earned a MEd in dance education from George Washington University and a BA in dance from the University of Maryland.