The Southern Lit Alliance announces their presentation of the SouthWord Literary Feast in featuring authors with the Fellowship of Southern Writers. The two-day event will take place April 3-4, 2020, with events held at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga University Center, and the keynote presentation held at the Westin Chattanooga.

Formerly known as the Celebration of Southern Literature, SouthWord Literary Feast is hosted by the Southern Lit Alliance, a nonprofit organization located in Chattanooga that "inspires lives through the uplifting power of the literary arts." The event will consist of live music, readings, discussions and panels with published members of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Panelists of past years have discussed topics such as race and spirituality, environmental consciousness and writing villainous characters, each using examples of relevant Southern literature to support their discussion. Poetry, prose, fiction, nonfiction and more will be celebrated as parts of a wide range of the literary excellence to be showcased at SouthWord.

This biennial event brings dozens of members of the Fellowship of Southern Writers to Chattanooga for two days of appreciation.  SouthWord’s keynote address will be delivered by Tayari Jones. Ms. Jones is the author of four novels, most recently An American Marriage. Published in 2018, An American Marriage is an Oprah’s Book Club Selection and also appeared on Barack Obama’s summer reading list, as well as his end of the year roundup. The novel was awarded the Women’s Prize for Fiction (formerly known as the Orange Prize), Aspen Words Prize and an NAACP Image Award.

Other writers in attendance will include Madison Smartt Bell, author of Behind the Moon (2017); Tim Gautreaux, author of Signals: New and Selected Stories (2017); Silas House, author of Southernmost (2018); Randall Kenan, author of A Visitation of Spirits (1989); Maurice Manning, author of One Man’s Dark (2017); Jill McCorkle, author of Life After Life (2013); Ron Rash, author of Serena (2008); George Singleton, author of short story collection Staff Picks (2019); Allen Wier, author of Late Night, Early Morning (2017); Steve Yarbrough, author of The Unmade World (2018); and many more. A complete list of confirmed authors is available at www.southernlitalliance.org/southword.