Society & Culture

UGA and The Georgia Review announce The Pulitzer Legacy in Georgia event

The University of Georgia and The Georgia Review announce a landmark cultural event: The Pulitzer Legacy in Georgia

Athens, Ga. – The Georgia Review, the award-winning literary quarterly published from the University of Georgia and distributed nationwide, announces “The Pulitzer Legacy in Georgia” program-a four-day celebration of fine writing and writers hosted by the Jekyll Island Club from October 27-30. The event features four recent Pulitzer Prize winners, all of whom have an association with the state of Georgia, the University of Georgia, and/or The Georgia Review: poets Stephen Dunn and Natasha Trethewey, journalist and historian Hank Klibanoff, and historian Edward Larson.

Stephen Dunn’s Different Hours took home a Pulitzer in 2001, and he has been a frequent contributor to The Georgia Review for more than twenty-five years. Hank Klibanoff, former managing editor for news at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, won the 2007 Pulitzer in history for The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation, coauthored with Gene Roberts.

Edward Larson, winner of the 1998 history prize for Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America’s Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion, is University Professor of history at Pepperdine University and former Herman E. Talmadge Chair of Law and Richard B. Russell Professor of American History at the University of Georgia.

Natasha Trethewey, a University of Georgia alumna, is the Phillis Wheatley Distinguished Chair in Poetry at Emory University and won the 2007 Pulitzer for Native Guard.

Each of these distinguished guests will participate in a variety of activities over the course of the week, including readings, panel discussions, question-and-answer sessions, and informal gatherings with attendees. “The Pulitzer Legacy in Georgia” represents a one-of-a-kind opportunity for the public to mix and mingle with four of the finest talents in contemporary American arts and letters-and to do so in a beautiful oceanside setting. The schedule will leave participants free time in the afternoon for exploring the Jekyll Island area or just relaxing on the beach.

The world-famous Jekyll Island Club opened in 1888 as a private retreat for many of that era’s most prominent Americans, including Joseph Pulitzer and his family. The Jekyll Island Club-now a National Register of Historic Places site-was described in the February 1904 issue of Munsey’s Magazine as “the richest, the most exclusive, the most inaccessible club in the world.” No longer inaccessible, Jekyll Island is renowned for its beaches and pristine coastal ecosystem, and is a destination resort that offers fine modern amenities alongside a wealth of Georgia history.

Registration for the event is open now and continues through early October or until capacity is reached. For the best choice of discounted accommodations at the Jekyll Island Club, those interested should register early. A ticket for the entire week includes admission to all conference events, including author readings and book signings, question-and-answer sessions, most meals, Jekyll Island History tours, and tours of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. Individual day tickets also are available.

“The Pulitzer Legacy in Georgia” is a production of The Georgia Review and the University of Georgia. The presenting sponsor is the Jekyll Island Club, with additional support generously provided by the Jekyll Island Authority, the Jekyll Island Foundation, the Jekyll Island Museum, the University of Georgia Alumni Association, Rich Products Corporation, the UGA Odum School of Ecology, Ameris Bank, the Brunswick-Glynn County Public Library, the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce, The Brunswick News, John Vance Hughes,and others to be announced.

For more information and to register for the program, contact the offices of The Georgia Review at 1-800-542-3481 or garev@uga.edu. Lodging reservations should be made through the Jekyll Island Club at 1-800- 535-9547. For more information, see www.thegeorgiareview.com and www.jekyllclub.com.