The Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement will host a virtual Tiger Talk Book Club in celebration of D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) month on April 27 from noon to 1:30 p.m. The event will feature author Kristine Anderson, Wittenberg class of 1971, who graduated with a degree in English.
Anderson is the author of the award-winning novel Crooked Truth, a coming-of-age story that takes place in Crisscross, a small community in South Georgia, in 1948. Released by Mercer Un Press last fall, the manuscript received the Ferrol Sams Fiction Award from Mercer in 2018 along with a contract offer to publish for Anderson.
“I was thrilled, but had to wait almost two years for my book to come out in print,” said Anderson, who became an English teacher after graduation. “My road to publication was a bit unusual since I never had an agent to represent me. And promoting a new book during the pandemic has been a real challenge.”
Crooked Truth was nominated for the Willie Morris Southern Fiction Award in 2021, and Anderson was nominated for the Georgia Author of the Year in the debut novel category. Since its founding in 1994, Georgia Writers Association has been dedicated to fostering the growth of writers across all genres. The Georgia Author of the Year Awards has the distinction of being the oldest literary award program in the Southeastern United States while reflecting the current publishing world.
The Willie Morris Awards for Southern Fiction are named for the late author, Willie Morris, in the spirit of his words: “hope for belonging, for belief in a people’s better nature, for steadfastness against all that is hollow or crass or rootless or destructive.” The selected novel may contain violence and despair, and feature terrible events, but in the final analysis must be uplifting and suggest hope and optimism.
Anderson, who earned a Ph.D. in communicative arts from Georgia State University, has worked as a freelance writer for national newspapers and magazines. She has also taught courses at Shorter College and Southern Polytechnic State University, now part of Kennesaw State University.
Crooked Truth is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon here and through Mercer University Press by clicking here.
Limited virtual seats are available for the Tiger Talk Book Club, so register early. Participants can join online or visit the Thomas Library in the AV Theatre to view the event and enjoy sweet tea and snacks. There will be a Q & A session moderated by Andrew Graff, visiting assistant professor of English, following the event. To register, click here.
