April April will current his Townsand Award for fiction on the Atlanta Writers Membership and the Georgia Writers Museum Calanold High quality Arts Heart. This award given each two years to an impressive Georgia author is called for Jim Townsand, the legendary founding editor Atlanta mPrevious to the Agazine Award ceremony, a member and writer of the Georgia Writers Museum Board mirrored Chip and Bell Townsend’s Story Legacy and his Namsek Award.
Jim Townsend will deny this text. Though he doesn’t quarrel with the reality, the matter will break him. Jim is an individual of people that felt you that you’re crucial individual on the planet. And he stored his character out of the combination. Nevertheless, his legacy shines shiny as the results of his work.
Townsend was the founder and lengthy -term editor Atlanta Magazines, in addition to many extra publications throughout the nation. Time He describes him as “the daddy of Metropolis Journal” – greater than his profession, he claimed that “33 magazines began working as a writer within the journal, racing, edited, steered, or served duties.” His facet was to make a world -class journal that made a mannequin New Yorker With good writing, daring design and attention-grabbing storytelling.
Towenend’s legacy not solely lives in magazines that he helped discover it – however for the fiction for the Townsend Award, a bunch of Atlanta writers have been created in his reminiscence within the fifth. The Georgia Writers Museum, the place I served on the board, has labored with the Atlanta Writers Membership since 2021, donated to the most effective literary fiction to delay a Georgia author each two years. Among the many winners of the previous are Alice Walker, Mary Hood, Terry Ok and Philip Lee Williams to call some.
Courtesy of the Atlanta Writers Membership/Georgia Writers Museum
This 12 months’s award, offered on April 1, will choose among the many ten last candidates, whose guide settings are on the banks of the Occulgy River in Georgia, ranging from the river in southeast Nigeria Nigeria.
As my fellow author and I’m able to rejoice Georgia’s largest literary voice, I’ve been compelled to find extra about Jim Townsend, who has cultivated many of those voices for years. After all there was a great cause, I performed that this prestigious award was named for him.
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James Lovel Townsend was born in Alabama’s Lanate on the proper aspect of the GA-al-State line. That geographical occasion is a metaphor; His writing pen was included in Georgia whereas his coronary heart was included within the coach of the College of Alabama on the College of Alabama. The profession of his writing started on the age of twelve with a briefly produced mimographic gossip rage Lanate GazetteThe
He studied at Alabama College however went on a plan to affix the military till he blocked his enrollment from some elements of his lungs. As a substitute, he hiccups throughout the nation, adopted by a author to start out a profession as a author. It has proved a quizotic journey: on the best way, Townsend labored as Millhand, twice as a financial institution teller, taught the culprits to the Federal Penitalist, and plenty of instances the automotive gross sales employee. He by no means stopped being a salesman.
He would name for the aim of creating {a magazine}, Vice President of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce early 919. Atlanta. The principle objective of the OP was to exhibit town by the chamber employees to show town and to encourage financial growth. He appointed Jim Townsand to take action – however the Towenend view was seen, it was loads of grandmother and noise.
The primary concern, which was launched in Could 619, was created for the dearth of editorial substances with beautiful adverts and breathtaking images. Nevertheless, it’s the telegraph of journalism show-stopping. She helmed for six years Atlanta, Towered Journal was created as a journalist of journalism and most significantly, a springboard for bold younger writers who would create their marks within the literary world.
“By nature, Townsend possessed the best qualities to any editor,” Robert Quorum wrote about Townsand within the earlier time of 1996 for this journal. “He can establish expertise, nurture it and provides it a spot to develop. His stars have been secure and will pull the tales from them they did not know that if he ever put the pencil on paper and edit these stars, that occasion was saved from discover.”
The authors secure the writers who can be honored with Georgia Writers Corridor of Fame, together with Ann Rivers Sydons, Pat Conoro, Celestine Siblie and Paul Hemphil. Artwork Director Bob Daniels introduced a designer to establish inventive expertise who would then change into Artwork Director later Escier; Milton Glazer, who helped within the coffound New York Journal; And Vernon Benefit III, later a employees photographer LifeThe
In his private life, Townsend was referred to as the defender of justification and fairness. Melissa Townsend Zidakis, the youngest daughter of Tosend, advised me, “You might be CEO or Darwan, gay or straight, black or white, within the eyes of the daddy, we’re all the identical – the kids of God,” nothing goes. “I didn’t develop up figuring out what racism was and was a bit of shocked later in my life. I used to be homosexual, black, white, mental and even some regulation and even grew up in the hunt for a second alternative.”
The lease he had acquired was seen by him as a buyer advisor. “He simply noticed you amazingly in you, however he pressed you to see the identical picture and make it as your worth,” remembered Terry who contributed Atlanta And have become a greatest -selling writer. He talked about the Townsend’s signature favourite line: “Write it pricey coronary heart, write it.” It was larger than the decision of nice productiveness; Was a problem to dream, to feed and be daring.
One other Mentie, Author Bernie Sne, who was a member of a detailed alcoholic group, recalled in an interview how one can learn the primary guide of Townsend Bernie, “Simply now, Barney, you’re the high ten % of the nation’s high ten per cent. You might be good.” At the moment nineteen, this enthusiasm compelled Sne to double his writing try; He went to write down three well-liked books.
After leaving Atlanta Journal, Townsend spent working for its last skilled days AtlantaUninterrupted Atlanta Structure Sunday model Journal chosen underneath the modifying of Lee Walburn. It was Townsend that Walburn returned in an try to find a narrative from Terry Ok. Who talked about in one other individual Atlanta Items about his mother and father. When Townsend heard “White Canine Story”, he once more donated the mantle of his advisor and suggested Kay to show it right into a guide. To bop with white canine Kare has change into the most important worldwide bestseller and an Amy Award-winning film.
After a extreme combat in opposition to alcohol, Jim misplaced within the combat in opposition to most cancers (a dangerous he referred to “Louis” as “Louis”). He died on Sunday night, April 6, 1981. His buddies established the Townsend Award in his reminiscence the identical 12 months.
Townsend’s Nemesake Award confirms them with the reward of literary magic; The seekers who take heed to the melody of nature really feel the thriller of the character and see the great thing about the story. That is the right legacy for Fitness center Townsend: a dreamer who watched the most effective within the authors and within the storytelling business. As a result of he was, as he as soon as mentioned, “Solely a” an previous man who believed in a person and believed every of them that he heard each story. “
The 2025 Townsend Award for Fiction will likely be awarded on the High quality Arts Heart at Colanwold in Atlanta on April 16, 2025. Tickets can be found by contacting the Atlanta Writers Membership.
Chip and Bell is a global greatest -selling writer and serving on the Georgia Writers Museum board.
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