The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts hosted the 2024 Literary Fair on Sat., Sept. 14, from 10am to 2pm at the Turner Center Galleries located at 527 N. Patterson St. The event, which was sponsored by Snake Nation Press, Share the Magic Foundation, and Hughston Clinic, hosted more than 20 authors. These authors gave informative talks, as well as signing and selling their works. South Georgia Regional Library featured their short story cube at the event, free books by Malcom Mitchell were provided to area youth and families, and the Turner Center formally announced the 5th Annual “Art of Writing” contest for area youth. The next Literary Fair will be hosted by the Turner Center on Sat., Sept. 13, 2025.
Following the Literary Fair, the Turner Center for the Arts and the Young Writers League (YoWL) are seeking fiction, non-fiction, and poetry entries for the 5th Annual “Art of Writing” contest. The contest is open to middle and high school students in 5th-12th grades in Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, and the surrounding states. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three winners in each category at both the middle and high school levels, resulting in $2,500 in awards to youth. The entry deadline is Sat., Jan. 11, 2025. Each year, a different theme that inspires young people to express themselves concerning important topics is chosen. The theme for the fifth annual competition is “Courage.”
Winning submissions and all honorable mentions will be announced at the Awards Reception at the Turner Center’s Main Galleries – located at 527 N. Patterson St. – on Monday, Mar. 17, 2025, from 6pm to 8pm. They will also be published in an anthology, and each winner and honorable mention will receive a free copy. Additional copies of the anthology will be available for purchase in the Turner Center’s Gift Shop by the end of the 2024/2025 school year. All writers will be invited to present their works orally at the Awards Reception. A practice session will be offered on Thursday, March 13, from 4-6pm. Dr. Cheryl Carvajal will be present at the session to offer guidance.
The contest is sponsored in part by Greater Valdosta United Way, the Georgia Council for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts, Snake Nation Press, and the Valdosta Daily Times. Additional sponsors are still needed for the 2025 contest.
For more details on the 2024 Literary Fair or the 5th Annual Art of Writing Contest, visit turnercenter.org, or contact Turner Center Art Education Administrator Hailey Rathmann at hrathmann@turnercenter.org or 229.247.2787.
