MISSISSIPPI PRESS ASSOICIATION (MPA) announced that the column I wrote for The Review of Jones County, a paper in Laurel, Mississippi, (my hometown) has been awarded First Place for a Series of Stories. The columns were based on interviews I did while collecting background information for my upcoming novel, The Healing. Dozens of people, black and white, shared their family lore concerning the county’s scandalous Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow past. MPA judges singled out the series for special mention by offering an additional commendation: “Phenomenal! What a great idea and what great reading! Riveting from the start. By embracing all the controversy and giving space to all those voices, you’ve created a truly engrossing series for your readers. First by a huge margin!”

I’m happy to share a few of those columns with you as they appeared in The Review. Click here!