Award-winning poet and author Anthony Grooms will discuss the art of storytelling in Athens this August, in celebration of his induction into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame by the University of Georgia Libraries.
Grooms, who recently retired as a creative writing professor at Kennesaw State University, will be joined by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Jesse Freeman for the August 2 event, which is free and open to the community.
Hosted by the Athens-Clarke County Library, the 1 p.m. event features selected readings and audience Q&A, followed by a reception and a book sale and signing facilitated by the University of Georgia Bookstore. Athens Poet Laureate Mikhayla Robinson Smith will provide opening remarks.
Last year, Grooms was named one of Georgia’s 2024 Authors of the Year. He is best known for his powerful portrayals of the Civil Rights era in works such as Bombingham and Trouble No More, both of which were awarded Lillian Smith Book Awards, the highest designation for books centering on social justice issues.
Freeman is known for films such as Somebody Else, Somewhere Else: The Raymond Andrews Story and Steffen Thomas: Rock and Chisel.
The August 2 event is the first of the year to honor the 2025 class of the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame, which includes Tina McElroy Ansa, novelist and founder of DownSouth Press, and Deborah Blum, Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer.
For more information on Grooms and other members of the elite group, visit the Georgia Writer's Hall of Fame website.