Throughout the years, Alabama has spawned a number of well-known authors and created a unique literary tradition that continues to grow. With its diverse population and geography, writers from its cities to its mountains, beaches, and rural farms have made their mark on the American literary scene.
The Literary Capital of Alabama
For any lover of literature who visits Alabama, Monroeville is the requisite first stop on the trip. In 1997, the State Legislature of Alabama declared Monroeville the "Literary Capital of Alabama" by official proclamation. Monroeville gained its distinction in the literary world by being the home of such renowned authors as childhood friends Harper Lee and Truman Capote, Mark Childress, William Barrett Travis, and more.
For those who visit Monroeville, the signature event is the annual production of To Kill a Mockingbird, for which Harper Lee earned a Pulitzer Prize. Staged at Monroeville's old courthouse each May, tickets must be purchased in advance for this popular production. The old courthouse served as a model for the courthouse scene in the book, and now houses the Monroe County Heritage Museum. The museum features three permanent exhibits: one on the old courthouse; one on Truman Capote, called A Childhood in Monroeville; and an exhibit on Harper Lee, who is a descendant of General Robert E. Lee.
Visitors can also take walking tours of the historic town and imagine what life was like back in the heydays of Harper Lee and Truman Capote. Truman Capote, most famous for his books In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's, used the town as inspiration for other works such as The Grass Harp and A Christmas Memory.
Contemporary author Mark Childress, born in Monroeville, wrote Tender and Crazy in Alabama, which became a feature film and won him a 1994 Alabama Author Award. Cynthia Tucker's childhood experiences with segregation in the town shaped her journalism career as a syndicated columnist and editor at The Atlanta-Journal Constitution. Often tackling race and politics, her work earned her Pulitzer Prize nominations in the Commentary category in 2004 and 2006. A number of other writers in various genres hail from the Monroeville area as well.
Monroeville is also home to the Alabama Center for Literary Arts and the Alabama Writers Symposium. The symposium is an excellent event not just for writers, but for anyone who enjoys literature. Held each May at the Alabama Southern Community College, the symposium brings in well-known authors for readings, lectures, and discussions that create a cross between a literary festival and a scholarly event.
Other Alabama Writers
The rest of Alabama has also produced an impressive list of accomplished writers. Cassandra King, who grew up in lower Alabama, featured the state prominently in such novels as Making Waves and Queen of Broken Hearts. Her husband, writer Pat Conroy, shares an Alabama connection through his mother's side of the family.
The state also boasts Fannie Flagg, a former actress best known for her work that later became an acclaimed film, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café. Daniel Wallace, author of the novel Big Fish, set his book in Alabama, later made into a movie starring Ewan MacGregor. Yet another Alabama novel-turned-movie was Forrest Gump, written by Winston Groom, who grew up in Mobile. Several of Groom's other works are also set in his home state.
Sources for Alabama Literature
The Alabama Center for the Book, located on the campus of Auburn University, is an affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book. Its mission is to promote reading, writing, and the study of literature, along with highlighting the state's cultural heritage. The Center holds a variety of special events, including writing contests, the "Get Caught Reading" program, River of Words, and the Alabama Book Festival in Montgomery. At the Alabama Book Festival, various types of writers, such as novelists, poets, playwrights, children's authors, and essayists, read from their works. Costumed actors portraying famous writers like Edgar Allan Poe add a fun touch to the event, which 2,000 people attended in 2007.
Another festival for literature aficionados is the University of Montevallo's Literary Festival, held at the college in April. This festival draws well-known authors and offers workshops, readings, and book signings for attendees. Yet another is the Alabama Writers Forum, held in Old Alabama in Montgomery. The Forum was founded by writers, publishers, and educators with a strong interest in not only preserving but furthering the continuation of Alabama's strong literary heritage.
The culture, deeply-rooted families, and community relationships in this southern state have contributed to the development of a long list of accomplished writers. Whether strolling the streets of Monroeville, basking on the Gulf Shores with a bestseller, or attending a literary festival, book lovers are sure to find Alabama as inspiring as its authors do.
