Dr. Richard Jackson was named the first recipient of the Barnett Prize for a Local Distinguished Author on Wednesday during the FocusLit luncheon to benefit Southern Lit Alliance.
Lynda LeVan, Southern Lit Alliance executive director, said three finalists were chosen by a panel of judges, from which the winner was selected. The other two finalists were Jamie Quatro, author of "Fire Storm," and Earl Braggs, author of numerous poetry collections.
The Barnett Prize will be awarded annually by Southern Lit Alliance, through the generosity of Warren Barnett, president of Barnett & Co. and art philanthropist. Winners are selected on their demonstrated lifetime work as an author, awards, reviews and quality of writing in their submitted sample.
Jackson is a professor of English at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. His collections of poetry include "Broken Horizons," "Traversings," "Retrievals" and "Out of Place." He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from UTC College of Arts and Sciences, the Silver Concho Selection Award, Maxine Kumin Award, Benjamin Franklin Award and the Order of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia for literary and humanitarian achievement.