Judson Mitcham (born 1948) is an American author and poet best known for being the state of Georgia's tenth official poet laureate between 2012 and 2019. He is the only writer to win the

Townsend Prize for Fiction The Townsend Prize for Fiction is awarded biennially (that is, every two years) to a writer from the U.S. state of Georgia for the best novel published during those years, by the Georgia Center for the Book and '' The Chattahoochee Review'' the lit ...

twice. His poetry is featured regularly in publications such as '' Harpers'', ''

The Georgia Review ''The Georgia Review'' is a literary journal based in Athens, Georgia. Founded at University of Georgia in 1947, the journal features poetry, fiction, essays, book reviews, and visual art. The journal has won National Magazine Awards for Fiction ...

'', '' The Chattahoochee Review'', ''

The Gettysburg Review ''The Gettysburg Review'' is a quarterly literary magazine featuring short stories, poetry, essays and reviews. Work appearing in the magazine often is reprinted in "best-of" anthologies and receives awards. The little magazine "is recognized ...

'', and ''Southern Poetry Review''. In 2002, Mitcham began teaching writing workshops as a part-time professor at

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 ...

. He also directed the Summer Writers' Institute at

Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...

Life and career

Judson Cofield Mitcham was born in 1948 in

Monroe, Georgia Monroe is a city in Walton County, Georgia, United States, serving as the county seat. It is located both one hour east of Atlanta via US 78 and GA 138 to I-20 and east of Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport and is one of the exurban ci ...

to Wilson Mitcham, who worked at the local mill, and Myrtle, who worked for the New Deal Seed Loan Program. When he was 16, Judson Mitcham was involved in a car accident while driving a

Chevrolet Corvair The Chevrolet Corvair is a compact car manufactured by Chevrolet for model years 1960–1969 in two generations. A response to the Volkswagen Beetle, it remains the only American-designed, mass-produced passenger car with a rear-mounted, air- ...

, which caused the death of one of his friends. Thinking about this incident was among the things that fueled Mitcham to write. Mitcham studied psychology at

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

, receiving his Ph.D. at 1974. He taught psychology at

Fort Valley State University } Fort Valley State University (FVSU, formerly Fort Valley State College and Fort Valley Normal and Industrial School) is a public land-grant historically black university in Fort Valley, Georgia. It is part of the University System of Georgia and ...

until his retirement in 2004. In interviews, Mitcham has stated he had not written poetry in a serious way until he was 30. He originally wanted to write songs, but realized that his lyrical skills were a lot better than his music skills. His first published poetry collection, ''Somewhere in Ecclesiastes'', won him both the ''Devins Award'' and the ''Georgia Author of the Year''. His first novel, ''The Sweet Everlasting'', won the

. Mitcham stated that he wrote "narrative poems", and thus switching from poetry to fiction was a natural one. His poems and novels are set in Georgia, and the themes of his works include family, loss, age, and spirituality. In 2012, Georgia's Governor

Nathan Deal John Nathan Deal (born August 25, 1942) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 82nd governor of Georgia from 2011 to 2019. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party in 1992 a ...

named him the state's Poet Laureate. As Poet Laureate, he initiated Poet Laureate's Prize, awarded annually to an original poem written by a Georgia high school student. In 2013, Mitcham was inducted into Georgia Writers Hall of Fame. He resides in Macon with his wife. He has two children and four grandchildren.

Published works

* ''Somewhere in Ecclesiastes'' (1991) * ''The Sweet Everlasting'' (1996) * ''This April Day'' (2003) * ''Sabbath Creek'' (2004) * ''Heart of All Greatness'' (2007) * ''A Little Salvation: Poems Old and New'' (2007)

References

21st-century American novelists American male novelists Living people 1948 births 21st-century American poets American male poets 20th-century American poets 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Poets Laureate of Georgia (U.S. state) {{US-novelist-1940s-stub