Charleston Literary Festival Announces Winners of the Festival's First Inaugural Cato Fellowship Prize and the Second Annual Young Writers Awards

Charleston Literary Festival has just announced writer Latria Graham and poet Dasia Moore as the Inaugural Charleston Literary Festival Cato Fellows.

Latria Graham is a magazine feature writer from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, LA Times, The Guardian, espnW, Southern Living, and The Atlantic. She is the ethical travel columnist for Afar Magazine, as well as the writer behind Garden & Gun's “This Land” column, which uses time, place, and memory to document and investigate the lesser known or rapidly disappearing aspects of the natural world in the South. An Assistant Professor of Creative Writing in Augusta University’s English and World Languages department, she is also an instructor in the University of Georgia's Narrative Nonfiction MFA program housed in the Grady College of Mass Communication & Journalism.

“Being one of the inaugural fellows is a remarkable honor because I've used the written word as my means of expression, and I can trace my lineage back to the coast of South Carolina, a place where for generations my Black ancestors were forbidden by law from learning to read or write. So to be recognized in this way, for bringing vulnerability and my emotional truth to the page is no small thing. The talent that comes to this festival is exceptional and I'm excited to learn more about the craft and enhance the caliber of my creativity.” —Latria Graham

Dasia Moore is a poet, journalist, and queer child of the Black South. Her writing has appeared or is forthcoming in publications including The Offing, Fence, Hayden’s Ferry Review, and The Boston Globe, where she was a magazine staff writer. Dasia holds her MFA in creative writing from New York University, where she was a Lillian Vernon Fellow, and a BA from Yale University. She is honored to be one of two inaugural Cato Fellowship recipients. Raised in her family homes of Charleston, SC and Reidsville, NC, Dasia now lives and writes in Durham.

"To have my poetry recognized in the very city that made me a poet is a dream fulfilled. I write about loss across the Black Atlantic, including my own family’s loss of land and homes in Charleston. Thank you to the Charleston Literary Festival for believing in my work; it would be an understatement to say I am honored.” —Dasia Moore

The Charleston Literary Festival Cato Fellowship Prize is awarded to two highly-skilled writers of fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry who are resident in North or South Carolina. Writers receive a full residency in Charleston during the ten days of Charleston Literary Festival with full access to the Festival events, authors, and a writing desk in Dock Street Theatre as well as a cash prize of $7,500.

Marion Cato, philanthropist and author, expressed her insight into the importance of the Fellowship Prize:

“To be able to touch another person with your selection of words is a rare gift. It is a bold and brave endeavor, oftentimes revealing far more about the writer than of the subject matter. Very few are blessed with this gift, this willingness to expose oneself, to be judged. With the establishment of a fellow program as part of Charleston Literary Festival, we thrive to nurture the yearning of a few select individuals to continue to share their creativity with all of us in our lifelong adventure in learning about the world around us and, most importantly, ourselves in the process. It is my hope that in creating this program, I can honor my late husband Wayland H. Cato Jr., who was a passionate reader his entire life.”

The Catos believe that the world would be a better place if exceptional writers were nurtured and encouraged.

Sarah Moriarty, Executive Director of Charleston Literary Festival, echoed Mrs. Cato’s sentiments:

“Charleston Literary Festival is grateful and honored to establish this fellowship to support emerging writers in North Carolina and South Carolina. We were bowled over by the response to this fellowship with 140 extremely high quality submissions. The diversity of voices in the region, made evident by the exceptional work submitted, demonstrates the richness of the cultures of the Carolinas and the talent among us.”

Charleston Literary festival Releases names of the second annual Young Writers Awards winners

Charleston Literary Festival is also committed to supporting teen writers. The nine winners of the second annual Charleston Literary Festival Young Writers Awards have also been announced today.

Charleston Literary Festival’s Young Writers Awards recognizes nine emerging young high school writers from Charleston County School District with exceptional talent while promoting the power of literature and encouraging creative growth. The awards are open to all 9th-12th graders currently enrolled in a public high school in Charleston, South Carolina.

The nine winners receive a small cash prize, certificate, gift bag, and be invited to attend a special session to connect with the Charleston Literary Festival Inaugural Fellows—thereby building mentorship into the program and connecting the upcoming generation of writers with exciting more established emerging writers.

The top three winners will have the opportunity to read their work onstage at the Charleston Literary Festival at Dock Street Theatre—as an opener for key Festival author sessions. This gives these young writers a platform to present their work alongside some of the best authors and thinkers in the country.

Student works are submitted by teachers and adjudicated by a dedicated panel of literary professionals. The works selected for distinction are based on three criteria: originality, skill, and emergence of personal voice.

“The Young Writers Awards is a valuable endeavor for teens whether or not they consider themselves “writers,” said Jen Comer, Director of the Charleston Literary Festival Young Writers Awards. “At a time in a teen’s life when they are trying to figure out their own path, creative writing provides a safe place to experiment with thoughts, identity, and finding one’s place in society—writing is where we find the freedom to be our authentic selves.”

“The Young Writers Awards continue to inspire my students to not only push themselves creatively, but to engage more in their local writing community. What incredible opportunities and resources you have provided these young writers with!" added Danielle DeTiberus, Creative Writing Faculty at Charleston School of the Arts. 

Charleston Literary Festival Young Writers Awards are generously sponsored by Patti Manigault. Charleston Literary Festival runs in downtown Charleston from November 1–10, 2024.

Charleston Literary Festival is a boutique literary festival with an international edge to its programming held in Charleston, South Carolina, every November. Over ten days, world-renowned writers and readers come together to discuss and explore. By connecting readers and thinkers with a wide range of quality speakers, the Festival promotes the power of excellent writing, ideas, and champions the free exchange of ideas. An independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, now in its eighth year, previous attendees include Claire Keegan, Hernan Diaz, Patrick Radden Keefe, Deborah Lipstadt, Yaa Gyasi, George Saunders, Madeline Miller, Margo Jefferson, Imani Perry, Walter Isaacson, Eddie S Glaude, JR, Tiya Miles, Stephen Greenblatt, André Aciman, Colm Tóibín, Yiyun Li, Lisa Taddeo, Lauren Groff, Rebecca Makkai, Lorrie Moore, Jenny Offill, Jia Tolentino, Deborah Eisenberg, Joyce Carol Oates, Jeanette Winterson, Ben Okri, Louis Menand, David Blight, Adam Gopnik, A.O. Scott, and many more.

For more information, visit https://www.charlestonliteraryfestival.com.