Hall-Waters ceremony to award author couple

Award-winning author Tom Franklin and poet Beth Ann Fennelly will be honored with the

Hall-Waters Prize at Troy University on April 17 during a ceremony organized by students. 

The ceremony will take place at 9:30 a.m. in the Trojan Center Ballrooms and is free and open to the public. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear directly from both writers about their careers and creative processes. 

Tiana Burbank, a senior English major from Kinston, Alabama, said this year’s ceremony will stand out from previous years. 

“We award it every year to an author, but we’re doing something a little different this year,” Burbank said. “We have two recipients this time around, Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly, who are married.  

“We do it to celebrate the Southern culture and heritage that comes along with Southern writing.” 

Fennelly, who served as Mississippi’s poet laureate from 2016 to 2021, is widely recognized for her work across multiple genres. 

“Beth Ann Fennelly is an esteemed poet and author,” Burbank said. “She’s written several poetry collections and nonfiction works, and she’s also credited with coining the term ‘micro-memoir.’” 

Franklin is equally accomplished, although known for a different style of writing. 

“Tom Franklin is a very distinguished writer known for his gritty Southern Gothic fiction,” Burbank said. “He’s received major honors like the Guggenheim Fellowship.” 

Beyond celebrating literature, the Hall-Waters ceremony also serves as a hands-on learning experience for students in Troy’s senior English seminar course, taught by Dr. Kirk Curnutt, chair of the department of English. 

“Every student in the class plays a role,” Curnutt said. “They may interview the recipients live, or they may help promote the event behind the scenes, but everybody is involved somehow. 

“It's a great way of teaching the class how to promote an event and what kind of professionalism goes into making it a success.” 

Alivia Radovich, a senior English major from Geneva, Alabama, is in the seminar class and has been helping prepare for the ceremony. 

“We’ve been organizing the location, developing interview questions, crafting a menu inspired by the authors’ works and reaching out to media outlets to promote the event,” Radovich said. “We want to make sure [Fennelly and Franklin’s] visit is professional, smooth and memorable.” 

Following the public ceremony, a private luncheon will be held where Franklin and Fennelly will officially receive the Hall-Waters Prize.