ATLANTA (March 27, 2009)— Sen. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) and Rep. Stacey Abrams (D-Decatur) honored Pulitzer Prize winner Natasha Tretheway in the Senate and the House Wednesday, March 24th. Tretheway achieved a pinnacle of success in winning the Pulitzer Prize in 2007 for her collection of poetry titled Native Guard. Tretheway is also the recipient of the 2008 Mississippi Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts for Poetry and was named the 2008 Georgia Woman of the Year.
“Natasha Trethewey’s numerous achievements, crowned by her recognition as a Pulitzer prizewinner, are an inspiration to the next generation of creative writers,” praised Orrock. “Her work enriches our shared experience as Southerners, and Georgia is blessed to have her in our midst.”
A Gulfport, Mississippi native, Trethewey has a B.A. in English from the University of Georgia, an M.A. in English and Creative Writing from Hollins University, and an M.F.A in poetry from the University of Massachusetts. As a writer, Tretheway’s work has appeared in several volumes of Best American Poetry, and in numerous journals.
Her first poetry collection, Domestic Work won the inaugural 1999 Cave Canem poetry prize, a 2001 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Book Prize, and the 2001 Lillian Smith Award for Poetry. Her second collection, Bellocq’s Ophelia received the 2003 Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters Book Prize, was a finalist for both the Academy of American Poets’ James Laughlin and Lenore Marshall prizes, and was named a 2003 Notable Book by the American Library Association.
“We at the Georgia General Assembly are honored to recognize Natasha Tretheway,” stated Orrock. “Her creative accomplishments are a testament to the critically important role of the arts.”
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Sen. Nan Orrock represents the 36th Senate District which includes portions of Fulton County. She may be reached by phone at 404.463.8054 or via e-mail at nan.orrock@senate.ga.gov.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
March 27, 2009
For Information Contact:
Raegan Weber, Director
Hayley Howell, Senate Press Office Aide
hayley.howell@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0029