This Goodly Land

On This Day in Alabama Literary History

In 1963, Alabama author Martin Luther King, Jr., issues his "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" as a press release.
In 1979, Alabama author Edward O. Wilson is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction for his book On Human Nature.
In 1994, Alabama author Ralph Ellison dies in New York, N.Y.
In 2003, Alabama author John Craig Stewart dies in Pisgah Forest, N.C.
In 2007, Alabama author Natasha Trethewey is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her book Native Guard.
In 2007, Alabama author Cynthia Tucker of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary.
In 2007, Alabama journalist Brett Blackledge of The Birmingham News is awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for exposure of corruption in the state’s two-year college system.

From Sand Mountain to Bayou La Batre, Alabama’s literary heritage is as rich as its geography. This Goodly Land is a dynamic portal through which the world can explore Alabama’s diverse literary landscape. Join us on this tour of Alabama’s literary abundance, past and present.