ABAC’s Horseman Press celebrates local author book launch

The Horseman Press, the student-run book publication entity at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, is hosting a book launch celebration for “A Wiregrass Childhood,” a novella by local author Brenda Sutton Rose, on April 29.

“A Wiregrass Childhood” offers a nostalgic look at life in the Wiregrass region, capturing the beauty and challenges of growing up in rural Georgia.

“This novella is a work of fiction and a creation of my imagination,” Sutton Rose said. “I braided facts pulled from several local history books, including those of Turner County and Irwin County throughout the story in order to capture the spirit of the early settlers and Creek people of Irwin County, yet I did not always remain faithful to the facts. I am guilty of wandering from local history in an effort to enrich the story. Most, though not all, of the names of the characters came from my imagination.”

The book launch event is scheduled for 6 p.m. at ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture’s Peanut Museum and will feature readings from the author, live music and a showcase of the author’s original artwork.

Sutton Rose is the author of Dogwood Blues, a novel that earned her a reputation as a writer of Southern fiction with a focus on the changing South. As a visual artist, she often paints scenes from her stories. Her short stories, essays, and poetry have appeared in numerous print and online magazines. Sutton Rose was nominated for a Georgia Author of the Year Award in 2015, a Pushcart Prize in Fiction in 2018, and a Pushcart Prize in Fiction in 2023. “A Wiregrass Childhood” is her first novella. She is currently working on her second novel.

For more information, contact Dr. Rachael Price at rprice@abac.edu.