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Finalists selected for CSU’s Donald L. Jordan Literary Award

January 14, 2022

A person walks up outdoor stairs that have large white planters with red flowers on either side. A brick building is in the background.

Columbus State University Press is pleased to announce the five finalists for the 2022 Donald L. Jordan Prize for Literary Excellence. The $10,000 prize that includes a contract for publication receives hundreds of submissions annually from national and international authors. Prize winners’ manuscripts are published through the imprint, DLJ Books at CSU Press.

The Donald L. Jordan Prize seeks to encourage and promote writings that honor the values of responsibility, gratitude, generosity, love and faith. The five finalists were selected by Dr. Allen Gee, the DLJ Distinguished Chair of Creative Writing and editor of CSU Press. 

  • Bipin Aurora, Oakland, California: “Parched Souls: Stories of India and America”
  • John Blair, San Marcos, Texas: “White Sands,” stories
  • Susan Finch, Nashville, Tennessee: “Dear Second Husband,” stories
  • Scott Nadelson, Salem, Oregon: “While It Lasts,” stories
  • Maureen Stanton, Georgetown, Maine: “The Human Soup: Essays and Investigations”

The manuscripts will be judged by Antonya Nelson, a creative writing professor at the University of Houston whose work includes “In the Land of Men,” “The Expendables” and “Bound”. A winner will be announced in February.

“The prize provides Columbus State with national stature in terms of literary achievements,” Gee said. “We're very enthused about announcing our next award winner but also about our new teaching press, which teaches undergraduates all aspects of the publishing process, including screening submissions, acquisitions, editing, proofreading, publicity, marketing and editor to author correspondence.”

Submissions for the 2023 prize open on March 15 and close on September 15. The judge for next year's contest is author Lan Samantha Chang.