Continuing a Literary Tradition: Blackwell Prize in Writing Brings Acclaimed Novelist Stephen Graham Jones to UWG and Community Share this page
Since its 2015 inception at the University of West Georgia, the Blackwell Prize in Writing has brought a diverse group of esteemed authors to campus and the surrounding community, from poets Gregory Pardlo and B.H. Fairchild to prose writers Elena Passarello and Yxta Maya Murray.
The 2026 Blackwell Prize winner, fiction writer Stephen Graham Jones, continues this tradition of literary excellence and unique voices. Known for blending literary fiction, Westerns and horror with Indigenous themes, Jones is author of more than 25 novels, 350 stories and writing in other genres, including comic books.
His bestselling novels – featuring vampires, slashers, werewolves and even a vengeful elk spirit – include “The Only Good Indians,” “My Heart Is a Chainsaw” and “The Buffalo Hunter Hunter,” which was named one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2025 and described by NPR as a “horror masterpiece.” Among his other honors are The Los Angeles Times Ray Bradbury Prize, the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award and the Independent Publishers Award for Multicultural Fiction.
Jones currently serves as the Ineva Reilly Baldwin Endowed Chair of English at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he teaches in areas of creative writing, literature and popular culture.
As winner of the prize in writing, Jones will receive $10,000 from the Blackwell Trust of Newnan and a three-week residency through the Newnan Art Rez. During his stay, he will deliver readings and workshops in local high schools and at UWG.
“The partnership between UWG and the Blackwell Trust has benefited countless students in Newnan and the wider west Georgia region,” explained Robert Hancock, Newnan resident and trustee of the Blackwell Trust. “As the winner of the 2026 Writing Prize, Stephen Graham Jones will continue to fulfill the legacy of the trust’s founders, Fred and Nell Blackwell, who sought to enrich the community through educational initiatives and programming.”
Jones will give two readings for UWG’s The Other Night School series – one at UWG Carrollton on Tuesday, April 7, and another at UWG Newnan on Tuesday, April 21 – each followed by a book signing. Attendees will receive complimentary copies of his recent novel “I Was a Teenage Slasher.”
All interested are invited to attend. Learn more details about the readings and register for either the UWG Carrollton or UWG Newnan events.