Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Dr. Jeff Newberry, a Writing and Communication professor, has been nominated for the prestigious Pushcart Prize for a poem in his most recent book or poetry, ‘How to Talk about the Dead.”

The book, dedicated to the author’s parents, delves into the complexities of the past and draws inspiration from their childhoods as sharecroppers' kids in rural South Georgia. Through these poems, Newberry explores the ways in which we remember, honor, and preserve our personal histories.

The nominated poem, "The Dead Father Speaks" has been nominated for the prize by the editors at Redhawk Publications, who published his book.

The Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses series, published every year since 1976, is the most honored literary project in America - including Highest Honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Hundreds of presses and thousands of writers of short stories, poetry and essays have been represented in this annual collection, which is one of the last surviving literary co-ops from the 60's and 70's.

"’The Dead Father Speaks’ was an inversion of what I usually do,” Newberry said. “So much of ‘How to Talk about the Dead’ is about trying to connect with the past. I wanted to write from the other side, so to speak, and I asked myself what a father might say to a son who spends his life constantly seeking a lost dad. ‘The Dead Father Speaks’ is an attempt at empathy. I wanted to try to understand the gruff, distant fathers that I often write about. I think that the poem gave me a new understanding of my dad.”

"Dr. Newberry's poetry is both profound and accessible, and none more so than the ‘The Dead Father Speaks,’” said Dr. Cyndy Hall, head of the Department of English and Communication. “This nomination reflects what our department has known all along, that Dr. Newberry is a premier poet. We are certainly fortunate to have him teaching ABAC's students."

Award winners are expected to be named in early 2025.