by Amanda Respess and Maggie Forrester

T wo faculty from the Georgia College Department of English are finalists for the 2025 Townsend Prize for Fiction. Professor Peter Selgin is an award finalist for his novel “A Boy’s Guide to Outer Space.” Assistant Professor Dr. Chika Unigwe is nominated for her novel “The Middle Daughter.”

"A Boy's Guide to Outer Space"

Selgin said the news of his nomination as a Townsend finalist is “a very pleasant surprise” which he was honored to receive.

The message of his novel, Selgin says, “…is that we can rediscover our sense of wonder. And we don't need to look to the planets or the stars or the moon or infinity with it. It's actually right there around us, if only we can learn to see it. If only we can see what's already right around us, which is wondrous, which is mysterious.”

“A Boy’s Guide to Outer Space” was released in November last year by Regal House Publishing. Selgin says he is gratified by the public’s reaction to the book.

“I think that the main satisfaction for me was that people took away more or less what I think the book is about,” Selgin said. “Just because the book has to do with young boys, it's not a book just for boys or for young people. It's a book, hopefully, for the young person in any of us.”

Selgin is the author of two other novels, two children’s books, three books on the writer’s craft and two essay collections. His short story collection “Drowning Lessons” won the Flannery O’Connor Award for Fiction in 2007.

"The Middle Daughter"

Unigwe’s “The Middle Daughter” was published by Dzanc Books in April 2023 and is a modern reimagining of the story of Hades and Persephone, within the framework of a Nigerian family. Unigwe was born in Enugu, Nigeria.

Being named a Townsend Prize finalist is “Incredible!” Unigwe says. “I am a self-doubting writer and acknowledgements from prestigious bodies like the Townsend is incredibly validating.”

“The Middle Daughter” has reached international audiences, even being translated into Dutch. Uniqwe has given readings in Belgium, Germany and Qatar. She just returned from an appointment as writer-in-residence at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, and is soon headed to Kennesaw State University as a visiting scholar.

Uniqwe is pleased with readers’ response to her work.

“The reaction has been great! I think that my job as a storyteller is to entertain above all else. Whatever lessons or insight readers get is up to them. What I can control is how well I tell a story. So, I hope that a reader comes out of it thinking I've done a good job,” Unigwe said.

“The Middle Daughter” has earned additional accolades including being named to Oprah Magazine’s list of books to read and is an Independent Bookstore Pick in the United Kingdom. Unigwe’s other books include “On Black Sisters Street” and “Better Never than Late.”

The Townsend Prize for Fiction

The Townsend Prize is awarded biennially and honors the best piece of literary fiction written by a Georgia author. Originally established in 1981 in memory of Atlanta magazine founding editor Jim Townsend, the prize is now stewarded by the Atlanta Writers Club and Georgia Writers Museum. Previous Townsend Prize winners include Celestine Sibley, Alice Walker, Ferrol Sams, James Kilgo and Terry Kay. This year’s Townsend Prize award ceremony will be held April 16 in Atlanta. A total of ten finalists are in the running for the prize.