Fellowship of Southern Writers

The Fellowship of Southern Writers is a group of writers from the southern states of America. In 1987 twenty-one writers (charter members) had a meeting in Chattanooga, Tennessee where they decided to honor good writing from their part of the country. They wanted to help young writers by giving them awards of money and chances to improve their writing skill. 
Awards and prizes are given for very good writing of fiction, poetry, drama, criticism, and history.
Members.
It is a small group. The Fellowship can only have 50 members at one time. New members of the group are chosen by election and invited to join. All members must be born or have lived for a long time in the American South. Other members have written works that say important things about southern life. 
Some well-known members of The Fellowship have been Wendell Berry, Rita Dove, Ernest J. Gaines, Silas House, Bobbie Ann Mason, William Styron, Natasha Trethewey, Robert Penn Warren, and Eudora Welty.