Charles East, a former Editor and Assistant Director of the UGA Press, died this past weekend. His contributions to the Press were many and long lasting.
Most notably, East founded—and for many years served as the series editor for—the Flannery O'Connor Award for Short Fiction. More than fifty short-story collections have appeared in this prestigious series, which has helped to launch the careers of such widely read authors as Ha Jin, Antonya Nelson, Rita Ciresi, and Mary Hood.
In addition, the Press published East's edition of The Civil War Diary of Sarah Morgan, one of our best selling and most widely reviewed titles. Following a successful run in hardcover, the book was reissued in paperback by Touchstone/Simon & Schuster where it is still available.
Today's edition of the Baton Rouge Advocate includes more details of the life and career of this accomplished editor and writer.
Update: A moving personal remembrance of Charles East's tenure at the Lousiana State University Press can be read at the LSU Press Blog.
Photo of Charles East © Ron E. Dobbs
