Event Information

Saturday, April 3
6:30 p.m.
Capital Hotel
Little Rock, AR

Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman and legendary writer Charles Portis will accept awards at The Oxford American’s first-ever Best of the South Awards Gala. Freeman will receive the magazine's inaugural award for Outstanding Contributions to Southern Culture and Portis will receive The Oxford American's award for Lifetime Achievement in Southern Literature.

Academy Award-winning actress Mary Steenburgen will host the awards ceremony. The current reigning American Idol, Kris Allen, is scheduled to give a special performance, while Academy Award winners Ray McKinnon and Lisa Blount and Joey Lauren Adams are scheduled to participate in the festivities. The awards ceremony will also include a film tribute to Morgan Freeman produced by award-winning Hollywood filmmaker (and Arkansas native) Harry Thomason.

The entire Capital Hotel -- including all of the public and private rooms -- are reserved for this special event. Only a limited number of tickets were available for the evening, which includes a pre-event VIP reception, a cocktail reception, a four-course dinner, and a special awards program featuring celebrity entertainment. The food will be curated by John T. Edge (the James Beard award-winning expert on Southern cuisine), and prepared by Lee Richardson, the Capital Hotel's executive chef. The event is sold out.

"We envision a lively and fun event that reflects the character and personality of The Oxford American, highlighting music, literature, food, art, and other creative expressions of Southern culture," Sabin said. "It will be a sophisticated and entertaining affair anchored by celebrity presenters."

The Lifetime Achievement in Southern Literature recognition includes a cash prize that has increased to $10,000. The first award was bestowed in 2006 to the novelist Donald Harington, who recently passed away.

Cindy and Chip Murphy are chairing the awards gala, which will raise money to support the operations of the magazine, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Honoree

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman is an Academy Award-winning actor whose voice and presence has become ubiquitous in American culture. He spent his childhood in the Mississippi Delta, around Charleston and Greenwood, and he never forgot his roots there. Today, he owns the Ground Zero Blues Club and Madidi restaurant in Clarksdale, Mississippi, where he remains active in the community. He encouraged and financed the first integrated prom in Charleston in 2008, an event documented in the film, “Prom Night in Mississippi.” Morgan Freeman has been a leading Hollywood figure for the last three decades. But his life began in the South, and he embodies the very best of Southern culture.

Honoree

Charles Portis

Portis may be best known for his novel True Grit, which was adapted for a feature film in 1969. It was a box-office hit, and it starred John Wayne, who won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn. The Coen Brothers are currently producing another film version of True Grit, and Rooster Cogburn will be played by Jeff Bridges, who just won this year’s Academy Award for Best Actor.

Portis is a native of El Dorado, Arkansas, who currently lives in Little Rock. He has been a contributing writer for The Oxford American, and he is the author of five books. His first novel, Norwood, was also adapted for the silver screen, with Glen Campbell in the lead role. His short fiction and other articles have appeared in numerous publications, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The Saturday Evening Post.

The Oxford American is proud to present Charles Portis with its second Award for Lifetime Achievement in Southern Literature.

MEDIA

Press Release
Program
Morgan Freeman Photo
Charles Portis Photo
Photo of The Award

MEDIA CONTACT:
Denver Peacock
501-258-5691
denver.peacock@cjrw.com

For more information about The Oxford American, visit oxfordamerican.org