The Alabama Writers’ Forum
The Alabama Writers’ Forum, a partnership program of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, works to cultivate our state’s literary culture. We do that through supporting writers at all stages. We encourage our young writers to find their creative voice through the Father Goose Poetry Festival for Kids!–and through our Alabama High School Literary Arts Awards. We support the work of our state’s literary community through our Alabama Authors Directory, First Draft magazine, and other programming and opportunities for writers across the state. And we celebrate our state’s rich literary legacy through the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame. We are, above all, a community of writers united by our desire to advance the literary arts in Alabama. If that describes you — join us! There are many ways to get involved.
Alive Day
Alive Day: A Memoir By Karie Fugett The Dial Press; 2025 Hardcover: $30.00 Genre: Memoir Reviewed by Edward Journey In the military, an “alive day” commemorates the day a soldier almost dies in war but survives. It celebrates a second chance in life. In Karie Fugett’s fearless memoir, Alive Day, she testifies about her relationship and marriage to Cleve Kinsey, a high school sweetheart whose alive day happened in 2006 in Ramadi during the Iraq War. In the process, Fugett chronicles how the “poor, uneducated, young” become pawns in the military; “Cleve and I were chosen,” she writes, “and we played our parts.” In reading Fugett’s story, I found myself thinking, "Will these kids ever get a break?" They sure try. The military is an integral part of the story, but the damage to this young couple begins well before Cleve’s decision to enlist in the Marines. Karie has a dad in the military, a mother who is often left to raise three daughters on her own, and a transient life of new towns and new schools. [...]
