Williams Wins “Interview an Octogenarian” Writing Contest
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Montgomery County Native and Tales From the Altamaha Cast Member Tatum Williams was announced as the winner of the annual Interview an Octogenarian Writing Contest during the opening night of the play on Thursday, April 24.
Each year, the organization hosts this competition as a way to gain stories for the annual Tales From the Altamaha production, which utilizes narratives from past newspaper articles and other records for their show. For this competition, students should interview an octogenarian – a person who is at least 80 years of age or older (close to 80 is acceptable) – who grew up in Toombs County. They should be asked about their experience sharing phones with their neighbors, getting their first televisions or indoor plumbing, traveling to town, or other stories about being young and living life in the area. The more unique and interesting the stories are, the better the chance at winning the competition; the organization also favors stories about being a kid and living life on the Altamaha River.
Williams’ winning piece spotlighted the life of her 80-year-old grandfather Joseph “JH” Memory, Jr. Through her writing, Williams captured Memory’s rich life story filled with charm, resilience, and a deep connection to local heritage.
The story will be brought back to life on stage in next year’s Tales From the Altamaha play.
