Nonfiction

Wytinsea Jones is an ELA educator, blogger, and podcaster. She has a B.A. in Creative Writing and Masters in Secondary Education English from Columbus State University. Her love for writing started in the 3rd grade when she was given her first creative writing assignment. Since then, she's written fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Her writing deals with faith struggles, self-love, identity, healing, and reclaiming joy. One quote that motivates her is by Paula Hawkins, "Stay faithful to the stories in your head.” Wytinsea has been awarded numerous scholarships to support her writing endeavors and present literacy strategies at educational conferences. She currently serves on the Secondary Section for the National Council of Teachers of English Committee. As an advocate of colorism, she raises awareness through her writing, leadership roles, and research efforts. She is currently pursuing an educational leadership certification, but is set to begin her PhD in English this Fall, where her research will focus on colorism in literature and black diaspora. Follow IG @Wytinsea.

Judge Josina Guess Citation:

In this personal piece of narrative nonfiction, Wytinsea Jones describes the cruelty of children's words and the lasting pain of rejection and adults who failed to intervene. Yet she emerges triumphant and resilient in the face of ignorant colorism, showing herself and her readers the beauty and resilience we all possess. John Lewis dedicated his life to fighting racism and Jones's work furthers this mission by naming and dismantling the lasting effects of colorism within Black communities.

Poetry

Alafia Nicole Sessions is a black poet and mother living in Atlanta. She currently works as an educator, actress, herbalist and birthworker. Her poetry has been published or is forthcoming in Poetry, Ploughshares, Poem- a- Day, Beloit Poetry Journal, Cincinnati Review, Ecopoetry Anthology, Southern Humanities Review, Indiana Review, Los Angeles Review, Obsidian, Gulf PCoast, Journal and elsewhere. Alafia is the recipient of awards and fellowships from Sustainable Arts Foundation, Yaddo and The Watering Hole. She was selected by Evie Shockley as the winner of the 2023 Furious Flower Prize. A nominee for the Pushcart prize and Best New Poets, Alafia was a finalist for the 2025 Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize for her debut collection. Follow IG @thesweetyogini.

Judge Valerie Smith Citation:

Alafia Sessions is the Winner of Georgia Writers 2024 John Lewis Grant for Poetry for the quality of her craft and the distinguished future of her dedication to the art of poetry. Alafia Sessions is a poet whose inextricable connection to motherhood and Black womanhood imbues her words with an emotional intelligence that resonates across the spectrum of humanity. An undeniable voice, Sessions draws readers in to experience physical and spiritual transformation. As she writes in “Linea Nigra,” “ What kind of magic blooms / a scar before the skin ruptures?” Sessions’ poems account for the intimate joys and sorrows of life, love, and family, vision by painted vision, line by impeccably defined line. 

Fiction

Dominque Feloss is a full-time philanthropic professional located in Atlanta, GA. She earned three agricultural certifications, an Associate’s degree in Environmental Horticulture from Southern Crescent Technical College, and a Bachelor's in Environmental Studies from Unity Environmental University. She will be graduating with a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from Maharishi International University in 2025. Her background is in community impact work, having served the community through her work with the University of Georgia Extension Services, the Clayton County Library System, grassroots nonprofit organization Alternate ROOTS, The Clarke Street Fund, and most notably and currently supporting the Income, Wealth, and Arts portfolios at the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. She has addressed workforce inequities, wealth inequality, and student loan debt issues through her pieces with the Foundation, one of which was featured in the Saporta Report and The Root. Dominque’s manuscript, CRYSTALLINE has been in the works since 2020. She is currently in the process of gathering feedback from a group of beta readers and is currently looking for a literary agent for representation. Her dream is to become a full-time author published by Tor Nightfire. Follow IG @gr33nmouth.

Judge Ra'Niqua Lee Citation:

Dominque Feloss’s sharp imagery, metaphor, and character work stood out immediately. The batch of finalists were all strong, but these opening pages sucked me into the southern gothic world of Chrystalline, a woman confronting the trauma of a past abusive relationship. As Feloss writes in her application, “I think that it’s pretty easy to see the relationship between dark fantasy and the liberation of the African diaspora.” Here, quotidian or every day violence sets the tone for a more complex unfolding of the horror genre and makes a compelling story and characters. The Georgia Writers Association’s John Lewis Writing Grant represents an opportunity to uplift the voices of Black literary writers who are taking a stand in their lives and their work for equityand justice. Feloss’s writing sample made a strong impact, but I was also very moved by herartist statement. She is an excellent choice for this year’s grant!