Cartersville Writer Nominated For Author Of The Year

CARTERSVILLE, GA - Local author Lisa M. Russell was nominated last month in the History category for Georgia Writers Association's 57th Annual Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA). Russell, who is one of 13 nominees in her category, was shortlisted thanks to her 2020 book "Lost Mill Towns of North Georgia."

The winners and finalists for the awards will be announced on June 12 on Facebook Live.

According to Amazon, Russell’s book describes the mill villages that sprung up in the 1880s when the textile industry moved into the area. Farmers, facing falling prices for their crops, moved their families into these villages, which had their own stores, theaters, baseball teams, bands and schools. To some workers, life in the mill village was idyllic, there was recreation, education, shopping and homes with running water and electricity.

But after the New Deal, workers wanted a bigger piece of the pie, and many rebelled against management. Strikes and economic changes began to erode the era of the mill villages, and most of them were gone by the 1960s.

The book is the latest of what Russell describes on her website as "micro-history books about lost things." She previously wrote: "Lost Towns of North Georgia" in 2016, "Underwater Ghost Towns of North Georgia" in 2018.

According to her website, Russell is a writer, writing instructor and academic, who teaches English and writing at multiple local universities. She also was an expert on a spinoff of the Discovery channel's "Expedition Unknown," and she has been a guest on several local television and radio shows and podcasts.