Deborah Mantella

A transplant to the South, Deborah Mantella has lived and taught in various cities in the Northeast and the Midwest. Now a long-time resident of Georgia, she lives outside Atlanta.

As a Deep South Magazine's 2015 Fall/Winter Reading List featured selection My Sweet Vidalia earned a spot on the Lady Banks' Bookshelf, was designated an OKRA16 pick by SIBA, the Southern Independent BookSellers Alliance, and is one of fifteen books included in last year's TRIO.

Named to The Pat Conroy Southern Book Prize Long List in the Prince of Tides/literary category in 2016, Mantella was also a nominee for the prestigious Lillian Smith Book Award sponsored by the Southern Regional Council, University of Georgia Libraries, DeKalb County Public Library/ Georgia Center for the Book and Piedmont College.