Celestine Sibley

Celestine Sibley (Born May 23, 1917, in Holly, Florida, and died on August 15, 1999, on Dog Island, Florida) was an American journalist and author based in Atlanta.

A friend of Margaret Mitchell in the 1940s, Sibley wrote for the Atlanta Constitution from 1941 to 1999, and from 1944 was chiefly known as a columnist. She wrote 25 books, both nonfiction and fiction, including mystery novels.

She covered the Georgia General Assembly as a reporter, and in 2000, the press gallery in the Georgia House of Representatives was named in her honor. She won the first Townsend Prize for Fiction in 1982 for her book Children, My Children. She attended Spring Hill College and the University of Florida.

Sibley's granddaughter, Sibley Fleming, wrote a book about her grandmother, Celestine Sibley: A Granddaughter's Reminiscence. (2000)

Celestine Sibley and Sibley Fleming co-edited a collection of Sibley's writings, The Celestine Sibley Sampler: Writings & Photographs With Tributes to the Beloved Author and Journalist. (1997)

Selected Writing

• The Malignant Heart, Doubleday (New York City), 1957.
• Peachtree Street, U.S.A.: An Affectionate Portrait of Atlanta, Doubleday, 1963, published as Peachtree Street, U.S.A.: A Personal Look at Atlanta and Its History, Peachtree Publishers (Atlanta), 1994.
• Christmas in Georgia, Doubleday, 1964.
• A Place Called Sweet Apple, Doubleday, 1967.
• Dear Store: An Affectionate Portrait of Rich's, Doubleday, 1967.
• Especially at Christmas, Doubleday, 1969.
• Mothers Are Always Special, Doubleday, 1970.
• The Sweet Apple Gardening Book, Doubleday, 1972.
• Day by Day with Celestine Sibley, Doubleday, 1975.
• Small Blessings, Doubleday, 1977.
• Jincey, Simon & Schuster (New York City), 1979.
• The Magical Realm of Sallie Middleton, Oxmoor House (Birmingham, AL), 1980.
• Children, My Children, Harper (New York City), 1981.
• Young 'Uns: A Celebration, Harper, 1982.
• For All Seasons, Peachtree Publishers, 1984.
• Turned Funny: A Memoir, Harper, 1988.
• Christmas in Georgia, Peachtree Publishers, 1985.
• Tokens of Myself, Longstreet Press, 1990.

"Kate Mulcay" mystery novels

• Ah, Sweet Mystery, HarperCollins (New York City), 1991.
• Straight as an Arrow, HarperCollins, 1992.
• Dire Happenings at Scratch Ankle, HarperCollins, 1993.
• A Plague of Kinfolks, HarperCollins, 1995.
• Spider in the Sink, HarperCollins, 1997.

Awards

• Three awards from Associated Press for news stories
• Two awards from Georgia Conference on Social Work for stories contributing to human welfare
• Radio and television awards from Pall Mall
• Awards from Dixie Council of Authors and Journalists, for Small Blessings
• Green Eyeshadow Award from Sigma Delta Chi