2017 Festival
Highlights
The Mississippi Book Festival’s third turn around the block of the State Capitol in downtown Jackson kept more than 6,400 book lovers enthralled as they packed panels, heard stories, gained insights, reveled in the festival vibe and bought books by the tote-load and the thousands. Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, joined by Governor Phil Bryant and other state dignitaries kicked off the festivities and unveiled the Mississippi Literary Map of the state’s classic and emerging authors. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Richard Ford (Between Them, Independence Day) and New York Times best-selling author Greg Iles (Natchez Burning trilogy) topped a long list of contemporary authors on hand for a day that was also peppered with fun and insights from state and regional culinary personalities, photographers and visual and musical artists. Kids and teen activities, including new best-selling Jackson author Angie Thomas (The Hate U Give), ensured a festival that reached readers of all ages, and the debut of “Face-to-Face” time with select authors gave fans a chance for photos and more intimate book signing time with their favorites. Outdoors, the literary lawn party was in full swing, too, with live music, food trucks and the lively exchanges of readers and writers of every persuasion.
Video
Slideshow
Panels
- A Conversation with Richard Ford: Dr. Robert Pearigen, Richard Ford
- A Conversation with the Librarian of Congress: Dr. Carla Hayden, The Honorable Gregg Harper
- A Culture of Food: John T. Edge, Jessica B. Harris, Susan Schadt, Leslie Hossfeld
- A Different Angle: Chandler Griffin, Phillip Hardwick, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Malcolm White, Neil White
- A Really Big Lunch: Jeffrey Lent, Jamie Harrison, Gregg Orr, Judy Hottenson
- A Special Report: Vietnam Fifty Years Later: Mark Bowden, The Honorable Trent Kelly
- A Year in Mississippi: Charline McCord, Sid Salter, Seetha Srinivasan, Diane Williams, JoAnne Prichard Morris
- Art in Mississippi: Elise Smith, Leif Anderson, Carolyn Brown, William Dunlap, H.C. Porter
- Capturing Mississippi: William Ferris, Langdon Clay, Panny Flautt Mayfield, R. Kim Rushing, Jack Spencer, David Wharton
- Celebrating our Roots: A Tribute to Mississippi’s Musical Heritage: Scott Barretta, Mary Lindsay Dickinson, Timothy Duffy, Tom Piazza, Roger Stolle, Jimmi Mayes
- Eudora Welty’s Legacy: Suzanne Marrs, Michael Pickard, Harriet Pollack, W. Ralph Eubanks, Ebony Lumumba
- First Fiction: The Discovery of the Debut: Richard Grant, Chanelle Benz, Ladee Hubbard, Phillip Lewis, Kayla Rae Whitaker
- Greg Iles and Stanley Nelson with Jerry Mitchell: Jerry Mitchell, Greg Iles, Stanley Nelson
- Her Story: Susan Cushman, Mary Ann Connell, Suzanne Marrs, Norma Watkins, Jessica B. Harris
- Historical Fiction: Matthew Guinn, Taylor Brown, Tim Gautreaux, Daren Wang, Steve Yates
- Hue, 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam: Mark Bowden, Howard Bahr
- In the Middle: Clara Martin, Cassie Beasley, Kristin L. Gray, Alison McGhee, Kimberly Willis Holt
- Kidnote: Candace Fleming, Eric Rohmann
- Larry Brown, the South, and the Modern Novel: Richard Howorth, Ron Rash, Mark Richard, Michael Farris Smith
- Mississippi Encyclopedia (Bicentennial Feature): Craig Gill, Odie Lindsey, Ted Ownby, James G. Thomas, Jr., Charles Reagan Wilson
- Mississippi History: Pamela Junior, Charles Eagles, Carter Dalton Lyon, Jeffery B. Howell, Carol Ruth Silver, Kathleen Wickham, Hollis Watkins
- Mississippi Middle Grade Readers (Bicentennial Feature): Taylor Kitchings, Corabel Shofner, Linda Williams Jackson, Augusta Scattergood, Barry Wolverton
- More Than Just a Cookbook: Robert St. John, John Currence, Martha Hall Foose, Asha Gomez, Matt Moore, Jill O’Connor
- National Literary Panel: Eliza Borne, Peter Geye, Jeffrey Lent, Jami Attenberg, Tim Gautreaux
- Poetry: Beth Ann Fennelly, Derrick Harriell, Catherine Pierce, Ron Rash
- Rising Stars in Young Adult: Mandy Robbins Smith, Moriah McStay, Joanne O’Sullivan, Shalanda Stanley, Angie Thomas
- Southern Fiction: Howard Bahr, John Gregory Brown, Kevin Wilson, Bill Loehfelm, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
- Southern History: Robert Luckett, Adrienne Berard, Patricia Michelle Boyett, Otis Sanford, Grif Stockley
- Stories from the South: David Crews, Michael Knight, Odie Lindsey, Mary Miller, Helen Ellis
- The Enduring Mystery with Otto Penzler: Otto Penzler, Michael Kardos, Robert Olen Butler, Lachlan Smith, Tom Franklin
- The Heritage of Mississippi Series (Bicentennial Feature): Katie Blount, James F. Barnett, Jr., Timothy B. Smith, Randy Sparks, Lorie Watkins
- The Power of the Picture Book: Ellen Ruffin, Margery Cuyler, Gilbert Ford, Peter Reynolds, Matthew Clark Smith
- The Reading Stack: Valerie Walley, Brian Contine, Toni Hetzel, Jessica Pearson, Eric Svenson
- Things Like the Truth: Jimmie E. Gates, Jack Bales, Jim Dees, Ellen Gilchrist, Marshall Ramsey, Sid Salter
- Two Cooks in the Kitchen: John Currence, Vivian Howard
- U.S. Presidents: John Marszalek, Alvin S. Felzenberg, Walter Stahr, Curtis Wilkie
- Voices of Home: Tracy Carr, Julie Cantrell, Susan Cushman, John Floyd, Johnnie Bernhard
- Write for Mississippi: Katy Simpson Smith, Marion Barnwell, W. Ralph Eubanks, Michael Pickard, Miriam Gray
- Write for Mississippi Workshop: Katy Simpson Smith, Marion Barnwell, W. Ralph Eubanks, Michael Pickard
Activities
Meg Cabot Speaks
Imagination Playground, Wheel of Wonder, Bookmaking, and Snowflake Fun
Festival Kick-Off with Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress
- Dr. Carla Hayden, 14th Librarian of Congress
- The Honorable Gregg Harper, United States Congressman and Chairman of the Committee on House Administration and Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress
Art in Mississippi
- Elise Smith, Art History Professor at Millsaps College, MODERATOR
- Leif Anderson, Dancing with my Father
- Carolyn Brown, The Artist’s Sketch: A Biography of Painter Kate Freeman Clark
- William Dunlap, Short Mean Fiction
- H.C. Porter, Blues @ Home
Booksellers
Authors Alley
A Conversation with the Librarian of Congress
- Dr. Carla Hayden, 14th Librarian of Congress
- The Honorable Gregg Harper, United States Congressman and Chairman of the Committee on House Administration and Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress
Exhibitors on the Lawn
Kidnote
- Candace Fleming, author of over 30 books for children, Bulldozer Helps Out
- Eric Rohmann, Caldecott medalist winner, Bulldozer Helps Out
Eudora Welty’s Legacy
- Suzanne Marrs, MODERATOR
- W. Ralph Eubanks, The House at the End of the Road: The Story of Three Generations of an Interracial Family in the American South
- Ebony Lumumba, Assistant Professor of English at Tougaloo College
- Michael Pickard, Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Millsaps College
- Harriet Pollack, Eudora Welty’s Fiction and Photography: The Body of the Other Woman
Poetry
- Beth Ann Fennelly, Mississippi Poet Laureate, MODERATOR
- Derrick Harriell, Stripper in Wonderland
- Catherine Pierce, The Tornado Is the World
- Ron Rash, Poems: New and Selected
Local Food
In the Middle
- Clara Martin, Lemuria Books Children’s Manager, MODERATOR
- Cassie Beasley, Tumble & Blue
- Kristin L. Gray, Vilonia Beebe Takes Charge
- Kimberly Willis Holt, Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Hotel
- Alison McGhee, Pablo and Birdy
Things Like the Truth
Presented by Margaret and Bob Montgomery
Journalists and essayists discuss the journey to finding the truth with moderator Jimmie E. Gates of the Clarion-Ledger.
- Jimmie E. Gates, Reporter for The Clarion-Ledger, MODERATOR
- Jack Bales, Shifting Interludes: Selected Essays
- Jim Dees, The Statue and the Fury
- Ellen Gilchrist, Things like the Truth: Out of My Later Years
- Marshall Ramsey, Drawing the Line
- Sid Salter, Jack Cristil: Voice of the MSU Bulldogs
The Power of the Picture Book
- Ellen Ruffin, curator of the de Grummond Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi, MODERATOR
- Margery Cuyler, Bonaparte Falls Apart
- Gilbert Ford, Soldier Song: A True Story of the Civil War
- Peter Reynolds, Happy Dreamer
- Matthew Clark Smith, Lighter than Air: Sophie Blanchard, the First Woman Pilot
Two Cooks in the Kitchen
- John Currence, Big Bad Breakfast: The Most Important Book of the Day
- Vivian Howard, Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South
A Different Angle
- Phillip Hardwick, author of the Mississippi Mysteries Series, MODERATOR
- Chandler Griffin, documentary filmmaker and the Founder of Barefoot Workshops
- Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Lucky Fish
- Malcolm White, Little Stories: A Collection of Mississippi Photos
- Neil White, Creative Director & Publisher of The Nautilus Publishing Company
The Heritage of Mississippi Series (Bicentennial Feature)
- Katie Blount, Director of Mississippi Department of Archives and History, MODERATOR
- James F. Barnett, Jr., Mississippi’s American Indians
- Timothy B. Smith, Mississippi in the Civil War: The Home Front
- Randy Sparks, Religion in Mississippi
- Lorie Watkins, A Literary History of Mississippi
Historical Fiction
- Matthew Guinn, author of The Scribe, MODERATOR
- Taylor Brown, The River of Kings
- Tim Gautreaux, Signals: New and Selected Stories
- Daren Wang, The Hidden Light of Northern Fires
- Steve Yates, The Legend of the Albino Farm
Stories from the South
- David Crews, author of The Mississippi Book of Quotations, MODERATOR
- Helen Ellis, American Housewife: Stories
- Michael Knight, Eveningland
- Odie Lindsey, We Come to Our Senses
- Mary Miller, Always Happy Hour: Stories
Rising Stars in Young Adult
- Mandy Robbins Smith, MODERATOR
- Moriah McStay, Everything that Makes You
- Joanne O’Sullivan, Between Two Skies
- Shalanda Stanley, Drowning is Inevitable
- Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
Hue, 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam
- Howard Bahr, author of The Judas Field and Vietnam veteran, MODERATOR
- Mark Bowden, Hue 1968
Write for Mississippi
- Katy Simpson Smith, author of Free Men, MODERATOR
- Marion Barnwell, Touring Literary Mississippi
- W. Ralph Eubanks, The House at the End of the Road: The Story of Three Generations of an Interracial Family in the American South
- Miriam Gray, Lanier High School English Teacher
- Michael Pickard, Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Millsaps College
A Really Big Lunch
- Judy Hottensen, associate publisher of Grove/Atlantic Inc., MODERATOR
- Jamie Harrison, The Widow Nash
- Jeffrey Lent, Before We Sleep
- Gregg Orr, Jim Harrison: A Comprehensive Bibliography
Capturing Mississippi
- William Ferris, author of The South in Color: A Visual Journal, MODERATOR
- Langdon Clay, Cars
- Panny Flautt Mayfield, Live from the Mississippi Delta
- R. Kim Rushing, Parchman
- Jack Spencer, This Land: An American Portrait
- David Wharton, The Power of Belief: Spiritual Landscapes from the Rural South
Her Story
- Susan Cushman, editor of A Second Blooming, MODERATOR
- Mary Ann Connell, An Unforeseen Life: A Memoir
- Jessica B. Harris, My Soul Looks Back
- Suzanne Marrs, Meanwhile There Are Letters: The Correspondence of Eudora Welty and Ross Macdonald
- Norma Watkins, That Woman from Mississippi
Celebrating our Roots: A Tribute to Mississippi’s Musical Heritage
- Scott Barretta, MODERATOR
- Mary Lindsay Dickinson, widow of Jim Dickinson, the author of I’m Just Dead, I’m Not Gone
- Timothy Duffy, We Are the Music Makers
- Jimmi Mayes, The Amazing Jimmi Mayes: Sideman to the Stars
- Tom Piazza, The Southern Journey of Alan Lomax: Words, Photographs, and Music
- Roger Stolle, Hidden History of Mississippi Blues
Greg Iles and Stanley Nelson with Jerry Mitchell
- Jerry Mitchell, investigative reporter for The Clarion-Ledger, MODERATOR
- Greg Iles, Mississippi Blood
- Stanley Nelson, Devils Walking: Klan Murders along the Mississippi in the 1960s
Write for Mississippi Workshop
- Katy Simpson Smith, author of Free Men, MODERATOR
- Marion Barnwell, Touring Literary Mississippi
- W. Ralph Eubanks, The House at the End of the Road: The Story of Three Generations of an Interracial Family in the American South
- Michael Pickard, Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Millsaps College
U.S. Presidents
- John Marszalek, Executive Director and Managing Editor of the Ulysses S. Grant Association, MODERATOR
- Alvin S. Felzenberg, A Man and His Presidents: The Political Odyssey of William F. Buckley Jr.
- Walter Stahr, Stanton: Lincoln’s War Secretary
- Curtis Wilkie, The Road to Camelot: Inside JFK’s Five-Year Campaign
The Reading Stack
- Valerie Walley, Regional Sales Director for Penguin Random House, MODERATOR
- Brian Contine, Penguin Sales Manager
- Toni Hetzel, Random House Sales Manager
- Jessica Pearson, Random House Sales Manager
- Eric Svenson, HarperCollins Sales Manager
Larry Brown, the South, and the Modern Novel
- Richard Howorth, owner of Square Books, MODERATOR
- Ron Rash, The Risen
- Mark Richard, House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer’s Journey Home
- Michael Farris Smith, Desperation Road
Mississippi Middle Grade Readers (Bicentennial Feature)
- Taylor Kitchings, author of Yard Wars, MODERATOR
- Linda Williams Jackson, Midnight Without a Moon
- Augusta Scattergood, Making Friends with Billy Wong
- Corabel Shofner, Almost Paradise
- Barry Wolverton, The Dragon’s Gate
Mississippi History
- Pamela Junior, Director of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, MODERATOR
- Charles Eagles, Civil Rights, Culture Wars: The Fight Over a Mississippi Textbook
- Jeffery B. Howell, Hazel Brannon Smith: The Female Crusading Scalawag
- Carter Dalton Lyon, Sanctuaries of Segregation: The Story of the Jackson Church Visit Campaign
- Carol Ruth Silver, Freedom Rider Diary: Smuggled Notes from Parchman Prison
- Hollis Watkins, Brother Hollis, the Sankofa of a Movement Man
- Kathleen Wickham, We Believed We Were Immortal: Twelve Reporters Who Covered the 1962 Integration Crisis at Ole Miss
A Culture of Food
- Leslie Hossfeld, Professor and Head of Department of Sociology at Mississippi State University, MODERATOR
- John T. Edge, The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South
- Jessica B. Harris, My Soul Looks Back
- Susan Schadt, Reel Masters
A Year in Mississippi
- Charline McCord, A Year in Mississippi, MODERATOR
- JoAnne Prichard Morris
- Sid Salter
- Seetha Srinivasan
- Diane Williams
Southern Fiction
- Howard Bahr, author of The Judas Field, MODERATOR
- John Gregory Brown, A Thousand Miles from Nowhere
- Bill Loehfelm, The Devil’s Muse
- Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, A Kind of Freedom
- Kevin Wilson, Perfect Little World
The Enduring Mystery with Otto Penzler
- Otto Penzler, Mysterious Press president and CEO and owner of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, MODERATOR
- Robert Olen Butler, The Empire of Night
- Tom Franklin, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
- Michael Kardos, Before He Finds Her
- Lachlan Smith, Panther’s Prey
National Literary Panel
Presented by Butler Snow
Oxford American editor Eliza Borne leads a conversation with four authors from the national literary stage.
- Eliza Borne, editor of the Oxford American, MODERATOR
- Jami Attenberg, All Grown Up
- Tim Gautreaux, Signals: New and Selected Stories
- Peter Geye, Wintering
- Jeffrey Lent, Before We Sleep
Face-to-Face with Greg Iles and Stanley Nelson
- Greg Iles, Mississippi Blood
- Stanley Nelson, Devils Walking: Klan Murders along the Mississippi in the 1960s
How Mississippi Changed America
- 4:00 - 5:15 pm Panel Discussion: Randall Pinkston (moderator), Charles E. Cobb, Jr., Emilye Crosby, Françoise Hamlin, and Tiyi Morris
- 5:30 - 6:30 pm Conversation: W. Ralph Eubanks (moderator) and Clayborne Carson
Angie Thomas Speaks
More Than Just a Cookbook
- Robert St. John, MODERATOR
- John Currence, Big Bad Breakfast: The Most Important Book of the Day
- Martha Hall Foose, My Two Souths: Blending the Flavors of India into a Southern Kitchen
- Matt Moore, South’s Best Butts: Pitmaster Secrets for Southern Barbecue Perfection
- Jill O’Connor, Cake, I Love You: Decadent, Delectable, and Do-able Recipes
Voices of Home
- Tracy Carr, Mississippi Center for the Book Director and the Library Services Director at the Mississippi Library Commission, MODERATOR
- Johnnie Bernhard, A Good Girl
- Julie Cantrell, Perennials
- Susan Cushman, Cherry Bomb
- John Floyd, Dreamland
First Fiction: The Discovery of the Debut
Presented by Mississippi State University
Mississippi transplant and writer Richard Grant discusses the road to publication with these debut authors.
- Richard Grant, author of Dispatches from Pluto, MODERATOR
- Chanelle Benz, The Man Who Shot Out My Eye is Dead
- Ladee Hubbard, The Talented Ribkins
- Phillip Lewis, The Barrowfields
- Kayla Rae Whitaker, The Animators
Southern History
- Robert Luckett, Director of the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University, MODERATOR
- Adrienne Berard, Water Tossing Boulders: How a Family of Chinese Immigrants Led the First Fight to Desegregate Schools in the Jim Crow South
- Patricia Michelle Boyett, Right to Revolt: The Crusade for Racial Justice in Mississippi’s Central Piney Woods
- Otis Sanford, From Boss Crump to King Willie: How Race Changed Memphis Politics
- Grif Stockley, Black Boys Burning: The 1959 Fire at the Arkansas Negro Boys Industrial School
Mississippi Encyclopedia (Bicentennial Feature)
- Craig Gill, Director of the University Press of Mississippi, MODERATOR
- Odie Lindsey, Mississippi Encyclopedia
- Ted Ownby, Mississippi Encyclopedia
- James G. Thomas, Jr., Mississippi Encyclopedia
- Charles Reagan Wilson, Mississippi Encyclopedia
A Special Report: Vietnam Fifty Years Later
- MODERATOR TBD
- Mark Bowden, Hue 1968
- The Honorable Trent Kelly, United States Congressman