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.

2017 Funders >

Video

Slideshow

Panels

Activities

Student Outreach

Meg Cabot Speaks

Acclaimed Children’s author Meg Cabot will speak to 750 4th graders from Jackson Public Schools. At the end, they will each receive a free copy of Cabot’s Middle School Princess #3: Royal Crush. Elee Reeves and her daughters will introduce Cabot, who is best known for the The Princess Diaries series of books.
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INTERACTIVE ACTIVITIES

Imagination Playground, Wheel of Wonder, Bookmaking, and Snowflake Fun

Presented by Phil Hardin Foundation and the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival Stop by between 9:00 am and noon for fun with interactive exhibits from the Mississippi Children’s Museum. Build big with Imagination Playground. Spin and win with the Wheel of Wonder. Tell your story with Bookmaking. Create your own Snowflake Fun.
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keynote

Festival Kick-Off with Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress

Governor Phil Bryant, Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves, and Speaker of the House Philip Gunn will join Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, and Congressman Gregg Harper to kick off the 2017 Mississippi Book Festival. During the opening, Dr. Hayden and special guests will unveil the state’s exciting new Literary Map, commissioned by the Mississippi Library Commission and the Center for the Book.
  • 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
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Art in Mississippi

Presented by Beard & Riser Architects This distinguished panel of artists explores the many facets of 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
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Art in Mississippi Art in Mississippi Art in Mississippi Art in Mississippi
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booksellers

Booksellers

Booksellers are showcased at the center of the festival in our Independent Bookseller Tents, directly across from the Book Signings Tent. Big House Books | The Clarion-Ledger | Dogwood Press | Jackson Friends of the Library | Ke Francis / Caron Gallery | Lemuria Books | Lorelei Books | Mississippi Museum of Art | Nautilus | Turnrow Books | University Press of Mississippi | Usborne Books
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Book Signings

Book Signings

Participating official panelist authors will be available for book signings on the south lawn of the Capitol.
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authors and artists

Authors Alley

Meet authors and artists selling their most recent works along Mississippi Street. Mary Abraham | Joyce Ainsworth | Jacquelyn C. Allen | Melanie Atkins | Douglas Babington | David Billings | Lottie Bogan | W. Clark Boutwell | Felicia Brookins | Wanda Nance Brooks | Alison Buehler | Joshua Cable | Melissa Carrigee | John S. Case | Chauncey Citchens | Thelma B. Cousin | Dorothy A. Day | Andy Delancy | Janet W. Ferguson | Beth McAdams Ford | Paula Goddard | Jane Golden | Elizabeth Guider | Ann Hollowell | Shirley Kianna Hopkins | H. Grady Howell Jr. | Wanda Fay Jackson | Lizy Jacob | Benny H. Jenkins | Emma A. Jimenez | Mark W. Johnson | Kimberly B. Jones | Larry Jorgensen | Hannah Kay | Jazz Keyes | Michael Lackey | LaDonna Marie | Anne Martin | Ava Lisa Maxey | Mike McCall | Patrick McCloud | Sarah McGee | Tom McGraw | Clea McLemore | Robert Moore | Virginia Sue Mordecai | Ricky Nobile | Darden North | Cleveland Payne | Katherine Dupont Phillips | Katina Rankin | Robert Rogers | Evelyn McDade Roughten | Tyra E. Rowell | Richard Schwartz | Janice A. Singleton | Andrew Snorton | Jackie Warren Tatum | Janet Taylor-Perry | Sister Alies Therese | Diane Thomas-Plunk | Michael Hicks Thompson | Thomas J. Ward Jr. | Candice A. Whigham | Clinton Ink Slingers
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A Conversation with the Librarian of Congress

Presented by the Mississippi Humanities Council and the University of Southern Mississippi Friends of the Library Mississippi Congressman Gregg Harper, Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress, joins Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, in conversation. Dr. Hayden is the 14th 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
C-SPAN LIVE presented by Entergy
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A Conversation with the Librarian of Congress A Conversation with the Librarian of Congress A Conversation with the Librarian of Congress
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exhibitors

Exhibitors on the Lawn

Organizations (non-profit, government, charitable) have it made in the shade with a provided tent and table on the Capitol grounds. Please note: No sales are allowed in this area. Bookfriends of the University Press of Mississippi | Eudora Welty House and Garden | Margaret Walker Center | Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience | Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters | Mississippi Library Association | Mississippi Public Broadcasting | Mississippi State University | Mississippi Today | Mississippi University for Women, MFA in Creative Writing | Visit Jackson | Visit Mississippi | Visit Oxford | Volunteer Mississippi | WT3 Foundation
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Kidnote

Presented by the Phil Hardin Foundation and the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival Kick-off a morning of kid-friendly fun with a beloved children’s author and award-winning illustrator. A special hour for kids of all ages to let their minds soar!
  • Candace Fleming, author of over 30 books for children, Bulldozer Helps Out
  • Eric Rohmann, Caldecott medalist winner, Bulldozer Helps Out
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Kidnote Kidnote Kidnote
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Eudora Welty’s Legacy

Presented by the Eudora Welty Foundation and the Mississippi Arts Commission Leading Eudora Welty scholar Suzanne Marrs is joined by critics and writers to discuss Eudora Welty’s enduring influence.
  • 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
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Poetry

Presented by the Mississippi Arts Commission and the University of Mississippi Poet Laureate of Mississippi, Beth Ann Fennelly, brings together a cast of national poets.
  • 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
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food

Local Food

Try tasty local foods from these vendors along West Street and enjoy—under the sun shade or in the shade! Bessi Roo’s | Crunch Time Concessions | Deep South Pops | Green Ghost Tacos | Hog Heaven BBQ | J B’s Chicago Style Beef Etc. | LurnyD’s Grille | The Manship Wood Fired Kitchen | Small Time Hot Dogs | Sweetwater Blue’z | T&J Concessions | T&J Concessions Sno Cones | Southern Sweets & Treats
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In the Middle

Presented by University of Southern Mississippi Middle Grade Children’s authors discuss their novels and writing for children ages 8 to 12.
  • 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
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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
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live music

Malaco Gospel singer Darrell Luster

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Malaco Gospel singer Darrell Luster Malaco Gospel singer Darrell Luster
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The Power of the Picture Book

Presented by Sara and Bill Ray Led by Ellen Ruffin, curator of the de Grummond Collection at the University of Southern Mississippi, this collection of authors and illustrators discusses the powerful influence Picture Books make in children’s lives.
  • 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
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Two Cooks in the Kitchen

Presented by Regions Bank Vivian Howard, star of the PBS television show A Chef’s Life, and John Currence, creator of many restaurants including Big Bad Breakfast, discuss cooking and the south.
  • 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
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Two Cooks in the Kitchen Two Cooks in the Kitchen Two Cooks in the Kitchen
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A Conversation with Richard Ford

Presented by Hilda and Hap Owen Pulitzer-prize winning novelist, Richard Ford, in conversation with Millsaps’ president, Dr. Robert Pearigen.
  • Dr. Robert Pearigen, president of Millsaps College, MODERATOR
  • Richard Ford, Between Them: Remembering My Parents
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A Different Angle

Presented by Carroll Warren & Parker These publishing go-getters join together to chat about their experiences and how they are making their book ideas a reality.
  • 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
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The Heritage of Mississippi Series (Bicentennial Feature)

Presented by Bradley, Arant, Boult, Cummings, LLP and Mississippi State University In celebration of Mississippi’s Bicentennial, Katie Blount of Mississippi Department of Archives and History leads a discussion between writers of the Heritage of Mississippi Series.
  • 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
C-SPAN LIVE presented by Entergy
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The Heritage of Mississippi Series (Bicentennial Feature) The Heritage of Mississippi Series (Bicentennial Feature) The Heritage of Mississippi Series (Bicentennial Feature) The Heritage of Mississippi Series (Bicentennial Feature)
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Historical Fiction

Presented by Henry Barbour Edgar Award nominee Matthew Guinn delves into the art of the historical novel with some of today’s most acclaimed authors.
  • 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
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Stories from the South

Presented by the University of Mississippi Short story writers of today come together to discuss their craft.
  • 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
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STORYTELLING

Family Storytelling

Presented by the Mississippi Humanities Council Acclaimed storytellers from across the state present an engaging family-friendly program.
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Write for Mississippi

Presented by the Mississippi Humanities Council Write for Mississippi is an organization working to implement diverse projects that use creative writing and storytelling to further community engagement. One such project is a series of creative writing workshops that places guest writers into public high schools. Hear from the authors and teachers who have been implementing this project across 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
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Rising Stars in Young Adult

Presented by Carroll Warren & Parker and the Junior League of Jackson Vermont College of Fine Arts graduate Mandy Smith is joined by a host of Young Adult novelists to explore the growth of the genre.
  • 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
PBS NewsHour was on hand to tape this presentation and included a portion in the September 24, 2017 PBS NewsHour edition. Click here to view.
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A Really Big Lunch

Presented by Sarah McCullough This panel will focus on the work of our beloved Jim Harrison and his posthumous collection of food essays. His friends gather to share their stories at the festival.
  • 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
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A Really Big Lunch
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Hue, 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam

Presented by Y’all Politics Interviewer Howard Bahr, novelist and naval Vietnam Vet, will interview Mark Bowden about his masterful landmark work on the Battle of Hue, the story of the centerpiece of the Tet offensive and the bloodiest battle of the entire Vietnam War.
  • Howard Bahr, author of The Judas Field and Vietnam veteran, MODERATOR
  • Mark Bowden, Hue 1968
C-SPAN LIVE presented by Entergy
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Capturing Mississippi

Presented by the Mississippi Humanities Council Folklorist William Ferris moderates a discussion between photographers from Mississippi and across the country.
  • 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
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Her Story

Presented by Portico Jackson Magazine Five noted women authors discuss their most recent works, as well as the opportunities and challenges unique to women writers.
  • 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
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Her Story Her Story Her Story Her Story
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Signing and Photo Opportunity

Face-to-Face with Vivian Howard

Meet Vivian Howard in this intimate signing and photo op event immediately following her panel presentation in the Galloway Sanctuary. Vivian will sign books here and not in the signing tent.
  • Vivian Howard, Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South
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Face-to-Face with Vivian Howard Face-to-Face with Vivian Howard
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Celebrating our Roots: A Tribute to Mississippi’s Musical Heritage

Presented by the Mississippi Arts Commission From musicians to writers and tastemakers, this well-rounded collection of music lovers discusses music in Mississippi with moderator Scott Barretta.
  • 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
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Greg Iles and Stanley Nelson with Jerry Mitchell

Presented by The Clarion-Ledger Jerry Mitchell leads New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles and Stanley Nelson in a discussion about the events in their books, both fact and fiction.
  • 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
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Write for Mississippi Workshop

Write for Mississippi is an organization working to implement diverse projects that use creative writing and storytelling to further community engagement. Join the authors who have been taking a series of creative writing workshops into public high schools across 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
  • Michael Pickard, Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Millsaps College
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U.S. Presidents

Presented by Taggart, Rimes & Graham Executive Director and Managing Editor of the Ulysses S. Grant Association, John Marszalek leads this diverse group of authors through the lives of United States presidents and the men who served them.
  • 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
Live C-SPAN coverage presented by Entergy
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The Reading Stack

Presented by BKD CPAs & Advisors
Find out what these industry insiders have in their reading stack and what their suggestions are for your next book club pick.
  • 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
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Larry Brown, the South, and the Modern Novel

Presented by Wise Carter Child & Caraway Larry Brown’s longtime friend, Richard Howorth, brings together a few of the author’s friends to share Brown’s effect on their work and to discuss their own books.
  • 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
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Larry Brown, the South, and the Modern Novel Larry Brown, the South, and the Modern Novel Larry Brown, the South, and the Modern Novel Larry Brown, the South, and the Modern Novel
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Mississippi Middle Grade Readers (Bicentennial Feature)

Presented by Cornerstone Consulting In celebration of Mississippi’s Bicentennial, these Mississippi authors talk about writing for Middle Grade Readers.
  • 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
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TEENAGE MEDIA ACTIVITIES

Youth Media Project

The Youth Media Project is a new teen activity in the Creativity Center on Congress Street beginning at 2:30 pm. It will feature teenagers using digital technology to produce multimedia projects to share their own stories.
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Mississippi History

Presented by the Mississippi Humanities Council in partnership with the “Legacy of Race” initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities Leading history writers come together with Pamela Junior, Director of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, to discuss pivotal moments in Mississippi’s 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
C-SPAN LIVE presented by Entergy
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A Culture of Food

Presented by the Mississippi Arts Commission and Mississippi State University The festival brings together a collection of authors to discuss food histories and their influence on the cultures around them.
  • 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
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A Year in Mississippi

Presented by Mississippi State University “A Year in Mississippi” is a collection of forty essays, ten per season, celebrating significant events and traditions throughout the state. Join contributors as they discuss the background, history, and emotions of these events.
  • Charline McCord, A Year in Mississippi, MODERATOR
  • JoAnne Prichard Morris
  • Sid Salter
  • Seetha Srinivasan
  • Diane Williams
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Southern Fiction

Presented by Hederman Brothers Printing Today’s writers come together to discuss the power of the Southern narrative.
  • 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
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The Enduring Mystery with Otto Penzler

Presented by the University of Mississippi Bestselling Mystery writers come together to discuss this fiction mainstay.
  • 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
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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
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Signing and Photo Opportunity

Face-to-Face with Greg Iles and Stanley Nelson

Meet Greg Iles and Stanley Nelson in this intimate signing and photo op event immediately following their panel presentation in the Galloway Sanctuary. Greg and Stanley will sign books here and not in the signing tent.
  • Greg Iles, Mississippi Blood
  • Stanley Nelson, Devils Walking: Klan Murders along the Mississippi in the 1960s
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Face-to-Face with Greg Iles and Stanley Nelson Face-to-Face with Greg Iles and Stanley Nelson Face-to-Face with Greg Iles and Stanley Nelson
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SPECIAL EVENT

How Mississippi Changed America

Conversations About the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi and the Nation Historians, scholars and experts discuss the civil rights movement in Mississippi, ground zero for the national struggle. On the cusp of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum’s opening, hear how the stories the museum tells and history it shares are as much about America as Mississippi. As the people in the trenches in this state fought for change, their strategies and activities affected the movement beyond its borders — including other states and the powerful halls of the nation’s capital.
  • 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
SPONSORED BY The Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University, the Smith Robertson Museum and Cultural Center, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Tougaloo College and the Mississippi Book Festival HELD IN CONNECTION WITH The Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration and the opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Museum of Mississippi History FUNDED BY Bicentennial Grants from the Mississippi Humanities Council and Visit Mississippi, and a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation
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Southern History

Presented by Pigott Law Firm, PA From the schoolhouse to the courthouse, join these writers as they look back at events that shaped the South and its people.
  • 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
C-SPAN LIVE presented by Entergy
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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
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A Special Report: Vietnam Fifty Years Later

Presented by Y’all Politics Bestselling author Mark Bowden and Congressman Trent Kelly will share a conversation. These two will participate in a riveting discussion about America’s involvement in Vietnam with a special emphasis on the military veterans. Stay for book signing afterward!
  • MODERATOR TBD
  • Mark Bowden, Hue 1968
  • The Honorable Trent Kelly, United States Congressman
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Mississippi Encyclopedia (Bicentennial Feature)

Presented by Donna and Jim Barksdale and the Mississippi Humanities Council In celebration of the release of this all-encompassing work on Mississippi, editors of the Mississippi Encyclopedia come together to discuss this 20-year project in the making.
  • 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
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student outreach

Angie Thomas Speaks

New York Times best-selling author, and Jackson’s own, Angie Thomas will speak to 750 9th Graders from JPS. Each child will receive a free copy of Thomas’ new book, The Hate U Give. Mississippi Arts Commission Executive Director Malcolm White will introduce Thomas.  PBS NewsHour was on hand to tape this presentation and included a portion in the September 24, 2017 PBS NewsHour edition. Click here to view.
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More Than Just a Cookbook

Presented by Community Foundation of Greater Jackson and First Commercial Bank Some of our favorite chefs gather to share secrets, stories and, most of all, their love of food.
  • 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
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Voices of Home

Presented by the Mississippi Library Commission Join Tracy Carr, director of the Mississippi Center for the Book, for a discussion of Mississippi writing from four current Mississippi writers.
  • 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
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