Possumtown Book Fest

The Possumtown Book Fest brings literary and humanities programming to the communities of Northeast Mississippi. Last year, nearly 1,000 people attended the inaugural festival, which featured 25 nationally published authors from across the South and 25 independent authors from the local area. All panels and activities are free and open to the public, and we host a free book giveaway for children while supplies last.

This year’s event will consist of eight literary panels throughout the day, free writing workshops, and a children’s program and local author showcase running concurrently during the morning.

The first panel is inspired by the books Choctaw Tales and Choctaw Traditions, which were recently published by the University Press of Mississippi. Co-editors Rae Nell Vaughn, Eddie Johnson, and Jay Wesley are scheduled to give a presentation about the history, culture, and folklore of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

The second panel will be a moderated conversation with Wright Thompson, author of The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi. A journalist by training, Thompson describes how historic forces created an environment that led to the racially motivated murder of Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi, and how the social order has stymied attempts for justice, change, and racial healing. The Barn is this year’s selection for our Community Read, a program organized by Fant Memorial Library at Mississippi University for Women and sponsored by Friendly City Books, the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System, the City of Columbus, and the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science. The book fest is the kickoff of a year-long programming series engaging with The Barn, and we are collaborating with the Mississippi Humanities Council on program content.