A Gathering of Waters: Writers Series & Podcast featuring Dana Williams

Part of the “A Gathering of Waters: The Power of Place & Pen in Mississippi’s Literary Landscape” Program

Writers Series & Podcast featuring Dana Williams

• Thursday, February 19, 2026
• 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
• Location: Student Center Theatre

Theme: “Toni Morrison at Random: Inspiring Mississippi Publishing on Our Own Ground”

Program Description: Dr. Dana Williams, author of Toni at Random: The Iconic Writer’s Legendary Editorship, will be featured in conversation with Dr. Ebony Lumumba on Morrison’s impact as editor, and her relationship as mentee, she will also talk about the necessity for editing and publishing as a track for Creative Writing Programs at HBCUs – Jackson State University, in particular. Toni Morrison argued, ‘There is no place you or I can go, to think about or not think about, to summon the presences of, or recollect the absences of slaves . . . There is not even a tree scored, an initial that I can visit or you can visit in Charleston or Savannah or New York or Providence or better still on the banks of the Mississippi. And because such a place doesn’t exist . . . the book had to’. There are no HBCUs with major programs or courses in publishing and editing, and no publishing internships and opportunities offered. . Toni Morrison as the first Black female senior editor at Random House is inspiration for Black Mississippi students telling a Mississippi story, building a publishing institution on their own ground. This conversation will be followed by a live podcast recording featuring Dr. Carolyn Denard and JSU students and faculty in a discussion of selections of Toni Morrison’s literature that speaks on homeplace.