Mississippi Humanities Council

HTA Lecture: “Not the Same Old Story: Learning How to Stop So You Can Start”
2026-02-04 14:00 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Mississippi University for Women, 1100 College Street, Columbus, MS, 39701
T.K. Lee will present the 2026 Humanities Teacher Award lecture for Mississippi University for Women titled “Not the Same Old Story: Learning How to Stop So You Can Start.”
This is a craft talk offering tried-and-true tricks designed to help you turn procrastination into a priority when you sit down to face the page
The lecture will take place on the Mississippi University for Women campus on February 4, 2026, at 4 p.m.

HTA Lecture: “Swiftly Romantic: The Parallel Lives of Clara Schumann and Taylor Swift”
2026-02-03 18:00 - 20:00 | Itawamba Community College, 602 W Hill Street, Fulton, MS, 38843
Dr. Anna Morgan will present the 2026 Humanities Teacher Award lecture for Itawamba Community College titled “Swiftly Romantic: The Parallel Lives of Clara Schumann and Taylor Swift.”
“Swiftly Romantic: The Parallel Lives of Clara Schumann and Taylor Swift” is on the corresponding careers of Clara Schumann and Taylor Swift. Both were composer-performers who balanced their public and private personas, ventured through male-dominated fields, and gained economic independence through music. Dr. Morgan will be playing excerpts from both artists on the piano.
The lecture will take place on the Itawamba Community College campus on February 3, 2026, at 6 p.m.

HTA Lecture: “Mississippi Memory: Landscape, Loss, and Legacy”
2026-02-03 15:30 - 17:30 | Mississippi State University, Bost Theater, Starkville, MS
Kemeshia Swanson will present the 2026 Humanities Teacher Award lecture for Mississippi State University titled “Mississippi Memory: Landscape, Loss, and Legacy.”
“Mississippi as Memory: Landscape, Loss, and Legacy” will explore how Mississippi’s expansive history, rich culture, and complicated legacy remain imprinted on the landscape, shaping both progress and pride in ways that are deeply felt by its residents. In this presentation, Swanson previews research from her upcoming book publication, Love and War: Intimacy and Activism in the Works of Jesmyn Ward. Jesmyn Ward is a two-time National Book Award winner and Mississippi native.
The lecture will take place on the Mississippi State University campus on February 3, 2026, at 3:30 p.m.

HTA Lecture: "Carrying the Fire: Old Books and New Maps"
2026-02-02 16:00 - 18:00 | Belhaven University, 1500 Peachtree Street, Jackson, MS, 39202
Dr. Matthew Guinn will present the 2026 Humanities Teacher Award lecture for Belhaven University titled “Carrying the Fire: Old Books and New Maps.”
The lecture will take place on the Belhaven University campus on February 2, 2026, at 4 p.m.

A Gathering of Waters: African American Read-In
2026-02-02 10:00 - 15:00 | Jackson State University, 1400 J.R. Lynch Street, Jackson, MS, 39217
Part of the “A Gathering of Waters: The Power of Place & Pen in Mississippi’s Literary Landscape” Program
African American Read-In

Monday, February 2, 2026
10 a.m. -3 p.m.
Location: LIB 166

Theme: “Honoring the Mississippi Story: Local Luminaries Illuminating Paths to Knowledge”
Program Description: In a full day of panels featuring Mississippi writers, many current or former JSU English professors, AARI will interrogate how Mississippi’s rich cultural landscape is influenced by artistic expressions of identity. In the opening panel “A Rhythmic Cultural Confluence: Art, Music, and Identity in Mississippi”, Mississippi born writers Charlie Braxton, C. Liegh McInnis, and Jerriod Avant will discuss how Mississippi’s landscape informs literature and lyrics that explore race, resistance, and resilience. The second panel “Black Romance in Mississippi’s Literary Tradition”, Candice Love Jackson and C. Liegh McInnis will describe portrayals of romance in Black narratives and cinematic features amid familial and communal traditions in Mississippi. The third panel “To Tell a Mississippi Story: Inspiring the Next Generation of Creatives” Danielle Littlefield and Kelly Ellis will describe how young Mississippians are innovating while preserving Mississippi traditions, honoring heritage while expanding boundaries. Additionally, the fourth panel “Storybook Mississippi: Children’s Literature” featuring children’s authors Leona Bishop, Sharon Russell Robinson, and Maria Ricketts will discuss the impact of picture books to develop children’s connection to their Mississippi homeplace.

Sunday Screening: Possum Town
2026-02-01 14:00 - 16:00 | TWO MISSISSIPPI MUSEUMS, 222 NORTH STREET , JACKSON, MS, United States
Join us for a screening of Possum Town, a feature-length documentary that explores the legacy of O. N. Pruitt’s photographs in the lives of people from Columbus, Mississippi, at 2 p.m. Sunday, February 1, in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium. This 99-minute film focuses on a Columbus native who compares O. N. Pruitt’s photographic negatives from the Jim Crow era with everyday stories of the town’s citizens today. Following the screening, a panel conversation will feature attorney Wil Colom, who appears in the film, and filmmakers Berkley Hudson and Daniel Christian. For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.

HTA Lecture: “How the School of Pop Culture Unites, Divides, and Informs”
2026-01-28 10:00 - 12:00 | Jones College, 900 S Court St, Ellisville, MS, 39437, United States
Dr. Caleb Smith will present the 2026 Humanities Teacher Award lecture for Jones College titled “How the School of Pop Culture Unites, Divides, and Informs.”
“How the School of Pop Culture Unites, Divides, and Informs” is on how popular culture in American society can unite people through shared experiences or divide people through factors like demographic or ideological means. Additionally, popular culture can educate or miseducate people, shaping perceptions and skewing opinions. This presentation will highlight a few examples of how popular culture has become so ingrained in society that even international movements have found symbols and motivation through popular culture and how some pieces of this culture have created social mirrors to reflect upon parts of our society.
The lecture will take place on the Jones College campus on January 28, 2026, at 10 a.m.

Speakers Bureau: "A Look at Mande (West African) Culture Through Traditional Music"
2026-01-24 11:00 - 12:00 | Happy Tummies Pediatric GI, 1679 Old Fannin Rd Ste E, Flowood, MS, 39232, United States
Jerry Jenkins presents “A Look at Mande (West African) Culture Through Traditional Music” on January 24, 2026, at 11 a.m.
This presentation will give the listener a glimpse of the Mande Culture of West Africa. In the tradition of the Mande, the history and culture is orally preserved in the minds and through the music of the Djeli (oral librarian/mandenka hereditary professional musicians). The establishment of the Mali Empire can be recalled and retold in the musical piece of the legendary Densoba (great warrior) Sunjata. This discussion explores the function of the Mande music and musical instruments, Mande class system, songs, ceremonies and stories. The discussion also examines the influence of West Africa on American culture and why the djembe was outlawed during slavery. Participants will learn about the djembe, its introduction by drummers like Babatunde Olatunji in 1950 and Ladji Camara from Guinea, and how it spread throughout America.

Witness: The Freedom Memory Project Webinar
2026-01-15 09:30 - 10:30 | zoom
Join the MHC program staff on Thursday, January 15, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. for a Zoom webinar exploring Witness: The Freedom Memory Project. The webinar is free and open to all. Registration required. After the webinar, participants may request a one-on-one consultation regarding the program and application process.

Speakers Bureau: "The American Revolution in the Gulf South"
2026-01-12 11:30 - 13:30 | Historic Natchez Foundation, 108 S. Commerce St., Natchez, MS, United States
Max Grivno presents: “The American Revolution in the Gulf South”
The history of the American Revolution along the Gulf South is seldom told. Although most of the Europeans who called the region were sympathetic to the British — or at least hoped to remain neutral — the conflict soon engulfed the territory of what would, in time, become Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. This presentation examines how the American Revolution transformed the Gulf South. It tells the story of how the Americans, British and Spanish vied for control of the Mississippi River and Gulf seaports, and how the Choctaws and Chickasaws struggled to preserve their homelands by courting the rival powers. It describes James Willing’s disastrous raid on Natchez, the Choctaw occupation of Natchez and the campaign launched by Spanish Bernardo de Galvez, who conquered Natchez and Pensacola and drove the British from the region. The lecture also discusses the consequences of the Revolution for the people of the Gulf Coast In the aftermath of the war, the Spanish and the Americans vied to control Natchez and the territory around present-day Vicksburg, while native confederacies like the Choctaw and Chickasaw grappled with the rising power of the United States.

Reading the Room
2025-12-11 18:00 - 20:00 | Urban Foxes, Jackson, MS, 39202, United States
The Mississippi Humanities Council is pleased to partner with the Mississippi Book Festival and Urban Foxes to present our next Reading the Room event.
If you love reading, socializing, and any excuse to talk about books, then join us!

Thursday, December 11th at 6:00 pm
Urban Foxes
826 North St, Jackson, MS 39202

Bring any book you are currently reading, enjoy some time set aside to read on your own, and talk books with your neighbors over drinks and snacks. Come celebrate Mississippi’s vibrant literary culture with us!

Speakers Bureau: “A Look at Mande (West African) Culture Through Traditional Music"
2025-12-11 17:30 - 21:00 | Mississippi Children’s Museum, 2145 Museum Blvd, , MS, Jackson, MS, 39202, United States
Jerry Jenkins presents: “A Look at Mande (West African) Culture Through Traditional Music”
This presentation will give the listener a glimpse of the Mande Culture of West Africa. In the tradition of the Mande, the history and culture is orally preserved in the minds and through the music of the Djeli (oral librarian/mandenka hereditary professional musicians). The establishment of the Mali Empire can be recalled and retold in the musical piece of the legendary Densoba (great warrior) Sunjata. This discussion explores the function of the Mande music and musical instruments, Mande class system, songs, ceremonies and stories. The discussion also examines the influence of West Africa on American culture and why the djembe was outlawed during slavery. Participants will learn about the djembe, its introduction by drummers like Babatunde Olatunji in 1950 and Ladji Camara from Guinea, and how it spread throughout America.

Remembering Emmett: From Silence to Social Change
2025-12-04 18:00 - 20:00, 2025-11-15 11:00 - 13:00 | Mound Bayou Museum of African American Culture & History, 200 Roosevelt St, Mound Bayou, MS, 38762, United States
“Remembering Emmett: From Silence to Social Change” is an exhibit by the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in support of the Community Read. This event is also supported by the Mississippi Humanities Council.

Speakers Bureau: "A Look at Mande (West African) Culture Through Traditional Music"
2025-12-03 09:00 - 11:00 | Casey Elementary School PTA, 2101 Lake Cir, Jackson, MS, 39211, United States

Speakers Bureau: "The Queen's Critters: Victorian Era Influence on Mississippi Animals
2025-11-22 12:00 - 15:00 | Desoto County Courthouse, 2535 US-51, Hernando, MS, 38632, United States
Andi Lehman presents: “The Queen’s Critters: Victorian Era Influence on Mississippi Animals”
Few people realize the huge influence of the Victorian Age and Queen Victoria on our view and treatment of animals in Mississippi and across the United States. The Queen’s Critters: Victorian Era Influence on Mississippi Animals explains how Victorian reformers ushered in a new way of looking at animals as companions and not just as beasts of burden or commodities (without implying there is anything wrong with either of those services to humanity.)
As Queen Victoria, Andi will explain how the Queen’s love for animals and her royal support helped shape the domestic destiny of animals on both sides of the Atlantic and present a quick overview of the Victorian laws passed in England and review the history of our current laws that govern animal rights in MS.
She will introduce several species that were popular as pets in Victorian times and some additional species that are popular today, including a rabbit, a common rat, a working therapy dog, a talking bird, and two reptiles. This presentation of the history of animal welfare and advocacy from England to Mississippi is educational and fun and engages both adults and children in a positive look at life with animals in our state.

Speakers Bureau: “From The Fields To The Factory: The Great Migration of African Americans from the Fields of Mississippi to the Cities and Factories in the North"
2025-11-22 10:30 - 12:00 | City of Hernando, 475 W Commerce St, Hernando, MS, 38632-2102, United States
Dr. Brinda Fuller Willis presents: “From The Fields To The Factory: The Great Migration of African Americans from the Fields of Mississippi to the Cities and Factories in the North”

This presentation will explore the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North in the 20th century.

Mississippi Freedom Trail Unveiling: Jackson Civil Rights Lawyers (Young, Hall, Brown)
2025-11-14 11:00 - 14:00 | Big Apple Inn, 509 N. Farish Street, Jackson, MS, 39202, United States
Mississippi Freedom Trail Unveiling: Jackson Civil Rights Lawyers (Young, Hall, Brown)
Big Apple Inn
Jackson, MS

11 a.m.

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Speakers Bureau: “Prehistoric Native American Stone Tools”
2025-11-07 13:00 - 15:00 | Hatley Elementary School, 60286 Hatley RD, Amory, MS, 38821-7215
William Arinder presents: “Prehistoric Native American Stone Tools”
Program about how prehistoric Native Americans made and used stone tools. Includes “hands on” artifact display with audience participation encouraged.
Speakers Expertise: Mr. Arinder has studied Early American and Native American cultures for nearly 50 years, assembling a sizeable collection of artifacts which he uses to leade living history programs for local schools, civic clubs and museums. He volunteers as an interpretive historian with the Natchez Trace Parkway, leading monthly history and pioneer craft demonstrations at the Visitor Center in Tupelo.

Speakers Bureau: "Prehistoric Native American Stone Tools"
2025-11-06 13:00 - 15:00 | Hatley Elementary School, 60286 Hatley RD, Amory, MS, 38821-7215

Remembering Emmett: From Silence to Social Change
2025-11-01 11:00 - 17:00 | Morning Star Baptist Church, 2050 Thornton Ave, Gulfport, MS, 39501, United States

Speakers Bureau: "Developing Community Spaces: Storytelling, Stewardship, and the Soul of Place"
2025-10-30 10:00 - 12:00 | Mississippi Cultural Crossroads, 507 Market Street , Port Gibson , MS, 39150, United States
Kevin Brown presents: “Developing Community Spaces: Storytelling, Stewardship, and the Soul of Place”
In “Developing Community Spaces,” Kevin Brown explores how physical spaces—especially neglected lots, abandoned properties, and overlooked landmarks—can be transformed into powerful sites of memory, cultural identity, and civic healing. By honoring and acknowledging a community’s past, these forgotten sites can become reflections of historical pain and new hope.
Drawing from Kevin’s work creating Gertrude’s Garden in the historic Burglund District of McComb, Mississippi, this presentation offers insight into revitalizing historical spaces, engaging the community through oral histories, art, and public programs, and connecting with state-wide resources. “Developing Community Spaces” shares a living model of how the humanities can come alive through the land itself.

Speakers Bureau: "Mississippi Telling"
2025-10-28 15:00 - 18:30 | Community Market Oxford/Lafayette, 1801 University Ave, Oxford, MS, 38655, United States
Rebecca Jernigan presents: “Mississippi Telling”

The presenter provides an overview of the storytelling Renaissance in America with emphasis upon the oral tradition in Mississippi. The literary tradition of Mississippi owes much to the rich storytelling legacy that riddles the tales of our families and our communities as reflected in the works of many of our best authors: Welty, Wright, Faulkner, Henley, Williams. As part of the presentation, Dr. Jernigan performs as a story teller calling upon on her rich repertoire of original tales and literary masterpieces gearing her choices of tales according to her audience and offers material for children and adults.

Speakers Bureau: "Why We Call It Soul Food"
2025-10-28 12:00 - 14:00 | Holmes Community College – Ridgeland Campus, 412 W. Ridgeland Avenue, Ridgeland, MS, 39157
Dr. Brinda Fuller Willis presents: “Why We Call It Soul Food”
“Why We Call It Soul Food” tells the story of why southerners, especially African American southerners, call the foods we eat “soul food.” Dr. Willis discusses the emotional and physical aspects of soul food as it relates to our culture and history. She also discusses the bonds attached to the growing, nurturing and preparation of these foods as it relates to our culture and way of life in the South.

Speakers Bureau: "The Mississippi Melting Pot"
2025-10-21 17:00 - 20:00 | Walthall County Library, 707 Union RD, Tylertown, MS, 39667-2261
Andrew Haley presents: “The Mississippi Melting Pot”

A brief history (from tamales to red beans and rice) of the various ethnic and racial culinary traditions that have shaped Mississippians’ diets.

Spill the Tea: LGBTQ&A History and Experiences Panel
2025-10-17 17:00 - 18:30 | The Depot – Tupelo, 208 N. Front Street, Tupelo, MS, 38804, United States
Spill the Tea: LGBTQ&A History and Experiences Panel
The Depot | 208 N. Front Street
Tupelo, MS
5-6:30 p.m.
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Mississippi Humanities Council Board Meeting
2025-10-17 10:30 - 17:00 | Mississippi Library Commission, 3881 Eastwood Dr, Jackson, MS, 39211, United States
The Mississippi Humanities Council will hold its regular board meeting at the Mississippi Library Commission tomorrow, Friday, October 17, at 11 a.m.

Let’s Talk About “Sinners!”
2025-10-16 18:30 - 21:00 | The MAX, 2118 Front St, Meridian, MS, 39301, United States
Everyone who has seen the 2025 hit film Sinners wants to discuss it. Here’s your chance.
Set in Mississippi, sharing Mississippi stories and showcasing Mississippi talent, Sinners follows twin brothers in Clarksdale who’ve returned home to open a juke joint. The movie intertwines historical drama, social commentary, and horror with a Mississippi soundtrack that can’t be beat.
Following a free screening at the historic Temple Theater for the Performing Arts (2320 8th St) on Wednesday, October 15, come to The MAX on Thursday for a robust panel conversation featuring a filmmaker, scholar, blues musician, and community leaders from the Delta. The discussion will open up for dialogue with the audience towards the end.
Please RSVP and let us know you are coming to help us prepare.
Sinners is rated R for strong bloody violence, sexual content, and language. Parental guidance is strongly suggested.
Presented in partnership with: Film Mississippi, Mississippi Film Society, Mississippi Humanities Council, and Downtown Meridian.

Mississippi Delta Tennessee Williams Festival
2025-10-16 - 2025-10-18 | Coahoma Community College, 3240 Friars Point Road, Clarksdale, MS, 38614, United States
A celebration of everything Tennessee Williams. As a child growing up in Clarksdale the seeds were planted that grew into people and places in his writing. From porch plays to scholarly discussions there is something for every Tennessee Williams fan.
Learn More

FREE Screening of “Sinners”
2025-10-15 18:30 - 21:00 | The MAX, 2118 Front St, Meridian, MS, 39301, United States
Everyone’s talking about the hit film Sinners. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s your chance.
Set in Mississippi, sharing Mississippi stories and showcasing Mississippi talent, Sinners is the 2025 hit thriller that follows twin brothers in Clarksdale who’ve returned home to open a juke joint. The movie intertwines historical drama, social commentary, and horror with a Mississippi soundtrack that can’t be beat.
Join us at the historic Temple Theater for the Performing Arts (2320 8th St) for a free screening, then come to The MAX on Thursday, October 16, at 6:30 pm for a panel conversation.
Sinners is rated R for strong bloody violence, sexual content, and language. Parental guidance is strongly suggested.
Presented in partnership with: Film Mississippi, Mississippi Film Society, Mississippi Humanities Council, and Downtown Meridian.
