Mississippi Humanities Council

A Gathering of Waters: Artist Talk: A Conversation with Addie Citchens & Jerriod Avant
2026-03-24 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | 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
Artist Talk: A Conversation with Addie Citchens & Jerriod Avant

Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 2026
10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Location: Student Center Theatre

Theme: “Something’ About This Place Feels Like Home”
Program Description: The Mississippi Delta wetlands meets the Mississippi Appalachian hills in this Artist Talk with Addie Citchens of Clarksdale, and Jerriod Avant of Longtown. Citchens, author of Dominion, and Avant, author of Muscadine, will discuss how their particular landscapes inform the writing they do through fiction and poetry: in farmland and fisheries and gravel rock roads, in deer season and during church revival they describe. The authors, both graduates of JSU, will interrogate how the language, characters, setting, and style reflect their respective homeplaces.

HTA Lecture: “August Wilson's Fences and On the Ground Island"
2026-03-24 15:00 - 17:00 | Rust College, 150 Rust Ave, Holly Springs, MS, 38635, United States
Alice Berry will present the 2026 Humanities Teacher Award lecture for Rust College titled “August Wilson’s Fences and On the Ground Island.”
The lecture will take place on the Rust College campus on March 24, 2026, at 3 p.m.

Everlasting Screening - Cleveland
2026-03-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Delta State University, 1003 W Sunflower Rd, Cleveland, MS, 38733, United States
Everlasting: Life and Legacy of Medgar Evers will be screening at Delta State University thanks to a partnership between Mississippi Public Broadcasting, the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute, and the Mississippi Humanities Council. This original documentary from MPB explores the profound life, courage, and enduring influence of civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers.
The screening is free and open to the public and will be followed by a panel discussion on Evers’ legacy.
Tuesday, March 24, at 6 p.m. – Jobe Hall, Delta State University, Cleveland

HTA Lecture: “For Such a Time as This: How Media is Being Challenged and Changed in the 21st Century”
2026-03-25 11:00 - 13:00 | Tougaloo College, 500 W County Line Rd, Tougaloo, MS, 39174, United States
Erin Pickens Wansley will present the 2026 Humanities Teacher Award lecture for Tougaloo College titled “For Such a Time as This: How Media is Being Challenged and Changed in the 21st Century.”
“For Such a Time as This: How Media is Being Challenged and Changed in the 21st Century” will take a look at how the shift from traditional media to interactive platforms led to the seismic shift in how people view media today. View, not only in how people watch or read it, but the growth of misinformation and distrust in media.
The lecture will take place on the Tougaloo College campus on March 25, 2026, at 11 a.m.

HTA Lecture: “Parenting Styles”
2026-03-25 12:00 - 15:00 | Copiah-Lincoln Community College, 11 Co Lin Cir, Natchez, MS, 39120-4452, United States
Jackie Mardis, will present the 2026 Humanities Teacher Award lecture for Copiah-Lincoln Community College titled “Parenting Styles.”
The lecture will take place on the Copiah-Lincoln Community College campus on March 25, 2026, at 12:20 p.m.

A Gathering of Waters: International Poetry & Culture: In Translation
2026-03-26 10:00 - 14:00 | MS
Part of the “A Gathering of Waters: The Power of Place & Pen in Mississippi’s Literary Landscape” Program
International Poetry & Culture: In Translation

Thursday, March 26, 2026,
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: Student Center Legacy Dining Hall and Ballroom

Theme: “Mapping Mississippi: In Translation”
Program Description: Translating the poetry of international poets who reside in Mississippi in both English and cultural languages (Spanish, French, Swahili, Bengali, and Mandarin), “Mapping Mississippi” will bridge the various communities – and their artistic customs – of the state. It also locates the endangerment, disparity, and resilience of Chinese, Caribbean, and Latino Mississippi poets who make their homes in the Delta and other regions of the state. Nadia Alexis, of Haitian descent, Jianqing “John” Zheng, of Chinese descent, and C.T. Salazar, who is Latinx use their art to center the various cultures that make up the state, insisting, “I, Too, Sing Mississippi”. . “Mapping Mississippi” is a one-day series of activities including: poetic translation from English to cultural languages, a poetry workshop, and dance demonstrations through Salsa, Swahili African drum and dance, and Bengali dance traditions.

International Poetry and Culture
2026-03-26 10:00 - 14:00 | Jackson State University, 1400 J.R. Lynch Street, Jackson, MS, 39217

Speakers Bureau: “From the Scraps of My Life in the Mississippi Delta"
2026-03-26 11:00 - 13:00 | Embassy Suites Ridgeland, 200 Township Ave, Ridgeland, 39157, United States
J. Janice Coleman presents “From the Scraps of My Life in the Mississippi Delta”
Everyone loves to hear stories, and everyone loves the feel and the memories quilts and other homemade patchwork bring to mind. This combination of narrative and the nostalgia a patchwork coverlet evokes inspires people to talk about the quilts, dolls, and clothes their elders used to make for them. In her presentation, Dr. Coleman brings evokes these feelings in her audiences by choosing patchwork pieces that are relevant to the occasion and then telling the stories they pass on. Sometimes, Dr. Coleman presents in character. For example, if she is teaching Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path,” she may present in character as the protagonist Phoenix Jackson. In closing, Dr. Coleman always encourages audience members to consider the scraps of their own lives (old quilts and other coverlets, faded tee-shirts and jeans, worn shirts, skirts, and dresses) as materials that they can use to create their own meaningful patchworks. Dr. Coleman believes these recycled or re-purposed items can become priceless when they are recognized as part of the thread that runs through a family history. “With my scraps, I demonstrate the transformation between what they were and the art they have become,” says Dr. Coleman.

HTA Lecture: “Selected Genres of Piano Literature"
2026-03-26 13:00 - 15:00 | Alcorn State University, 1000 ASU Drive, Lorman, MS, 39096
Tony Gordon will present the 2026 Humanities Teacher Award lecture for Alcorn State University titled “Selected Genres of Piano Literature.”
The lecture will take place on the Alcorn State University campus on March 26, 2026, at 1 p.m.

HTA Lecture: “From Museum to Music: The Appropriation of Fine Art in Album Covers”
2026-03-27 10:00 - 12:00 | Northwest Mississippi Community College, 4975 Hwy 51 N, Senatobia, 38668
Lucia Nelson will present the 2026 Humanities Teacher Award lecture for Northwest Mississippi Community College titled “From Museum to Music: The Appropriation of Fine Art in Album Covers.”
This presentation will explore the use of appropriated art in album cover design, analyzing how musicians and designers repurpose existing artworks to create new meanings through a Postmodern lens. The examples selected will span a wide range of historical periods and artistic movements – from Classical to Contemporary – and encompass diverse musical genres.
The lecture will take place on the Northwest Mississippi Community College campus on March 27, 2026, at 10 a.m.

An Artist Talk!: "Something about This Place Feels Like Home!"
2026-03-27 10:00 - 12:00 | Johnson Hall Art Gallery, 1400 John R. Lynch Street, Jackson, 39217
Note: This event has been moved to Friday, March 27, at 10 a.m. in Johnson Hall Art Gallery on JSU campus.

An Artist Talk!: “Something about This Place Feels Like Home!”
Featuring writers Jerriod Avant (author of Muscadine) and Addie Citchens (author of Dominion).
March 27, 2026
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Johnson Hall Gallery
Jackson State University

Read & Rise
2026-03-28 09:00 - 12:00 | Katrina’s Klassroom, 1952 Simpson Hwy 149, Mendenhall, 39114, United States
Read & Rise is a family literacy program that brings children and parents together through shared reading, culturally relevant books, including works by Mississippi authors, parent workshops, and creative activities. Each session features community reading circles, guided literacy activities, strategies for supporting reading at home, and free book distribution to help families build home libraries. By engaging families in storytelling and reflection, Read & Rise promotes both literacy skills and a deeper understanding of human experiences and community values.

America250 Mississippi - Fashioning a Revolution: How Americans Bought, Fought, and Taught Their New Nation
2026-03-31 17:30 - 18:30 | Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th St N, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States
Fashioning a Revolution: How Americans Bought, Fought, and Taught Their New Nation

March 31, 2026 @ 5:30 PM
Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System downtown branch
Free and open to the public. Adults
Dr. Ural will discuss how America’s founding documents inspired Abraham Lincoln’s understanding of freedom, democracy, and citizenship during the American Civil War.
Contact: Mona Vance-Ali, 662-329-5300
www.clplsamerica250.com

America250 Mississippi - Civil War Era Mississippians Debate America’s Founding Principles
2026-04-07 12:00 - 14:00 | Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th St N, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States
Civil War Era Mississippians Debate America’s Founding Principles

April 7, 2026 @ 12 PM
Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System downtown branch
Free and open to the public. Adults
In this presentation, Dr. Ural, the Frank and Virginia Williams Chair for Abraham Lincoln & Civil War Studies at Mississippi State University and Co-Director of CWRGM, will share documents from the collection to help audience members understand how Mississippians remembered and fought over the nation’s founding traditions during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
Contact: Mona Vance-Ali, 662-329-5300
www.clplsamerica250.com

Everlasting Screening - Decatur
2026-04-07 13:30 - 15:30 | East Central Community College, 275 W Broad Street, Decatur, MS, 39327
Everlasting: Life and Legacy of Medgar Evers will be screening at East Central Community College thanks to a partnership between Mississippi Public Broadcasting, the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute, and the Mississippi Humanities Council. This original documentary from MPB explores the profound life, courage, and enduring influence of civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers.
The screening is free and open to the public and will be followed by a panel discussion on Evers’ legacy.
Tuesday, April 7, at 1:30 p.m. – Huff Auditorium, East Central Community College, Decatur

Words on Water - 1
2026-04-07 17:00 - 19:00 | Cutrer Mansion, 109 Clark St, Clarksdale, MS, 38614, United States
Join the Mississippi Humanities Council for “Words on Water: Reading, Reflection and Journeying on the Mississippi.” This two-week experience will bring together readers, students, educators, and community leaders for thoughtful discussions and a guided canoe journey along the Mississippi River near Clarksdale.
Participants will begin with conversations at the historic Cutrer Mansion centered on W. Ralph Eubanks’ acclaimed book When It’s Darkness on the Delta, then take those reflections onto the water with expert guides from Quapaw Canoe Company. The journey culminates in a special riverside dialogue with Eubanks himself, connecting story, history, and place in a powerful shared experience.
This program is part of the 2026 Being Human Festival and is supported by the National Humanities Center.
Registration is free and includes a copy of When It’s Darkness on the Delta, but space is limited, and attendees must commit to all four discussion dates.

April 7, 5–7 p.m. – Cutrer Mansion
April 14, 5–7 p.m. – Cutrer Mansion
April 21, 5–7 p.m. – Cutrer Mansion
April 25, 1–7:30 p.m. – Canoeing the Mississippi River, concluding with a meal and bonfire at the Quapaw Canoe landing

If you’re ready to read deeply, paddle boldly, and engage Mississippi’s stories “between the lines,” we encourage you to sign up today. The deadline for entry is March 29.
For more information or to reserve your spot, email Rei Lott at rlott@mhc.state.ms.us.

Speakers Bureau: “Developing Community Spaces: Storytelling, Stewardship, and the Soul of Place"
2026-04-09 13:00 - 15:00 | Community of Believers Cultural Fellowship, 719 3rd St, McComb, MS, 39648, United States
Kevin Enos 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.

Love Is a Sensation: Jackson Premiere Screening
2026-04-09 18:00 - 20:00 | Mississippi Museum of Art, 380 South Lamar Street, Jackson, MS, 39201
Thursday, April 9, 6 PM

In conjunction with the exhibition L.V. Hull: Love Is a Sensation, MMA is proud to host the premiere screening of the documentary Love is a Sensation directed by exhibition co-curator, producer, and editor Yaphet L. Smith, which lovingly documents the life and passions of the self-described “unusual artist,” L.V. Hull.
This screening will be followed by post screening conversation with exhibition guest curators Yaphet Smith.

Mrs. L.V. Hull Looking at Gift for B.B. King in Her Bedroom. L.V. Hull on her bed in her Kosciusko, Mississippi, home in 2003. Photo: Bruce West

America250 Mississippi - Colonial Brunch/Tea for All Ages!
2026-04-11 10:00 - 12:00 | Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th St N, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States
Colonial Brunch/Tea for All Ages!

April 11, 2026 @ 10 AM-12 PM
Columbus-Lowndes Public Library System downtown branch
Free and open to the public. All ages
Attendees will eat brunch, drink tea, and can bring their own teacups to show off while learning about manners and clothing from the 1700s from living history reenactor Jeanette Watts.
Contact: Mona Vance-Ali, 662-329-5300
www.clplsamerica250.com

America250 Mississippi - Flower Fest
2026-04-11 11:00 - 15:00 | 1007 Joseph St, Ocean Springs, 1007 Joseph St, Ocean Springs, MS, 39564, United States
Time & Location

Apr 11, 2026, 11:00 AM – 11:05 AM
1007 Joseph St, 1007 Joseph St, Ocean Springs, MS 39564, USA

About The Event

Join us on Saturday, April 11, from 11AM-3PM for the 4th Annual Flower Fest! A vibrant, eco-conscious celebration that invites the community to embrace the beauty of the natural world. Flower Fest is a free, family-friendly event designed to spark discovery, imagination, and community connection—all core to WAMA’s mission.
Inspired by Walter Anderson’s deep connection to the natural world, Flower Fest offers interactive art and environmental activities that encourage guests to see the world through the eyes of the artist. Every element of the festival is designed with sustainability in mind, using biodegradable materials to minimize environmental impact.
🎨 Hands-on art and nature activities that celebrate the beauty of the Gulf Coast
💐 Floral-inspired creations, including boutique-making with La Terre Farms and flower crowns with Palmette
🌿 Seeds and plants from local growers to bring a piece of nature home
🎶 Live music

Read More >

RSVP

America250 - "Blues IS Black History - Healing the Broken Memory. We are still African." Program at the 23rd Annual Juke Joint Festival
2026-04-11 11:00 - 18:00 | Crossroads Cultural Arts Center, 332 Delta Ave, Clarksdale, MS, 38614, United States
Through a series of presentations, conversations and oral histories, we’ll explore the unacknowledged yet enduring presence of African culture in the Mississippi Delta. From the songs of the Mabo’s, Jeli’s, Jali’s or griots of west Africa and early Blues recorded by Alan Lomax to contemporary Southern Soul and new explorations of African influence in films like Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, these conversations trace an epic oral history from before the Middle Passage to today.

America250 Mississippi - Southern Dish LIVE + Deep South Dining LIVE from The MAX @ Sipp & Savor
2026-04-11 18:00 - 21:00 | Virtual
Mississippi Public Broadcasting’s hit radio show, Deep South Dining, and newest original television series, Southern Dish, will be broadcasting live from the Sipp and Savor festival at the MAX. They’ll be diving into the powerful food traditions and talented creators that make Mississippi a culinary destination against the backdrop of one of the state’s premier food festivals.

Natchez Screening – Vicksburg
2026-04-11 19:00 - 21:00 | Strand Theatre, 717 Clay Street, Vicksburg, MS, 39183
Join us for a free event featuring a screening of Natchez at 7 p.m., on Saturday, April 11, at the Strand Theatre in Vicksburg. This 86-minute documentary journeys through an antebellum tourist destination at a crossroads as it grapples with a deeply troubled history.
The program will include a post-screening panel featuring local scholars, community voices, individuals from the film, and, at most sites, the filmmakers themselves. For more information, visit mshumanities.org/program/screenings.
Other MHC-sponsored screenings of Natchez include:

April 11, 7 p.m. at the Strand Theatre, Vicksburg
April 12, 2 p.m. at the Two Mississippi Museums, Jackson
April 14, 5:30 p.m. at the MUW Fant Library, Columbus
April 20, 5:30 p.m. at The Apothecary, Holly Springs
May 28, 6 p.m. at the Palace Theater, McComb
May 29, 6 p.m. at the Delta Arts Alliance, Cleveland

Natchez Screening – Jackson
2026-04-12 14:00 - 16:00 | TWO MISSISSIPPI MUSEUMS, 222 NORTH STREET , JACKSON, MS, United States
Join us for a free event featuring a screening of Natchez at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 12, in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson. This 86-minute documentary journeys through an antebellum tourist destination at a crossroads as it grapples with a deeply troubled history. Following the screening, a panel conversation will feature director Suzannah Herbert, producer Dacy McKinnon, Barney Schoby of the National Park Service, and Tracy Collins, known as “Rev” in the film. For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.
Other MHC-sponsored screenings of Natchez include:

April 11, 7 p.m. at the Strand Theatre, Vicksburg
April 12, 2 p.m. at the Two Mississippi Museums, Jackson
April 14, 5:30 p.m. at the MUW Fant Library, Columbus
April 20, 5:30 p.m. at The Apothecary, Holly Springs
May 28, 6 p.m. at the Palace Theater, McComb
May 29, 6 p.m. at the Delta Arts Alliance, Cleveland

Speakers Bureau: “See the “REAL” Mississippi"
2026-04-13 17:30 - 19:30 | Mississippi Cultural Crossroads building, 507 Market St, Port Gibson, MS, 39150, United States
Rev. Tracy Collins presents “See the “REAL” Mississippi”
Through vivid storytelling and on-the-ground interpretation, this program invites audiences to confront the layered history of Natchez – a city long celebrated for its beauty and wealth, yet rooted in the brutal realities of slavery and economic exploitation. As featured in the documentary Natchez, the presentation uncovers the contrast between the carefully curated image of “Old South grandeur” and the lived truth of those whose labor and suffering built prosperity.
Drawing from nearly a decade of research and public engagement, this presentation explores how power, greed, and moral compromise shaped not only antebellum Natchez but the broader American story. Participants will examine how myths of the Confederacy, racial hierarchy, and economic ambition were deliberately constructed – and how their legacies persist today in our social and cultural landscapes.
This is not a nostalgic tour but an honest reckoning with history: how a city became “the richest place in the world” before the Civil War, and what that wealth cost in human terms. By tracing these intersecting forces of economy, religion, and identity, “See the ‘REAL’ Mississippi” offers audiences a deeper understanding of how memory, morality, and justice continue to shape civic life in Mississippi and beyond.

America250 Mississippi - Unvanquished Soil: A Year at Greenfield Farm
2026-04-14 08:00 - 2026-07-31 17:00 | The University of Mississippi Museum, 5th St. & University, Oxford, MS, 38655, United States
Featuring selections from Thad Lee’s year-long documentary photography project, Unvanquished Soil: A Year at Greenfield Farm explores the legacy of William Faulkner’s mule farm. A place once shaped by work, community, and the families who called it home, now reclaimed by nature, Greenfield will soon reemerge as the home of Greenfield Farm Writers Residency. Presented across multiple university venues, including the Gammill Gallery at Barnard Observatory, Unvanquished Soil opens in April 2026 at the University of Mississippi Museum. This official America250 project was made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through support from the State of Mississippi.

Words on Water - 2
2026-04-14 17:00 - 19:00 | Cutrer Mansion, 109 Clark St, Clarksdale, MS, 38614, United States

Natchez Screening – Columbus
2026-04-14 17:30 - 19:30 | Mississippi University for Women – Fant Memorial Library, 1200 5th Ave S, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States
Join us for a free event featuring a screening of Natchez at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, in the Fant Memorial Library at the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus. This 86-minute documentary journeys through an antebellum tourist destination at a crossroads as it grapples with a deeply troubled history.
The program will include a post-screening panel featuring local scholars, community voices, individuals from the film, and, at most sites, the filmmakers themselves. For more information, visit mshumanities.org/program/screenings.
Other MHC-sponsored screenings of Natchez include:

April 11, 7 p.m. at the Strand Theatre, Vicksburg
April 12, 2 p.m. at the Two Mississippi Museums, Jackson
April 14, 5:30 p.m. at the MUW Fant Library, Columbus
April 20, 5:30 p.m. at The Apothecary, Holly Springs
May 28, 6 p.m. at the Palace Theater, McComb
May 29, 6 p.m. at the Delta Arts Alliance, Cleveland

America250 Mississippi: Artist Talk with Thad Lee
2026-04-14 17:30 - 21:00 | The University of Mississippi Museum, 5th St. & University, Oxford, MS, 38655, United States
Join the University of Mississippi Museum next Tuesday, April 14th, for an artist talk with Thad Lee.
Thad Lee is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and photographer. He studied English and Philosophy at the University of Mississippi and earned an MFA in Screenwriting from the University of New Orleans.
His photography explores abstract patterns in nature, including his Murmurations series and experimental Moon Paintings created with long-exposure light techniques. He received a 2021 Artist Fellowship from the Mississippi Arts Commission and has exhibited widely.
He lives in Oxford, Mississippi with his wife and son. Thad’s work is on exhibit in Unvanquished Soil: A Year at Greenfield Farm.
Now on view at the University of Mississippi Museum, Unvanquished Soil is an official America250 project and was made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through support from the State of Mississippi.

Everlasting Screening - Oxford
2026-04-14 18:00 - 20:00 | The Grove Stage, University of Mississippi, 49 University Ave, University, MS, 38677, United States
Everlasting: Life and Legacy of Medgar Evers will be screening at the University of Mississippi thanks to a partnership between Mississippi Public Broadcasting, the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Institute, and the Mississippi Humanities Council. This original documentary from MPB explores the profound life, courage, and enduring influence of civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers.

The screening is free and open to the public and will be followed by a panel discussion on Evers’ legacy.

Tuesday, April 14, 5:30 p.m. – Overby Auditorium, The University of Mississippi, Oxford
