Mississippi Humanities Council

The History of This Place: Mississippi's Bicentennial in Itawamba County
2017-08-24 | Itawamba County Welcome Center, Highway 78 , Tremont , MS, 38876, United States
WELCOME CENTER CELEBRATION
Itawamba County is blessed to have one of the thirteen Welcome Centers in Mississippi. The Itawamba County Welcome Center is located in the northeastern area of the State, known as the Hills region. Perched on a hillside at the western tip of the Appalachians, the Welcome Center
overlooks Interstate 22 and evokes the antebellum South with its beautiful Williamsburg design.
And, as part of the Bicentennial celebrations, the Bicentennial Committee will make presentations on life, art, music, and commerce, using photographs from the 1800 and 1900s of Itawamba County at the county’s own Welcome Center.
In addition to the local history, the Welcome Center will also display
Bicentennial materials, as well as the art show exhibit from April entitled “Symbols of
Mississippi.” Native American artifacts found within the County will be on display, as a gift to the Bicentennial efforts. Federal judge Michael P. Mills will make a presentation regarding the history of the Itawamba County Native Americans, their lives in the early 1800’s, and their exodus.

Monday Movie Nights at the Delta Blues Museum presents The Blues Brothers (1980)
2017-08-21 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | Delta Blues Museum, 1 Blues Alley , Clarksdale , MS , 38614
August is John Lee Hooker Month at the Museum, and the blues legend makes an appearance in this iconic film–as do many other Mississippi blues artists. August 22, 2017, marks what would have been Hooker’s centennial birthday. Museum events planned for August include 30th Annual Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival performances and a special exhibit of John Lee Hooker artifacts and memorabilia in the Museum.

Guests are encouraged to bring their own seating – each screening will start at approximately 8:00pm.
This is apart of the monthly outdoor film series, “Monday Movie Nights: Celebrating Mississippi’s Music History and Heritage,” that reflects the state’s rich musical heritage in light of the Bicentennial. A brief discussion and/or “Question and Answer” session will be held prior to each screening, providing the audience context as to the movie’s connection to Delta Blues music as well as background on the importance of the film and its time and place in cinematic history.

Sunset Presentation of the Blues Documentary “M for Mississippi” in Deweese Park
2017-08-19 20:00 - 23:00 (America/Chicago) | Deweese Park, 802 Holland Ave , Philadelphia, MS, 39250, United States
Take part in the Neshoba County Red Clay Hills Bicentennial Celebration!
Bring the family. some chairs and blankets, to Deweese Park to join the Neshoba County Red Clay Hills Bicentennial Celebration in watching the interesting documentary, M for Mississippi at Sundown! (And maybe even get the chance to hear some live blues!)
Admission is free and concessions will be available for purchase.

Women of Mississippi on Film
2017-08-19 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Locals Restaurant & Bar, 309 North Lamar, Oxford, MS, United States
The Oxford Film Festival and Sarah Isom Center are teaming up to celebrate the image of the Mississippi women in the Centennial celebration. With 6 films as part of the monthly series, the two will screen a film and then lead a panel discussion about the main female protagonist in each film and the interpretation of the female in Mississippi through the context of the film. Panelist are Jamie Jarker, Melanie Addington and Theresa Starkey.
July 22nd
August 19th
September 23rd

Mississippi Marathon Read
2017-08-19 09:30 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | State Capitol, Room 204, 400 High Street, Jackson, MS, United States
The MHC is proud to partner with the Mississippi Library Commission in the first ever Mississippi Marathon Read at the Mississippi Book Festival August 19! Come celebrate the publication of the new Mississippi Literary Map, funded by a Bicentennial Grant from MHC and Visit Mississippi. From 9:30 to 5, 15 Festival panelists will read from the works of 15 of your favorite Mississippi authors in 30-minute increments. All the fun happens in room 204 in the Capitol, so come on by to hear your new favorites read your old favorites!
Schedule:
9:30 Katy Simpson Smith reads Eudora Welty
10:00 Taylor Kitchings reads Barry Hannah
10:30 John Gregory Brown reads Lewis Nordan
11:00 Norma Watkins reads Anne Moody
11:30 Jami Attenberg reads Donna Tartt
12:00 Ebony Lumumba reads Margaret Walker Alexander
12:30 Steve Yates reads Walker Percy
1:00 Mary Miller reads Ellen Gilchrist
1:30 Gilbert Ford reads Tennessee Williams
2:00 Tom Franklin reads Larry Brown
2:30 Odie Lindsey reads Brad Watson
3:00 Michael Farris Smith reads Jesmyn Ward
3:30 Ralph Eubanks reads Richard Wright
4:00 Beth Ann Fennelly reads Natasha Trethewey
4:30 John T. Edge reads William Faulkner

Mississippi Book Festival
2017-08-19 09:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Mississippi State Capitol, 400 High St, Jackson, MS, 39201, United States
A Literary Lawn Party: August 19, 2017!
FREE ADMISSION | FREE PARKING | OPEN TO PUBLIC
150+ Authors | 30+ Panels | Live Interviews | Book Signings | Kid Activities | Capitol Tours
The Mississippi Book Festival’s annual “literary lawn party” on the grounds of the Mississippi State Capitol Building turns the historic landmark into a hub of celebration in downtown Jackson. Stately rooms at the Capitol, Galloway United Methodist Church, and The Foundery at Galloway become venues for distinguished panelists, the verdant lawn a gathering spot for book lovers, and surrounding streets a marketplace for booksellers. C-SPAN broadcasts live from the Capitol’s Old Supreme Court Room. Capitol tours showcase the building’s Beaux Arts splendor throughout the day and a special Library of Congress exhibit is on view in the Rotunda. Live music, kids’ activities and food vendors turn bordering streets into a bustling family hangout. The entire event is handicapped accessible, with free parking on public streets and in parking garages at neighboring Woolfolk and Walter Sillers buildings.

2017 Old Tishomingo County Genealogy Fair
2017-08-19 08:00 - 16:00, 2017-08-18 13:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Waldron St. Christian Church, 816 Waldron St., Corinth , MS, 38834, United States
Alcorn County Genealogy Society, Prentiss County Genealogical & Historical Society, and Tishomingo County Historical & Genealogical Society will engage the services of scholars specialized in Grave Dowsing, Research available at the Mississippi Department of Archives & History with emphasis on African-American and Native American Genealogy, and DNA research.

Mississippi Literary Map
2017-08-19 | MS
The Mississippi Literary Map project will create an updates visual map of Mississippi’s authors. It will feature diverse mix of classic and emerging voices from the state. Copies of the map will be on display in Mississippi’s public libraries and distributed to the state’s 13 welcome centers, with public programming at three library sites at the end of the year. The map will be unveiled at the Mississippi Book Festival on August 19, 2017 and smaller maps will be available to the public at the book festival, public libraries, and MLC. The map fosters a starting point for community conversations about Mississippi literature.

Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series presents LOS POBOYCITOS
2017-08-18 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | Chain Park, Hattiesburg , MS
Join in the Fun
Bring your lawn chair and enjoy Mississippi’s musical culture on Friday evenings this summer with the Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series! This is apart of a 10-week music series taking place at 7pm at Chain Park during July, August and part of September (final dates and performers TBA).
Chain Park will open at 5:00 pm on the day-of-show so you can get the best seat possible!
Selected to be one of 15 Levitt AMP Music sites across the nation, Levitt AMP Hattiesburg will bring the community together through high-quality, family-friendly music, representative of Mississippi’s unique culture.
Oh, and did we mention that Levitt AMP Hattiesburg has been designated as an official Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration?

In the Writer's Words with Katy Simpson Smith
2017-08-17 | Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main Street , Columbus , MS, United States
Join the awarding-winning author in a discussion of her works, Q & A, and readings from her highly popular novels.

Lower Delta Talk Series
2017-08-15 18:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | Sharkey Issaquena County Library, 116 Robert Morganfield Way, Rolling Fork, MS, 39159
The Lower Delta Speakers Series includes a variety of folks who will speak on a topic of interest each month, topics that tell great Mississippi stories focused on our region of the Mississippi Delta and that help explain the important role the Delta plays in regards to the entire state of Mississippi. Some of the topics included in the 2017 will include People and their Stories, History, and Culture, Food and the Outdoors.

August 15th- James Matthews
September 19th- Richard Grant
October 17th- Cathy Shropshire
November 14th- Willy Bearden

A Movie Viewing of The Help
2017-08-11 19:00 - 21:30 (America/Chicago) | Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main Street , Columbus , MS, United States
Come and watch the hit movie based on Kathryn Stockett’s popular book which will bring both tears & laughter.​

Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series presents CEDRIC BURNSIDE PROJECT
2017-08-11 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Chain Park, Hattiesburg , MS

The Sunflower River Blues Association's 30th Anniversary
2017-08-11 - 2017-08-13 | MS

Speakers Bureau: Why the British Left Mississippi
2017-08-01 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | South Mississippi Genealogy & Historical Society, 307 2nd Ave , Hattiesburg , MS
The presentation will consider Mississippi not as a “closed society” or provincial backwater but as a “middle ground” for interaction among empires, cultures, and forces of global change. Audiences are invited to imagine pig-crazy conquistadors and Native Americans as well as the lone pilot in the Civil War air force.
Myron C. Noonkester teaches history at William Carey College

200 Years of Shared History: Mississippi & the Blues
2017-07-29 13:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | Alamo Theater, 333 N. Farish St, Jackson, MS, United States
Day-long event examining the parallel between the history of blues music and state history, including documentary film showings, musical demonstrations and narrative presentations by historians and musicians.

Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series presents BLUE MOTHER TUPELO
2017-07-28 07:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | Chain Park, Hattiesburg , MS

Columbus Community Theatre Youth present "Mississippi Characters"
2017-07-28 | Rosenzweig Arts Center, 501 Main Street , Columbus , MS, United States
Take a walk through Mississippi history with Columbus Community Theatre Youth and meet some of our state’s historical and colorful characters.
Tours will be at: 6:30, 7, 7:30, & 8pm

Monday Movie Nights at the Delta Blues Museum presents Ode to Billy Joe (1976)
2017-07-24 20:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | Outdoor Stage @ the Delta Blues Museum, 1 Blues Alley, Clarksdale, MS, 38614, United States
Based on the song written by Mississippian Bobbie Gentry, the film tells the fictional story of “the day that Billy Joe McCallister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge,” which is located within an hour of Clarksdale. Museum highlights will feature an Artist Spotlight on Tallahatchie County‘s own Sonny Boy Williamson as well as an exhibit on Sonny Boy in the gallery along with a “King Biscuit Time.”
Guests are encouraged to bring their own seating – each screening will start at approximately 8:00pm.
This is apart of the monthly outdoor film series, “Monday Movie Nights: Celebrating Mississippi’s Music History and Heritage,” that reflects the state’s rich musical heritage in light of the Bicentennial. A brief discussion and/or “Question and Answer” session will be held prior to each screening, providing the audience context as to the movie’s connection to Delta Blues music as well as background on the importance of the film and its time and place in cinematic history.

Women of Mississippi on Film
2017-07-22 17:00 (America/Chicago) | Shelter on Van Buren, 1221 Van Buren Ave , Oxford , MS , 38655

L.I.F.E. (Love Is For Everybody) Summit 2017
2017-07-22 09:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | United Family Life Center, 1101 Dr. MLK Drive , Cleveland , MS, 38732
L.I.F.E. (Love Is For Everybody) Summit is a one day summit for youth and young adults ages 13-19 in the Cleveland/Bolivar County area. It’s purpose is to provide workshops and activities that seek to encourage them to embrace their heritage, to expound on the positive aspects of their culture, to raise awareness of the vast inequities in their community, and to promote community building through racial healing. The youth will be challenged to think broadly and to observe assess issues pertaining to race, culture, and equality.

Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series presents ROADKILL GHOST CHOIR
2017-07-21 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | Chain Park, Hattiesburg , MS
Join in the Fun
Bring your lawn chair and enjoy Mississippi’s musical culture on Friday evenings this summer with the Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series! The 10-week music series will take place at 7pm at Chain Park during July, August and part of September (final dates and performers TBA). Chain Park will open at 5:00 pm on the day-of-show so you can get the best seat possible!
Selected to be one of 15 Levitt AMP Music sites across the nation, Levitt AMP Hattiesburg will bring the community together through high-quality, family-friendly music, representative of Mississippi’s unique culture. Oh, and did we mention that Levitt AMP Hattiesburg has been designated as an official Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration?

Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series presents VASTI JACKSON
2017-07-14 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago) | Chain Park, Hattiesburg , MS

Levitt AMP Hattiesburg Music Series presents LOS POBOYCITOS
2017-07-13 08:00 - 17:00 (America/Chicago) | MS

Celebrating Mississippi's Culture Through Music- A Bicentennial Celebration
2017-07-07 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Chain Park, Hattiesburg , MS
Celebrate Mississippi’s Bicentennial through a series of ten live outdoor summer concerts that represent Mississippi culture, history and heritage through musical genres that have directly and indirectly come from Mississippi’s rich music and cultural heritage.

Speakers Bureau: In Their Boots: Poems Inspired by Soldiers and Their Loved Ones
2017-07-06 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | JA Canteen, Duncan Park, Natchez, MS
Program organizers have a choice between two related, but different, programs. Both are inspirational, patriotic, and riveting.
Program 1: “In Our Boots: Poems Inspired by Soldiers and Their Loved Ones,” is a multi-media poetry performance inspired by LaFrancis’s seven years of interviews with soldiers who served in Iraq and their loved ones. The presentation includes readings from the collection, music and a PowerPoint presentation.
Program 2: “In Their Boots: Voices of Our Soldiers” has been presented to churches, libraries, schools, military organizations, private groups, non-profit organizations, and other groups. This is a stirring, unique, inspiring look into the heart and soul of soldiers from all wars, but especially World War II. This program includes video excerpts from LaFrancis’s interviews with World War II veterans.
As a veteran of 23 years (active duty during the Vietnam War era and Air National Guard) and as a writer for more than 30 years, LaFrancis is professionally and personally qualified to offer what is a moving and unique presentation. LaFrancis has more than 25 years experience as a professional speaker and presenter, particularly on the topics of creative writing and journalism. With the war ever-present in our lives, his presentation of the experiences of the soldiers and their loved ones will enlighten and engage a wide range of audiences.

Lunch & Talk with Author Rheta Grimsley Johnson
2017-07-06 11:30 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Columbus Arts Council, Columbus , MS
LUNCH & TALK with RHETA GRIMSLEY JOHNSON
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Lunch @ 11:30 am–$12 (Paid reservation by July 5)
Writer’s Talk @ Noon–Free & Open to the public

Speakers Bureau: Why We Call it Soul Food
2017-06-30 12:00 UTC | Columbus-Lowndes Public Library, 314 7th St N, Columbus, MS, 39701, United States
“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.
Dr. Willis is a native Mississippian. She grew up on a 200-acre working farm. As a child she had to learn how to cook for 15 brothers and sisters. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in social work with a medical emphasis and a master of education in vocational rehabilitation counseling and psychiatric and orthopedic concentration from Mississippi State University. In 2007 she earned a Ph.D. in theology from the New Foundation Seminary in Terry, MS. While married to an internationally recognized bluesman she traveled the world exploring and experiencing the culture and foods of numerous other countries, thereby learning to appreciate her own culture and history as an African American southerner. She discovered she had a great and unique heritage people wanted to know more about, especially as it relates to soul food in the South from an African American perspective.
Dr. Willis’ expertise on soul food comes from growing up on a working Mississippi farm where she learned to cook for a family of 15 brothers and sisters as a teenager. Her experiences traveling the world with her bluesman husband have given her a unique perspective and knowledge of other cultures, but more importantly, a better understanding of her own southern history and culture as it relates to soul food, which is valued and appreciated by people throughout the world.
Columbus-Lowndes Public Library- 12:00p.m.
No Cost
Sponsored by Columbus-Lowndes Public Library & MS Humanities Council
For more information:
Mona Vance-Ali 662-329-5304

Ideas on Tap
2017-06-27 17:30 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | Hal & Mal’s, 200 Commerce Street, Jackson, MS, 39201, United States
TBA
