The Eudora Welty Writer’s Symposium kicks off this week, as writers from around the country come to the university.
The 26th annual event, put on by Mississippi University for Women, begins Thursday evening at Poindexter Hall and continues through Saturday. Louisiana based novelist Tim Parrish will highlight the event, as well as local author Deborah Johnson and famed novelist Robert Edsel.
Parrish, who will present the Symposium’s keynote reading on Thursday, will read from his memoir, “Fear and What Follows: The violent education of a Christian racist,” and his new novel, “The Jumper.” Johnson will read Friday afternoon from her novel, The Secret of Magic.
Ten other authors and poets are scheduled to join Parrish and Johnson throughout the weekend. All readings are free and open to the public.
Friday afternoon, an art exhibit entitled, “Intersections of Gender and Place,” will be held in the Eugenia Summer Gallery. The five-person group show stems from the question, “Is there a Southern voice in feminist art?” according to a press release from the university.
The artists will be available for a panel discussion at 2:30 p.m. Friday. A reception will follow until 6 p.m.
Edsel, a New York Times bestselling author and author of “The Monuments Men,” will be the guest speaker at Friday night’s Welty Gala. The gala, held in the Pope Banquet Room on MUW campus, begins at 7 p.m.
For ticket information, contact Dr. Kendall Dunkelberg at 662-329-7169. Additional information about the Symposium and Gala are available at http://web3.muw.edu/welty and http://web3.muw.edu/welty/gala.
Sarah Fowler covered crime, education and community related events for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.