Often, the words a writer leaves behind become their legacy.

In Columbus, volunteers with the Tennessee Williams Tribute have been preserving one such legacy since 2001 through annual theater productions and other events surrounding the work of Tennessee Williams.

This year, TWT is partnering with the Columbus Arts Council for the first time to create seven events culminating in four performances of the play “The Eccentricities of a Nightingale.”

“The Tennessee Williams Tribute has always been a group of volunteers putting it together,” said longtime TWT board member Marthalie Porter. “… But we realized it would be nice for us to partner with the Columbus Arts Council. They’re a well established organization … and we felt that that would be a good home for the Tennessee Williams festival going forward.”

Columbus Arts Council Executive Director Salem Gibson said he is honored the two groups are working together and he is “pulling out all the stops” for this year’s tribute, including events that honor “every facet” of Williams’s work, while also drawing in new audiences.

“I think that connecting ages and demographics is one of the key components that art does, especially writing,” Gibson said. “It lives on within those pages. … I think that’s the attribute that we’re bringing here. Look at his writing, look at what he went through, at his story and what he had to say, and then let’s directly affect it here in 2023 today.”

Gibson said this year’s tribute kicked off on Friday with a playwriting presentation at Mississippi University for Women, displaying three 10 minute plays by the winners of the 10:4:TENN competition.

But many events are still to come. On Saturday, the Columbus Arts Council is hosting a poetry slam at noon where three contemporary poets will read their favorite Tennessee Williams poems along with work inspired by his writing.

“I think that’s really powerful,” Gibson said. “We’ve reached out to other writers and poets and have said, ‘hey, write a caption that may be inspired by some of his work or maybe read a portion of his work that may have inspired you.’ And so now you’re connecting 2023 and someone that’s currently writing with so many years ago.”

This year’s tribute will also include a showing of a movie adaptation of “Summer and Smoke” at the New Princess Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday night, Gibson said. But the main event, he said, is the stage show.

The Columbus Community Theatre will be putting on “The Eccentricities of a Nightingale” at the Omnova Theatre starting on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m., with performances following at the same time on Friday and Saturday. There will also be a matinee at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Melanie Tubbs, the play’s director, said the show was chosen because it was one of Williams’s favorites when he was living. But the show isn’t generally mainstream, giving audiences an opportunity to see something they may never have seen before.

“There’s so much humor in it, and maybe dark humor at times, but it’s a fun show,” Tubbs said. “… No one … demonstrates depravity and connections like (Williams) did. He brings real people to the stage. He brings many things that we can connect to, and I always say that we’re bringing art to life. And that’s what I feel like we do when we bring Tennessee Williams to the stage.”

While Gibson and Tubbs both look forward to breathing new life into Williams’s work, Porter said she is excited for the tribute to continue in perpetuity with the help of the arts council. She is looking forward to the week of upcoming events and to listening to Williams’s work, just as she does every year.

“It’s hard to pick a favorite,” Porter said. “I’m looking forward to all of it. It’s fun to go to the playwriting presentation … then you have the movie and then the actual play for four days. I usually go to everything, if I can.”

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