In reading his essay called “Dirty,” Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science senior Nathan George moved the audience with a story about his struggles, including dealing with bullies and the death of his mother.
George was one of five winners of the Ephemera Prize, which awards $200 to creative talent to students each year during the Mississippi University for Women’s Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium.
“Two weeks later (after his mother’s passing), I took my first steps on the MSMS campus beginning my two-year journey to success,” George read. “My junior year became the first time I had to work for my grades. … However, MSMS helped me develop and pursue my interests. I filmed and edited videos, learned to play the piano, performed vocally, led seminars and became happy.”
Writers with Southern influences and ties graced the stage of Connie Sills Kossen Auditorium at Poindexter Hall from Thursday night to Saturday afternoon, and people came from all over the South for the free event.
Steve Yarbrough, a novelist from the Mississippi Delta who now resides in Boston, Massachusetts and teaches at Emerson College, kicked off the annual event as he read from his newest novel “Stay Gone Days.” After Yarbrough finished answering questions from the audience, all 12 of the authors gathered to sign books and speak with those in attendance.
“I’ve been a college professor for 38 years,” Yarbrough said. “When I started out, it wouldn’t be so rare to find a university president who loves to read books. I’m sad to say that these days it is. So I hope you guys realize you have something special here (in MUW President Nora Miller).”
Yarbrough’s first time at the Welty Writers’ Symposium was in 1994, and he said whenever he is asked to come back to Mississippi, especially as an author, he comes with no questions asked.
In addition to Yarbrough, unique talents and writing styles were seen from authors Earl S. Braggs, Olivia Clare Friedman, Derrick Harriell, Chantal James, Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, Holly Goddard Jones, T.K. Lee, C.T. Salazar, Annette Trefzer, Jaqueline Allen Trimble and Adam Vines.
Trefzer, an instructor of American Literature and literary theory at the University of Mississippi, not only spoke about her work, “Exposing Mississippi: Eudora Welty’s Photographic Reflections,” but she was also awarded the Welty Prize on Thursday evening for her work.
The Welty Prize is a collaborative award between MUW and University Press of Mississippi for a book of scholarship on women’s studies, southern studies or modern letters.
Trefzer’s book is a critical study of Welty’s photographs from depression-era Mississippi. Trefzer expressed her gratitude for being chosen as the recipient of the Welty Prize.
“I am thrilled, and I’m thrilled to be here with y’all,” Trefzer said. “I’m so honored.”
Over the following days, each author read from one of their works. Audiences of all ages listened intently to excerpts from novels and novellas, poetry and short stories. During question and answer sessions, the authors spoke of their writing processes and inspirations.
One creative writing student asked Vines, a poet from Alabama who read from his poetry collection “Lures,” tips for writing, and when Vines gave three main tips, other writers in the audience could be heard agreeing.
“Write down everything that comes to mind,” Vines advised. “… Do that, and read outside of your genre. That’s the most important thing to me. I love reading poetry, but when I’m really sitting down to write, I love reading non-fiction. I think we’re kind of trained to go into a slippery lexicon of poetry — there’s certain words, certain approaches we’re accustomed to. If you start reading out of that context, you can start to surprise yourself. … I would make sure you write. I don’t care what you’re writing, and it doesn’t have to be in your genre. When I sit down to write, I’m not thinking I’m going to write a poem.”
According to the program, next year’s Welty Writers’ Symposium will take place on Oct. 19-21, 2023.
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