Twenty years ago, the nonprofit Mississippi, Believe It! began releasing public service announcements meant to show the state’s contributions to progress and culture – something often left out of more stereotypical portrayals of Mississippi or even the South generally.

Among the campaign’s 24 PSAs was one bearing photos of 16 of Mississippi’s most famous authors below the headline, “Yes we can read. A few of us can even write.”

Using the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters as a measure, far more than “a few” Mississippi writers have made their marks in the literary field, as the organization plans its 46th annual awards weekend – this year with Columbus playing host. Beyond honoring writers in fiction, nonfiction and poetry writing, the institute recognizes winners in such categories as visual arts, photography and music composition.

MIAL awards weekend will kick off 5-7 p.m. Friday with a reception at the Rosenzweig Arts Center. Columbus native and former CEO of the American Institute of Architects, Robert Ivy, will lead architectural tours of the city starting at 10 a.m. Saturday (anyone who wants to go can meet the bus in the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau parking lot on Third Street South). Readings of work from some of this year’s MIAL winners will follow at 1:30 p.m. at Friendly City Books with the awards reception set for 5:30 p.m. in the Culinary Arts Atrium at Mississippi University for Women.

Plenty of Mississippi communities can rightfully claim impressive bona fides in the arts, and this year’s recipients come from all over the state.

Columbus has its share of MIAL winners, among them former Dispatch publisher Birney Imes III (three times for photography), Columbus poet C.T. Salazar and Ivy. Frequent Dispatch freelance photographer Rory Doyle, based in Cleveland, Mississippi, was recognized in 2019. Mississippi State’s Catherine Pierce (twice for poetry) and Jason Morgan Ward (non-fiction) have also been recognized in recent years.

These people join others such as Walter Anderson, Eudora Welty, Willie Morris, William Eggleston, Walter Percy as being particularly noteworthy in their field by the annual awards.

These examples by no means make up the whole of arts in the state or even our area.

The Golden Triangle simply buzzes with art and literary culture. With two four-year universities, thriving arts councils, vibrant murals and our area’s important place in blues music history, this is an incredibly creative place to live.

Events like MIAL awards weekend not only educate and enlighten patrons of art and literature, they inspire the next wave of writers and artists.

So welcome to this year’s winners! And to those burgeoning artists and writers out there, this weekend is an excellent opportunity to rub elbows with some of the state’s best.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.