A rose to the Possumtown Book Fest which has drawn an impressive collection of authors for its inaugural event, set for Aug. 24 at the Rosenzweig Arts Center. The headliners are Michael Farris Smith and Ace Atkins, who will cap off a day of panel discussions, book signings, and activities celebrating southern literature. The festival will feature eight literary panels every hour on the hour throughout the day, as well as a children’s program and local author showcase running concurrently during the morning. Smith’s career as an author traces its roots to Columbus where he taught in MUW’s Masters of Fine Arts program as he worked on his debut full-length novel, “Rivers.” Smith’s novels have appeared on Best of the Year lists with Esquire, NPR, Southern Living, Garden & Gun, Oprah Magazine, Book Riot and numerous other outlets. He has also written the feature-film adaptations of his novels “Desperation Road” and “The Fighter.” His seventh book “Salvage This World” was published in 2023. Atkins is a New York Times bestselling author whose 30th novel “Don’t Let the Devil Ride” was published on June 25. There are two of approximately two dozen authors, including Columbus resident Deborah Johnson, to be featured in the bookfest. Securing this caliber of writers in its inaugural event is promising indeed.
A rose to Columbus-Lowndes County Excel By 5, which continues to be a source of information, support and encouragement for parents and children even before formal education begins. The local group is a part of a statewide initiative now in its 20th year. At Thursday’s quarterly meeting, the Columbus-Lowndes board set dates for two special events as well as a continuing program that supports education from beginning to end of the educational process. “Grilling with Dads,” a fatherhood initiative designed to promote and support fathers’ roles in education, will be held Sept. 14 at East Columbus Gym, with vendors providing information on nutrition, parenting, newborn care, health insurance, early childhood development and mental health services. The popular “Little Hands, Big Trucks” event is set for Oct. 5 at the Roger Short Soccer Complex. The continuing program “EmpowerED” aims to provide support for parents from birth to age 21 as children move from grade school, high school and college/workforce training. We thank everyone who lends their efforts to the important cause.
A rose to Mississippi State’s Julia Lopez Ramirez, who has climbed atop the Word Amateur Golf Rankings, the first MSU golfer to ever achieve the status as the top women’s amateur golfer. Her ascension to the top follows a steady journey to excellence, having been ranked inside the top three in the WAGR for much of her junior year, which saw her defeat the previous world no. 1, Ingrid Lindblad from LSU. As a junior, Lopez Ramirez played a key role in seeing the Bulldogs reach a third straight NCAA Championship and win the program’s first-ever Southeastern Conference team championship in a title match against Lindblad and LSU. The top ranking is the latest of a number of honors for the Spaniard. She has been a star since first setting foot on the MSU campus in 2021 – 2023 and 2024 SEC Golfer of the Year, three-time First Team All-SEC, back-to-back SEC individual championships and back-to-back WGCA All-American First Team accolades. Her success has raised MSU’s women’s golf profile in a way that is certain to attract more great players to the program.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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