This second annual literary festival in Jackson featured several prominent coast writers and drew thousands of readers from across the region.  
- story by Carole McKellar, photography by Ellis Anderson 

 The inaugural event in 2015 had an estimated economic impact of $325,000, thanks to approximately 3,700 attendees — and event organizers had been expecting only about a thousand visitors. When I went last year, I couldn’t get into several events due to overcrowding. This year was even bigger and better, but thanks to expanded venues and strategic planning, I found seats for the panels and interviews that most interested me.
 
This year’s festival featured more than 200 authors, several of them from the coast. Jesmyn Ward and Margaret McMullan, both Pass Christian residents, moderated panels featuring well-known writers. Author, playwright, and Shoofly contributor Rheta Grimsley Johnson participated in two events, one of which was the closing feature, the Mississippi Experience. That panel’s moderator was Festival board member Scott Naugle, owner of Pass Books and a Shoofly sponsor. 

​All authors attending the festival signed their books in a special tent on the lawn of the capitol. Lemuria Books, one of the state’s premier bookstores, set up a large tent nearby to sell featured works.

Curious George attended to celebrate his 75th birthday and entertain young book lovers. The kickoff event of the festival, held in the sanctuary of Galloway Methodist Church, was an interview with Kate DiCamillo, noted author of young adult fiction. The auditorium was filled with Jackson public school children, each of whom received a copy of Ms. DiCamillo’s book, “Because of Winn-Dixie.”
 
Jacqueline Woodson, recently named the Young People’s Poet Laureate by the Poetry Foundation, was interviewed in an afternoon session by poet Honoree Jeffers. Listening to them talk felt like eavesdropping on a conversation between two friends. Even Ms. Woodson’s conversation is poetic. I loved “Brown Girl Dreaming,” and just finished reading “Another Brooklyn.”
 
Afterward, I overcame my natural reluctance and introduced myself to Ms. Woodson as a fan. Thankfully, she was warm and friendly. In addition to being poet laureate, Ms. Woodson won the National Book Award in 2014 for “Brown Girl Dreaming,” a memoir in verse. That book contains some of the most beautiful poems I’ve ever read, and their aggregate as an autobiography is an astounding work.

​Jesmyn Ward, winner of the 2011 National Book Award for “Salvage the Bones,” moderated a panel discussion with four contributors to “The Fire This Time,” a collection of essays that Ward edited and which pays tribute to James Baldwin’s 1963 book of the same name. The newer volume focuses on issues of race in present day America as realized by some important young voices.
 
A panel that included Rheta Grimsley Johnson gathered to discuss memoir writing. Rheta read one of my favorite anecdotes from her latest book about her down-the-road neighbor in Iuka, Mississippi. Her fellow panelists were as amusing, and the room was filled with laughter the entire session. For a review of Rheta’s latest book, “The Dogs Buried Over the Bridge: A Memoir in Dog Years,” check the Bay Reads archives for March, 2016.
 
C-Span 2 aired most sessions live on Book TV, and I’m told the sessions will be available for viewing in October on the Festival website, www.msbookfestival.com.
 
I urge you to join me next year for Mississippi’s “Literary Lawn Party”!

An interview with coast school librarian Cindy Williams reveals a woman who loves her job - and eager to share some of her favorite authors and books.
 - by Carole McKellar

The Bay-Waveland School District is fortunate to have Cindy Williams as the Bay High School librarian. Cindy graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in banking and finance before discovering that she could choose a career based upon her love of reading. She earned a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Southern Mississippi. After college, Cindy became the librarian at Pineville Elementary in Pass Christian for two years followed by 15 years at Coast Episcopal School.

While at Coast Episcopal, Cindy initiated an ‘Author’s Fair’, an ‘Illustrator’s Fair’, and a ‘Harry Potter Breakfast’, among other literary celebrations. Her co-worker, Kat Fitzpatrick, remembered that Cindy was "a genius for getting volunteers and making the work seem fun." Cindy joined the faculty at Bay High two years ago and accepted the new challenge of using her enthusiasm and innovation to motivate older students.

During her first year at BHS, Cindy started a Bay High Book Club, which boasts 30 members. According to Cindy, club membership is casual, and students are free to decide which books they would like to read and discuss. Cindy initially envisioned a book list generated by the students, but found that they wanted her suggestions. In typical fashion, Cindy employed all of her book review tools—Booklist, Hornbook,book awards, blogs, etc—to make sure she chose  books that had the best chance of engaging the students. The list reads like a Who’s Who of the best YA authors:

“Every Day” by David Levithan
“Young Elites” by Marie Lu
“Paper Towns” by John Green
“Where I Want to Be” by Adele Griffin
“1984” by George Orwell
“Unwind” by Neal Shusterman
“Unbroken” (Young Adult Adaptation) by Laura Hillenbrand
“We Were Liars” by E. Lockhart
“Shipbreaker” by Paulo Bacigalupi
“Midwinter Blood” by Marcus Sedgwick
“Code Name Verity” by Elizabeth Wein

For the past 2 years, Cindy has focused on increasing circulation and student interest in the library. The library is open before and after school, as well as during lunch, and students can come there at any time during the school day with teacher permission. Students can check out books, study, conduct research, or use the computers. The book club helped make students comfortable coming to the library for socialization as well.

Cindy initiated Library Orientation classes this year which included instruction for using the MAGNOLIA databases. MAGNOLIA is a statewide consortium funded by the Mississippi Legislature which provides online research databases for publicly funded K-12 schools, public libraries, and college libraries. Knowing how to properly conduct research is more complicated than merely typing a topic into Google. Librarians are uniquely qualified to guide students through the use of information technology.
 
Another focus is improving the appearance of the Bay High Library. According to Cindy, “There are so many talented artists at Bay High, and I’ve displayed their artwork throughout the library. I hope more students will contribute work so we have revolving exhibits through the year.”

In a collaboration between the art department and the library, students painted a large canvas copy of Gustav Klimt’s "The Kiss" which brightens the library with its intense colors. Artwork from the Digital Media class is also on display.

Cindy is active in professional organizations including the the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association. For the past three years, Cindy has made presentations at the Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival at the University of Southern Mississippi.

She is currently chairing the Mississippi Library Association committee for grades 9-12 that oversees the Magnolia Book Awards, a children’s choice award. Information about the award, including nominations and voting, can be found at the end of this article.

Cindy is a friend as well as a member of my book club, The Bay Book Babes. She is married to Joe Williams, a math teacher at Bay High who is also a gourmet cook. Our book club looks forward to the feast he prepares for us each summer. The book we read that month doesn’t really matter. Cindy and Joe have 2 daughters, Jessica and Cecilia.

An appreciation for books is a basic requirement for a librarian. Cindy Williams is a dedicated reader, and her enthusiasm for literature inspires her students. I love to talk books with her and want to share some of her thoughts on books and writers.

What book(s) are you currently reading? Do you generally read more than one book at a time?

I used to read only one book at a time, but I’ve recently read five books at once! I just finished “Salt to the Sea” by Ruta Sepetys, “The Serpent King” by Jeff Zentner, “A Girl Named Mister” by Nikki Grimes. I’m currently reading “The Story of a New Name” by Elena Ferrantes, and “Honeydew” by Edith Pearlman.

Who are your favorite writers of adult fiction? YA fiction? Children's book writer?

Adults: Barbara Kingsolver, Jodi Piccoult, Ann Patchett, Alice Hoffman, Isabel Allende, Stephen King, John Irving

YA: John Green, David Levithan, Libba Bray, Laurie Halse Anderson, Philip Pullman, Marcus Sedgwick, Maggie Stiefvater, Maureen Johnson

Children’s:  Jerry Spinelli, Natalie Babbitt, J.K. Rowling, Lois Lowry, Kate DiCamillo, Nancy Springer, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Jennifer Holm, Kimberly Willis Holt, Brian Selznick

Who is your favorite Mississippi writer?

Donna Tartt – I loved “The Secret History”.
 
What is the last book you read that made you laugh? Made you cry?

Laugh – “I Feel Bad About my Neck: and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman” by Nora Ephron and everything by David Sedaris. I love him!

Cry – “The Serpent King” by Jeff Zentner (a new YA novel)

What kind of reader were you as a child?

My penchant for books began early. I loved picture books and, even before I could read, I would pore over the illustrations for hours in my bedroom. When the rest of my family was watching TV, I would be in my room lost in a book.

Some of my earlier favorites were “The Little House” by Virginia Lee Burton, “The Pokey Little Puppy” (a Golden book), “White Snow, Bright Snow” by Alvin Tresselt, and “The Bear’s Vacation” by Jan and Stan Berenstain.

The first time I was allowed to purchase a book of my own was at a school book fair, and I chose “Harriet the Spy” by Louise Fitzhugh.  Other childhood favorites were the “Anne of Green Gables” series, the “Little House on the Prairie” series, “The Secret Garden”, “A Little Princess” and “Charlotte’s Web."

Everyone asks me about my school libraries growing up, but I don’t have a lot of fond memories of them because students weren’t allowed much time to visit them. My mother always took me to our public library where I had hours to browse and really explore books. Mysteries and historical fiction were my favorite.

Name the book(s) that made you who you are today? (not necessarily professionally, but personally as well.)

That is a tough question. I think ALL of the books I’ve read have made me who I am today. I’m a person who loves books and stories. I love being a librarian because I am immersed in book culture every day. I’m surrounded by books. I read books. I read about books. I get to share all that I know and love about books with other people. It makes me very happy. I really love my profession!

What books do you find yourself returning to again and again?

Because I have such huge stacks of books-to-be-read, there are very few books that I’ve ever read more than once. “Maniac Magee” by Jerry Spinelli, “The Giver” by Lois Lowry, “Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White are a few that come to mind.

Of course, when I was an Elementary School Librarian and did read-alouds, there were certain picture books I would always return to. Here are just a few that come to mind: “Duck on a Bike” by David Shannon (His new one is finally coming out in September, “Duck on a Tractor”), “Miss Rumphius" by Barbara Cooney, “The Little House” by Virginia Lee Burton, “The Little Old Lady who was not Afraid of Anything” by Linda Williams, and “I Ain’t Gonna Paint no More” by Karen Beaumont.

You're hosting a dinner with/for writers. Who's invited?

John Green, David Levithan, Kate DiCamillo, Marcus Sedgwick, Jon Scieszka, Libba Bray, Maggie Stiefvater, Brian Selznick, Maureen Johnson.

What do you plan to read next?

“BFG” by Roald Dahl because I want to see the movie, and I always like to read the book first!

To learn more about the Magnolia Book Award, check this website.

There are 4 categories for the award: K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12. Books may be suggested by any adults in Mississippi.  The deadline for book suggestions is September 30.

The committees then read all suggested books and make a short-list of books for nomination. During the year, librarians across the state promote these nominated titles and encourage students to vote for their favorites. Librarians then submit student votes in February. Winners are announced at the Children’s Book Festival at USM in Hattiesburg in April.

The 2017 Nominations can be found on the link above as well as instructions and criteria for submitting book titles for the 2018 awards.

Immerse yourself in another culture from the comfort of your favorite reading chair with translated novels - we've got some great starter suggestions!
 - by Carole McKellar

Emily Williams, writing for “Publishing Perspectives,” refutes that claim but recognizes that it is difficult to place foreign books with U.S. publishers due to economic realities.  A few small, independent presses strive to bring translated authors to the American market. Europa Editions, Open Letter, and the New York Review of Books seek to present diverse voices. Archipelago Books is a non-profit press that has published over 120 books in more than thirty languages.
 
Special skills are required to translate literature. Not only does the translator need fluency in at least two languages, but he must also be an avid reader and a masterful writer in each language. A good translation requires an intimate knowledge of the original work and research into its historical context.

Daniel Hahn, director of the British Centre for Literary Translation, was asked in an interview if translation should faithfully capture the original text, “Assuming the faithfulness you’re aiming for is fidelity to something more than just literal meaning, then any attempt at being faithful to the original piece of writing should entail making something that lives. Every translation is an interpretative act, as well as a creative one.”

A significant boost to the popular acceptance of translated work came with the success of Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium” trilogy of crime novels, beginning with “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.” They were translated from Swedish into English beginning in in 2008 and ushered in a craze for Scandinavian noir.  Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo, and Jussi Adler-Olsen are also popular practitioners of the genre—also called Nordic noir. I admit to being a fan.
 
Haruki Murakami, a popular and prolific Japanese writer whose most recent work is “Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage,” has also translated the works of Raymond Carver and J.D. Salinger into Japanese. I’ve tried to read Murakami, but struggled to finish “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle.” 
 
The New York Times’ five best works of fiction for 2015 featured two works of translation: “The Door” by Magda Szabo, and Elena Ferrante’s “The Story of the Lost Child.”

 “The Door” was first published in Szabo’s native Hungary in 1987, the last year of communist rule. Len Rix translated it in 2005 for British publication, but it wasn’t until 2015 that American readers had access to this haunting novel. This thinly veiled autobiography tells the story of Magda and her housekeeper, Emerence, an illiterate peasant who has a profound impact on the narrator and her neighbors in postwar Budapest.  The mystery draws you in when the narrator reveals early on that she is responsible for Emerence’s death. Most of the book relates Magda’s growing dependence and regard for her housekeeper, but the reader doesn’t learn of the manner of her death until the closing pages.
 
“The Story of the Lost Child” is the last of Ferrante’s Neapolitan quartet, which began with “My Brilliant Friend.” Elena Ferrante is the pseudonym of a writer who has published six best-selling novels in her native Italy. Although her true identity is unknown, Ferrante was chosen in 2016 as one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.

“The Neapolitan Novels” tell the story from childhood through late middle age of two women who grew up in the slums of Naples amid poverty and a violent patriarchal society. The novels don’t paint a flattering picture of the fathers and husbands that populate the neighborhood. The most gifted of the friends, Lila, marries young and never leaves, but Elena becomes a writer and enjoys a successful academic career. Their friendship evolves and endures throughout their lives.
 
I’m currently reading the second of the four novels, “The Story of a New Name.” Lila has married a successful grocer, but she is unhappy and a bit destructive. Elena is worried about her future, and is afraid to leave the neighborhood. Their friendship is a source of strength and stability for both. The emotional lives of these girls entering adulthood is richly detailed and authentic.

I have listed from memory some translated books I have enjoyed. This list is not inclusive, but I’m sure it will grow.

• Muriel Barbery: “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” (French)
• Dai Sijie: “Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress” (French)
• Per Petterson: “Out Stealing Horses” by (Norwegian)
• Gabriel Garcia Marquez: “One Hundred Years of Solitude” (Spanish)
• Irene Nemirovsky: “Suite Francaise” (French)
• Peter Hoeg: “Smilla’s Sense of Snow” (Danish)
• Fredrik Backman: “A Man Called Ove” (Swedish)

 
Whatever the reason for the limited availability of translated books, a reader can gain much from stories told from the perspective of writers from diverse backgrounds. Literature helps to remove stereotypes and broaden our understanding of other cultures. Hearing unique voices, we can recognize our common humanity and accept our differences.

Her books were written more than 200 years ago, the language is formal, the pacing is slow.  So what is it about Jane Austen's books that make her one of the most popular classic authors in the 21st century? 
- story by Carole McKellar

In addition to movies and TV dramas based on her novels, many modern writers pay homage to Austen in their work: “Clueless” is a 1995 movie retelling of “Emma” modernized and based in Southern California; “The Jane Austen Book Club” was popular as both a book and a movie. The male lead in “Bridget Jones’s Diary” was Mr. Darcy, the central character in “Pride and Prejudice.”
 
The Austen Project released four novels that are contemporary retellings of Austen novels. Respected novelists Joanna Trollope, Alexander McCall Smith, and Val McDermid retold “Sense and Sensibility,” “Emma,” and “Northanger Abbey.” The Austen Project also recently released “Eligible,” based on “Pride and Prejudice” and written by Curtis Sittenfeld, author of well-received novels “American Wife” and “Sisterland.”
 
When Austen’s books were first published, novels were popular but not taken seriously as a literary genre, and women writers frequently used pseudonyms because writing was not considered respectable for women. Jane Austen’s novels were all published anonymously.
 
Her first novel, “Sense and Sensibility,” was simply identified as authored “By a Lady.” Subsequent novels were identified as written “by the author of ‘Sense and Sensibility.’” Charlotte Bronte used the name Currer Bell when “Jane Eyre” was published in 1847. “Wuthering Heights,” written by her sister Emily, was published under the name Ellis Bell. The Brontes used their own initials and the same fictitious surname. 

​Jane Austen was the daughter of a clergyman who belonged to the gentry but was not wealthy. He had six sons and two daughters, Cassandra and Jane. Neither daughter married, though Jane had one marriage proposal that she at first accepted, but later turned down.
 
English law from the period did not permit married women to own property, but as a single woman Austen was able to manage her own finances. Her novels deal with women’s dependence on marriage for security and social standing, but apparently Jane preferred independence rather than marriage to a man she didn’t love.
 
I am currently reading “Emma” in honor of the 200th anniversary of its publication. Celebrations by Austen enthusiasts are taking place throughout the country to commemorate the event. I chose the Penguin Classics Deluxe 200th-Anniversary Annotated Edition, which has an introduction by Juliette Wells, noted Austen scholar. She puts the book in historical context, but her “Tips for Reading Emma” were invaluable to me.
 
Ms. Wells recommends reading only one chapter at a time, advice that permits me to savor the repartee between Emma and Mr. Knightly. Ms. Wells further recommends reading portions of the dialogue aloud, which emphasizes that Miss Bates’ speeches are quite humorous rather than tiresome. Reading a book in small bites is especially rewarding with Jane Austen. The beauty and wit of her dialogue is not lost.

​Famous mystery writer P.D. James wrote an essay titled “Emma Considered as a Detective Story.” James points out that Austen leaves “clues” of plot surprises and characters’ moods.
 
Fans of Jane Austen are myriad and diverse. The most avid are called “Janeites.” Rudyard Kipling wrote a short story titled “The Janeites” about a group of World War I soldiers who were fans of Jane Austen, albeit in secret.
 
I am a longtime fan of dramatizations of Austen’s work, but only recently read her novels. Carolyn Brown, about whom I wrote in March 2015, is the president of the Mississippi Chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America (JASNA).  Dr. Brown has written biographies of Eudora Welty and Margaret Walker Alexander, and I attended a seminar she and Dr. Susan Ford led at Millsaps College on the novel “Mansfield Park.” The book and the discussion were pleasurable and enriching experiences.
 
If you appreciate well-developed characters engaged in witty dialogue, I recommend the novels of Jane Austen. Follow the experts’ advice and read slowly, savoring the experience. I predict that you will understand what made Austen so popular for the past 200 years. Which of today’s novels will have such a following in the year 2216?
 
The Hancock County Library is planning a tea and book discussion of “Emma” followed by a showing of the movie adaptation staring Gwyneth Paltrow. Check the Fourth Ward Cleaver calendar for dates and details.

A coffee-break length trip through 40,000 years of history, to understand how books came into being and influenced Western culture. 
 - story by Carole McKellar 

Love to read, but short on time?  Tasty tidbits of tales can prove just as satisfying as a long novel.  Check out these short story collections.
- story by Carole McKellar

Nationally beloved columnist and author - and Pass Christian resident - Rheta Grimsley Johnson releases a new tell-all book about some of her best friends.
by Carole McKellar

So many books, so little time!  You'll love these "Best Book" lists  - including columnist Carole McKellar's personal faves.

​An iconic travel writer treads some old roads.
- by Carole McKellar

His latest nonfiction book, “Deep South,” was sent to me in October by Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee. As a member of their First Editions Club, I receive a signed first edition twelve times a year. I almost always love the selections, but I was skeptical of a travel book about the south written by a curmudgeon like Theroux. I was pleasantly surprised by his appreciation of the landscape’s beauty and southerners' warmth.

Theroux writes, “After having seen the rest of the world, I had planned to take one long trip through the South in the autumn, before the presidential election of 2012, and write about it. But when that trip was over I wanted to go back, and I did so, leisurely in the winter, renewing acquaintances. That was not enough. I returned in the spring, and again in the summer, and by then I knew that the South had me, sometimes in a comforting embrace, occasionally in its frenzied and unrelenting grip.”

In “Deep South,” Theroux drove through some of the poorest sections of the rural South — the Low Country of South Carolina, Alabama’s Black Belt, the Mississippi Delta, and the Arkansas Ozarks. He intentionally avoided the most prosperous areas, usually the cities where there is “wealth and stylishness and ease.”  He instead favored small towns, most of which seemed like ghost towns with abandoned houses and boarded up stores. Jobs in these areas are hard to come by due to mechanization, lack of quality education, or industrial shut-downs.

While the main reason for the journey was a curiosity about the Southern poor, Theroux found that the good will of southerners “was like an embrace.” People he encountered were kind and generous. Lucille, a woman in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, told Theroux, “Ain’t no strangers here, baby,” before driving miles out of her way to show him the way to a local church. In the Mississippi Delta, Theroux found the people “not just approachable but unpretentious and friendly to strangers, glad to talk, and especially to talk about the past because they were uncertain about the future.”

Churches are important to the story because they are the social center of community life. Theroux felt that “poverty is well dressed in churches” and everyone welcomes strangers. He has an ear for dialogue and seemed to relish chance encounters. Conversations in churches, on street corners, in convenience stores, and in small cafes with names like “O Taste and See” are the heart of the book. He found southerners to be talkers who enjoy telling their stories.

Theroux visited several gun shows during the course of the year. A sign on an Alabama shop that said JESUS IS LORD — WE BUY AND SELL GUNS connected two of the book's recurring themes. Theroux felt that the gun shows were less about shooting guns and more about the self-esteem of white males who feel defeated and persecuted.

Theroux has a novelist’s eye for setting. His descriptive powers are displayed frequently in such passages as, “The cold mist and the gray sky seemed to flatten the Delta and make the road bleaker, the muddy fields beside the long straight road, raised like a levee, the chilly wind from the river that tore leaves from the trees. In its nakedness the Delta had a stark beauty and simplicity.”

The book is divided into four parts depicting seasonal visits. Theroux included chapters he called "Interludes" between the seasons. The first is a treatise on the history and use of the N-word. Later, he analyzes Faulkner and other Southern writers. I enjoyed reading about Southern fiction, but felt the interludes were an interruption of the narrative.

The relationship between races, both past and present, is a major theme of this book. Theroux was drawn more to the stories of African Americans than rural whites. The characters he met in black churches, cafes, and barber shops were engaging and remarkable. The poverty of both races stunned Theroux, who compared the American South to the poorest areas of Africa and Asia.

Theroux spices the book with humorous anecdotes. Describing Southern eateries, he wrote of “a deep tray of okra, as viscous as frog spawn, next to a kettle of sodden collard greens looking like stewed dollar bills.” His experience in Tuscaloosa during a University of Alabama football weekend was of a stranger in a strange land.

“Deep South” was an enjoyable road trip through my native land. I learned things about my home state — some embarrassing, but some a source of pride. The South’s greatest strength is the resilience and warmth of its people. I’m not surprised that Paul Theroux felt the pull to return to the South again and again.

Check out what our local library system is offering these days - you'll find more than just books.  Lots more.
 - story by Carole McKellar

The first library in Hancock County was established in 1935 as a WPA (Works Progress Administration) project. It was housed in a log cabin. We’ve come a long way, with four branches currently operating in Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Pearlington, and Kiln. Recent budget cuts forced the closure of the Diamondhead branch. The Hancock County Library System is funded by county and city taxes and is accessible to every community member.

During difficult economic times library budgets often decrease, though their role becomes more important. During recessions, libraries prove their worth to the community by offering job information, preparing resumes, and assisting online job applications.

There are many reasons why libraries matter. Let’s start with books. Most people can’t afford to buy or don’t have room for all the books they want to read. Our library has a large selection of books, DVDs, audio books, and e-books for loan. There are periodicals and reference books. If you are not sure where to find what you need, friendly, helpful staff members are readily available.

Computers are available to residents, and Internet access is free. Classes that improve digital literacy and use of online research tools are provided. The goal of the library is to provide lifelong learning for all members of the community by offering a wide range of programs for all ages.

All of our library branches have charming and engaging children’s sections that make early literacy a pleasurable experience. Story time is provided weekly at each branch for children from birth to age five. The programs include storytelling, crafts, and music.

The website, www.hancocklibraries.info/, is comprehensive. You can reserve books using their online catalog, or find the schedules for activities and events, such as Matinee in the Bay or the latest Authors & Characters event.

Meeting and conference rooms are available for community use. The rooms accommodate activities as varied as voting, movies, lectures, book sales, and a variety of classes.

“There is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.”  - Andrew Carnegie

A stellar review of the first Mississippi Book Festival, held in Jackson.  The news of its success will have book lovers who missed it marking their calendars for next year. 
- by Carole McKellar

The book event began at 10 a.m. with a performance by the Jackson State University band on the steps of the capitol. John Grisham, arguably Mississippi’s most famous living writer, gave the opening remarks, and Gov. Phil Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves welcomed attendees.

Six members of my Bay book club – Cindy Williams, Archana Sharma, Allison Anderson, Ann Weaver, Angela Sallis and I – traveled to Jackson for the event. We attended panel discussions based on our individual interests or the availability of seating. The crowd at the festival surpassed expectations, so all of the sessions filled quickly. 

Eudora Welty and Margaret Walker Alexander, both Jacksonians and contemporaries, were well represented at the festival. Angela Sallis and I particularly enjoyed a session titled “Eudora Welty: Letters, Flowers, Loves, and the Latest Scholarship.” Suzanne Marrs and Tom Nolan read from their book Meanwhile There Are Letters: The Correspondence of Eudora Welty and Ross Macdonald. These two great friends wrote frequently of their lives, work, and world events. The letters in the book date from 1970 through 1982, when Alzheimer’s took Mr. Macdonald’s ability to read and write.

Julia Eichelberger read letters from her book, Tell About Night Flowers: Eudora Welty’s Gardening Letters. Ms. Welty was a passionate gardener, and her home and garden in Jackson are well worth visiting. The letters in this book may have been about gardening, but they were also filled with love and humor. Hearing Ms. Welty’s letters read aloud was a pleasure and a reminder of what we have lost in this age of emails and tweets.

Ann Weaver and Archana Sharma attended a panel on African American history that they considered a festival highlight. Alysia Burton Steele, author of Delta Jewels: In Search of My Grandmother’s Wisdom, told fascinating stories about her late grandmother and other women from the Delta. Ann’s favorite writer in that session was Stephen A. Berrey, author of The Jim Crow Routine: Everyday Performances of Race, Civil Rights, and Segregation in Mississippi. She was interested in Mr. Berrey’s research on the unwritten rules people of different races follow in our interactions with each other.

In the afternoon, several of us attended a session on poetry moderated by Beth Ann Fennelly, a poet and director of the MFA program at Ole Miss. Catherine Pierce from Mississippi State, Richard Boada from University of Memphis, and Derrick Harriell from Ole Miss read from their newest poetry collections. I particularly enjoyed the style of Derrick Harriell, although his newest book, Ropes, is about boxing, a sport that doesn’t hold much interest for me.

Seven hundred people crowded the sanctuary of Galloway Methodist Church for a session titled “What Reading Means for Our Culture” featuring journalist Jerry Mitchell in conversation with John Grisham and William Ferris. William Ferris founded the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at Ole Miss and is now the director of the Center for the Study of the American South at the University of North Carolina. Mr. Grisham and Mr. Ferris spoke about Mississippi’s rich literary history and what reading means for us today. Mississippians are part of a storytelling tradition that was amply displayed on the stage that day.

All the members of my book group thoroughly enjoyed a late afternoon session on Southern popular fiction with four writers who kept us laughing for an hour. The panelists were Julie Cantrell, Patti Callahan Henry, Mary Kay Andrews, and Joshilyn Jackson. I haven’t read any of their books, but I’ve put them on my reading list.

Katy Simpson Smith, a panelist in the Historical Fiction session, wrote The Story of Land and Sea, a novel set on the coast of North Carolina during the Revolutionary War. The book was recommended by a friend in attendance, so I bought a signed copy in the Lemuria Bookstore tent. This young woman is a gifted writer who tells an adventurous story in a poetic style. I just love this book. I regret that I could not get into her popular session.

There were so many writers that I respect who participated in this festival. I have written in the past about Carolyn Brown, Margaret McMullan, and M.O. Walsh, all of whom were panelists.

The 5 p.m. closing session was moved back to Galloway Methodist Church to accommodate the large crowd that stayed until the end to hear a discussion of our literary heritage and its significance for writers and readers. Greg Iles, Ellen Gilchrist, Steve Yarborough, and Julia Reed are native Mississippians who have achieved success writing about our state. Bill Ferris did a fine job of moderating although these talented storytellers needed little encouragement to entertain the audience.

Visiting with friends, reading, and talking about books are at the top of my list of entertainments. The first ever Mississippi Book Festival filled all of those requirements and then some. I look forward to the event next year and anticipate that it will be bigger and better. Thank you to the sponsor of this column, Scott Naugle, owner of Pass Christian Books, who served on the board of directors for the festival. For more information, go to the festival website.

How author Janisse Ray captured the essence of a Southern rural lifestyle in a book that's becoming a classic. 
- by Carole McKellar

He was a kind-hearted man who took in injured animals and helped less fortunate neighbors and strangers. He too suffered from mental illness and spent a period of time in the state mental hospital. Ms. Ray’s mother is fondly portrayed as a selfless woman devoted to her family. She worked beside her husband in the junkyard in addition to taking care of the home and children.

This book as memoir alone would be worth the read. It’s funny and filled with insights into rural southern life. The best of the book, however, lies in the natural history of south Georgia. The longleaf pine forests once covered 85 million acres in the southern United States: from Virginia to Florida, and west past the Mississippi River. Today less than 10,000 acres of virgin longleaf remain, about 200 of which still exist in Mississippi. The longleaf pine trees are spaced far apart and allow sunlight to nurture a wide variety of plant and animal life, most of which are threatened or endangered. Ms. Ray vividly describes what we have, as well as what we have lost.

Chapters titled “Bachman’s Sparrow” and “Indigo Snake” may sound like they came from an old biology textbook, but don’t be fooled. The stories of these species are spiced with anecdotes. Once an indigo, the largest snake in North America, got loose in the house and was found, after several days, wrapped around the freezer coils. Ms. Ray provides such an intimate portrait of our environment that I felt like driving to the nearest forest for a hike. Her pride of place awakens me to the natural beauty that surrounds me. Each time I read this book, I listen more closely to bird songs and delight in the smallest flowers.

The history of the people is as interesting as the landscape. Due to the remoteness of south Georgia, it was an ideal environment for settlers from the borderlands of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. They were clannish herders and farmers accustomed to remote environs. The term ‘Cracker’ refers to poor Southern whites and is possibly derived from words meaning boaster, braggart, liar. Shakespeare wrote, “What cracker is this same that deafes our ears with this abundance of superfluous breath?” Some think the term “cracker” refers to the crack of the whip over oxen or mules. Cracker speech is called Southern highland or Southern midland. Patterns of pronunciation which would be recognizable to any native southerner include ‘young-uns’ for children, ‘Toosdy' for Tuesday, ‘fixin to’ for getting ready to, and ‘honey’ as a term of endearment.

Ms. Ray accepts the cracker as kin when she describes her ancestors.

My kin lumbered across the landscape like tortoises. Like raccoons we fought and with     equal fervor we frolicked. Because we needed room, our towns sat far apart, often thirty miles. Accustomed to poverty, we made use of assets at hand, and we did not think much of prosperity. Like our lives, our speech was slow. We remained a people apart. More than anything else, what happened to the longleaf country speaks for us. These are my people; our legacy is ruination.

The book ends with a list of extinct and endangered species of plants and animals. These lists are followed by resources working to assist longleaf pine forests. Readers will finish this book with an intention to appreciate and conserve our natural resources.
    
Janisse Ray returned home to rural Georgia after college. She earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Montana. She lives on a family farm in Baxley near where she grew up. She has published five books of literary nonfiction and a collection of nature poetry. Ecology of a Cracker Childhood was her first book. She has contributed to a long list of periodicals, as well as to public radio. I watched a speech she delivered at the 2014 Forum on Ethics & Nature and welled up with emotion when she said:

    We’re desperate for thinkers, not consumers. We’re desperate for people
    of courage, people willing to take responsibility for their own actions, willing to
    live in service to something bigger than their own desires. It seems fitting
    that creatures of privilege, gifted beings able to use language to pass messages
    across geographies and generations should speak and act on behalf of those
    who cannot. Life is unendingly fascinating, unbearably beautiful, and utterly fragile.

For the month that marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall, a look at some of the books that document the dignity and grace that emerged from the despair. 
- by Carole McKellar

With compelling characters, exciting story lines and exceptional writing, some YA books turn out to be ageless. 
- by Carole McKellar

In 1997, according to Publishers Weekly, 3,000 books Young Adult books were published. In 2009, there were over 30,000 with sales exceeding $3 billion. Much of the rise in popularity of the genre can be attributed to the meteoric sales of the ‘Harry Potter’, ‘Twilight’, and ‘Hunger Games’ series. These novels were read and enjoyed by all ages. Their movie adaptations were immensely popular and only increased adult interest in YA fiction.

I decided to take a closer look at YA books for two reasons. First, I was introduced to Brown Girl Dreaming, a memoir in poetic form written by Jacqueline Woodson. I heard some of her poems read aloud on a radio talk show and thought they were beautiful. I bought the book at a local bookstore and was amazed to find the book classified as young adult literature. It is a wonderful story of family and place that should simply be categorized as exceptionally good literature. Brown Girl Dreaming won the 2014 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature.

Secondly, my interest was piqued while listening to a discussion of favorite YA books by two of the best readers I know, who happen to belong to my book group. Cindy Williams is the librarian at Bay High School who told me that she enjoys reading YA books because “they can be an exciting escape and they invoke a sense of nostalgia."

She provided me a fascinating recent history of the genre, plus quite a few recommendations that I will list at the end of this article. Allison Anderson, a Bay St. Louis architect, finds some of the writing “to be equally as lyrical and powerful as fiction written for adults. In YA fiction, the themes are typically conflicts that arise from one's liminal place in the world - a feeling of uncertainty, or confusion.”

Cindy started a teen book discussion group at her school, and they chose Paper Towns by John Green, which was made into a movie to be released this summer. That book as well as Mr. Green’s immensely popular The Fault in Our Stars are part of a new wave of realistic teen fiction.

I decided to read Paper Towns before determining if this topic was of sufficient interest to write about. I read it in almost one sitting. The characters were appealing and Mr. Green did a good job describing the emotional landscape of adolescence. I also thought he provided a worthwhile cultural roadmap for teens into the adult world. Perhaps after reading Paper Towns, readers will give more thought to the adverse effects of our consumer culture and the development of a personal philosophy for living in this world.

I mentioned my interest in writing about YA literature to Scott Naugle, the owner of Pass Books in Pass Christian. He agreed that more adults are reading and enjoying the genre. He mentioned The Book Thief by Markus Zusak as a popular book that sells well in the shop. I hadn’t thought of that book, which is one of my all-time favorite books, as a young adult novel. In my opinion, it’s just an astounding work of literature. I should have realized it would be appropriate for adolescent readers because it’s the story of a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany.

The Book Thief is graphic and violent, but YA books do not shy away from disturbing issues. Common themes include suicide, sexuality, family struggles, substance abuse, and bullying. Adolescents today relate to these issues and reading about them helps clarify their experiences.

Authors of YA books are typically young adults, but youth does not seem a requirement. Most of us remember what it is like to be a teenager, both its joys and pains. Several successful fiction writers, whom I admire, are comfortable moving between adult and young adult fiction, including Meg Wolitzer, Michael Chabon, Isabel Allende, and Nick Hornby.

Margaret McMullen, another author writing in both genres, has Pass Christian roots. In a response to my email, she enthusiastically stated that YA books are “mostly terrific reads” and “the characters in these books are interesting and often edgy and the plots really move.”

She also noted the emergence of Mother/Daughter book groups. She said, “I saw this when my book Sources of Light came out, and some of these book groups asked me to Skype or come visit. ‘Sources’ is a mother/daughter story set in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi."

"Many adult parents like the idea of reading what their teens are reading—to keep up, have a good discussion, etc. It’s a nice idea. When you are reading the same book, you will always end up talking about important things that are difficult for parents and their children to talk about otherwise.”

I plan to read quite a few of the recommended books listed below.

Recommended Reading from Cindy Williams and Allison Anderson:
I’ll Give you the Sun by Jandy Nelson
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
All the Truth That’s In Me by Julie Berry
Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick.

Upcoming Movies from Recommended YA books. (Always read the book first, Cindy recommends.)
     The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
     Legend by Marie Lu
     Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
     Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
     Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
     Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Ransome Riggs

So… what exactly is YA? It’s our favorite kind of literature, and we pretty much breathe, eat, and sleep all things young adult, but where did it come from? What’s the actual definition? Let us break down everything you need to know about how YA came about!

Read more about this on our blog! ‪http://www.epicreads.com/blog/a-brief...

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This month, a look at the qualities of independent bookstores - which are making a comeback across the country - and on the coast!
- by Carole McKellar

Independent bookstores are usually owned and operated by people who are passionate about books. They find book selections to suit every taste and make informed suggestions to customers. They enrich their community by hosting book clubs and author events. Local bookstore owners are actively engaged in our community and support the local economy.

Browsing small, intimate bookshops is satisfying on several levels. They are generally warm and inviting visually. Books are colorful and artistic. Reading the synopsis and reviews on the dust jackets promises riches within. Holding books in your hands invites you to participate in something that has enthralled humans for hundreds of years. It is impossible to have the same experience visually and tactilely surfing the web.

When I travel, I seek out bookstores and tend to judge communities by the quality of their independent bookshops. We on the Mississippi Gulf Coast are fortunate to have Bay Books on Main Street, Bay St. Louis, Pass Books on Scenic Drive in Pass Christian, and Southern Bound Book Shop in Biloxi. All of them help make our communities unique and thereby richer.

Mississippi has two bookstores that regularly gain national attention. Lemuria in Jackson is one of the finest bookstores I’ve ever been in. Square Books in Oxford is a ‘must’ for Oxford visitors. Nearby New Orleans has three independents that are regular stops for me. In addition, the French Quarter has three used book shops that are treasures. To find their names and others in each state, go to www.newpages.com or www.indiebound.org.

Successful small businesses make vibrant towns. Shop our independent bookstores to keep dollars and this valuable service in our community. Our local bookstores deserve our support because they enrich all of our lives.

Jeff Kinney, author of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series, is opening a bookstore. “If one kid’s life is changed because of this bookstore, then the whole thing was worth it,” he says.

by Rheta Grimsley Johnson
- This month, Rheta discovers "Aftermath Lounge," a novel in stories by Margaret McMullan, a writer with Pass Christian roots.

Today, at age 55, she is excitedly planning her return. Her father, Jim McMullan, died “on a chilly spring day when the lilacs had just started to bloom.” Her mother still lives in the pale yellow house, and soon Margaret and her husband, Pat O’Connor, will, too.

There are many voices and perspectives in Aftermath Lounge, cutting across income and class lines, showing the true democratic nature of disaster. One sentence early in the book hooked me, made me know I’d read the whole book, quite possibly more than once:

“Norma had never thought much about why she lived where she lived just as she had not thought much about being with Sam all these years … not until now. But standing there, looking out Miss Betty’s window, Norma felt just then a vague sense of relief that at least she and Sam were not landlocked. At least here there was always something or at least the chance of something wonderful, terrible, or dangerous coming at them and it was up to them to see it through….”

That’s why I’m living on the Gulf Coast, I think. At least I’m not landlocked.

If you’ve ever read much at all, you might tremble at the foreshadowing. But the subtlety of her characters and place descriptions lends to the power of the narrative. She doesn’t beat us over the head with the two-by-four of wind and water. She doesn’t tell, she shows.

“It was tight quarters inside the trailer. There was the kitchen with its toy-sized plastic sink, a table with two attached seats, and then the bed in back, taking up almost half the space. Spread out on an empty flour sack on the kitchen counter was a sea of broken bits of blue and white china, and next to it a stack of glue-together plates….”

Margaret McMullan will be reading and signing her books at Pass Books on Friday, April 24, at 6 p.m. She has written six other novels and recently edited the collection Every Father’s Daughter, 24 Writers Remember Their Fathers.

Catch her if you can.

Rheta Grimsley Johnson is a 40-year veteran of Southern journalism and author of several books (see below). She has worked as a columnist for newspapers in Memphis and Atlanta and today is syndicated by King Features of New York.

She writes original monthly essays for The Cleaver from her home across the bridge in Pass Christian where she spends roughly half of each year. The rest of the time she lives in Iuka, Miss., in an old farmhouse in a cold, dark hollow.

Rheta Grimsley Johnson books are available at the regular online outlets or the charming local bookstores that make buying one a fun experience - Bay Books and Pass Books/Cat Island Coffeehouse

by Carole McKellar
- "For me, the best poetry is short, clear and readable."  Carole shares some of her favorite stanzas to celebrate National Poetry Month. 

Started in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, April is National Poetry Month,.  It is the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, libraries, booksellers, and poets championing the importance of poetry in our culture. April, arguably our most beautiful month, is appropriate for celebrating poetry, which frequently evokes the themes of nature and renewal.

When teaching poetry, high schools and colleges tend to focus on structure and interpretation, most often using classical poems of considerable complexity. Who doesn’t feel their eyes glaze over with terms like phonoaesthetics, meter, and symbolism. It’s no wonder that so few people continue reading poetry outside of a mandatory assignment.

Poetry is the distillation of the essence of a thing into a few perfect words. For me, the best poetry is short, clear and readable. It can evoke memories of all five senses, build a vivid image, or express emotion. Credit for my love of poetry goes to my husband, John, who introduced me to the beauty and power of a well-written line. One of his favorite stanzas is:

    In masks outrageous and austere
    the years go by in single file,
    but none has merited my fear,
    and none has quite escaped my smile.
        from ‘Let No Charitable Hope’ by Eleanor Wylie

The movie, ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’, was a popular comedy in the 1990’s that seems an unlikely promoter of poetry. I remember being moved to tears with the recitation of W.H. Auden’s “Funeral Blues’. Who can forget the lines:

    He was my North, my South, my East and West,
    My working week and my Sunday rest
    My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
    I thought that love would last forever. I was wrong.

If you are not familiar with it, you really must read the rest of this beautiful poem.

A few years ago I started keeping a book of poems that move me, make me laugh, or simply startle me with their simplicity. The first selection in my book is ‘The Peace of Wild Things’ by Wendell Berry.
    When despair for the world grows in me
    and I wake in the night at the least sound
    in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
    I go and lie down where the wood drake
    rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
    I come into the peace of wild things
    who do not tax their lives with forethought
    of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
    And feel above me the day-blind stars
    waiting with their light. For a time
    I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Most of the poems in my book were written in the twentieth century or later and none are very long. My choices are whimsical, and a few have not passed the test of time. However, I frequently take the book down and read a selection or glue in a new favorite. Billy Collins and Mary Oliver are well represented. Collins’ ‘Litany’ makes me smile every time I read it, which is often. Oliver’s poems make me appreciate life in a world of stunning beauty. I’m no scholar of the form, but I contend that you needn’t struggle with a poem to divine a meaning. These lines from ‘Mysteries, Yes’ by Mary Oliver are a soothing balm:

    Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
        to be understood.
        How grass can be nourishing in the
        mouths of lambs.
        How rivers and stones are forever
        in allegiance with gravity
        while we ourselves dream of rising.
        How two hands touch and the bonds
        will never be broken.
        How people come, from delight or the
        scars of damage,
           to the comfort of a poem.
    Let me keep my distance, always, from those
         who think they have the answers.
    Let me keep company always with those who say
            “Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
             and bow their heads.
    
Haiku is a more recent obsession. I can’t recall where I read about Kobayashi Issa, an eighteenth century Japanese poet, but he ignited my interest in composing haiku poems. I seldom write them down, but I love attempting to tell a story in three lines. Here is an Issa haiku poem that I particularly enjoy:

    my dead mother--
    every time I see the ocean
    every time…

When Katrina destroyed the homes of many of my co-workers at school, the faculty who were spared gave us a ‘shower’ to replace household items. I turned to a poem, ‘Kindness’ by Naomi Shihab Nye to express my thanks. The poem begins:

    Before you know what kindness really is
    you must lose things,
    feel the future dissolve in a moment
    like salt in a weakened broth.
And it ends:
    only kindness that raises its head
    from the crowd of the world to say
    it is I you have been looking for,
    and then goes with you everywhere
    like a shadow or a friend.

On March 11, 2015 the Irish President announced ‘A Poem for Ireland’, which Irish citizens chose from thousands of nominated poems. The winner is Seamus Heaney’s ‘When all the others were away at Mass’. What can you say about a country which puts poetry ‘firmly at the heart of the national conversation’?

    When all the others were away at Mass
    I was all hers as we peeled potatoes.
    They broke the silence, let fall one by one
    Like solder weeping off the soldering iron:
    Cold comforts set between us, things to share
    Gleaming in a bucket of clean water.
    And again let fall. Little pleasant splashes
    From each other’s work would bring us to our senses.
    So while the parish priest at her bedside
    Went hammer and tongs at the prayers for the dying
    And some were responding and some crying
    I remembered her head bent toward my head,
    Her breath in mine, our fluent dipping knives--
    Never closer the whole rest of our lives.

Those few lines tell a story as powerful as told in full-length novels. ‘A Poem for Ireland’ makes me wonder what America’s Poem could be. Would you vote for ‘Song of Myself’ by Walt Whitman or ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou? The discussion would be more productive than what passes for political debate these days.

Poetry is amazingly accessible thanks to the internet. The Writer’s Almanac with Garrison Keillor publishes a poem a day that can be sent to your inbox.The Academy of American Poets allows you browse thousands of poems by occasion, theme or form. Search ‘National Poetry Month’ and you get suggestions for celebrating in April.

Of particular interest to me is‘Poem in Your Pocket Day’ to be celebrated on April 30. I’ve copied some of my favorite poems to leave around Bay St. Louis to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise.  I challenge everyone reading this to find and share a favorite poem with someone this month.

Below are the contest rules and two of the videos of poetry readings.  Find full details and all the videos here. 

For National Poetry Month 2015, we present Dear Poet, a multimedia education project that invites young people in grades five through twelve to write letters in response to poems written and read by some of the award-winning poets who serve on the Academy of American Poets Board of Chancellors.

Students—to participate in this year’s Dear Poet project, watch the videos below of Chancellors reading and discussing one of their poems. Then, write them a letter in response and send it by post or email to the Academy of American Poets, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038 or [email protected] by April 30, 2015. Please include your name and the name of the poet to whom you’ve written. We will consider all letters for publication on Poets.org in May 2015. And our Chancellors will reply to select letters of their choosing.

by Carole McKellar
- This month - Carolyn J. Brown explores the lives of Eudora Welty and Margaret Walker Alexander in two new books, "A Daring Life" and "Song of My Life."  "Bay Reads" looks at both books and lands an exclusive interview with Carolyn J. Brown! 

One of the points that struck me in her talk was that Eudora Welty, an iconic figure in American literature, is typically shown in photographs as an old woman. The book covers of both biographies feature photographs of the writers as young women. Dr. Brown’s stated intention was to write books for young readers, but her books speak to readers of all ages. She used photographs liberally and frequently quoted both writers.

Although both biographies are entertaining reads, they are scholarly books with appendices, bibliographies, and source notes. Dr. Brown is an adjunct instructor at Millsaps College. She earned a BA from Duke University in English and History and a Master’s and Ph.D. in English from University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

Both Margaret Walker and Eudora Welty were fortunate to have educated parents who provided an environment filled with books and reverence for learning. They were born in the early years of the twentieth century. They were educated in prestigious universities in the Midwest, but both spent most of their working lives in Jackson, Mississippi. Ms. Welty never married and lived in her family home until her death in 2001. Ms. Walker married and raised four children as the primary breadwinner. She died in 1998.

A Daring Life: A Biography of Eudora Welty, was published by University Press of Mississippi in 2012. The title comes from Ms. Welty’s autobiographical One Writer’s Beginnings when she wrote, “As you have seen, I am a writer who came of a sheltered life. A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. For all serious daring starts from within.” Much has been written about Ms. Welty, but A Daring Life emphasized her childhood and young adult life. The book included charming photographs of her youthful artwork. Aside from her novels, stories, and essays, Ms. Welty was an accomplished photographer. She loved to travel and led a more adventurous life than would be expected of a lady of her class and time.

Song of My Life: A Biography of Margaret Walker was published in October, 2014 in time for the centennial of her birth. This is the first biography of Ms. Walker who was described as “the most famous person nobody knows.”  Ms. Walker is best known for writing Jubilee, published in 1966, a novel which tells the story of her great-grandmother.  She was a poet, essayist, and educator. For most of her career, she taught at Jackson State University, the site of the Margaret Walker Alexander National Research Center, which contains her papers. Ms. Walker was the contemporary and friend of Richard Wright, Alice Walker, Nikki Giovanni, and other influential African American writers of the twentieth century.

Excerpts of Ms. Walker’s poetry in Song of My Life led me to search out entire poems on the Poetry Foundation website. There is power and beauty in her poems. “For My People," arguably her most famous poem, was part of a collection that won her the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award in 1942. The following demonstrates the strength of her voice:
    
    For my people standing staring trying to fashion a better way
    from confusion, from hypocrisy and misunderstanding,
    trying to fashion a world that will hold all the people,
    all the faces, all the adams and eves and their countless generations;
    
    Let a new earth rise. Let another world be born. Let a
    bloody peace be written in the sky. Let a second
    generation full of courage issue forth; let a people
    loving freedom come to growth.

The poem “I Want to Write” articulates Ms. Walkers ambition as an artist.

    I want to write
    I want to write the songs of my people
    I want to hear them singing melodies in the dark.
    I want to catch the last floating strains from their sob-torn throats.
    I want to frame their dreams into words; their souls into notes.
    I want to catch their sunshine laughter in a bowl;
    fling dark hands to a darker sky
    and fill them full of stars
    then crush and mix such lights till they become
    a mirrored pool of brilliance in the dawn.
   
With these two books, Carolyn J. Brown reintroduced us to the gifted life of Margaret Walker Alexander and has given us a fresh and vivid portrayal of Eudora Welty. Their stories stayed with me for weeks as I contemplated their lives and accomplishments. I look forward to reading Dr. Brown’s next book about the life of Kate Freeman Clark (1875-1957), an impressionist painter from Holly Springs, Mississippi. She is currently doing research on Clark, who is largely unknown in her home state. That should be another fascinating read.

In order to learn more about Dr. Brown’s habits as a writer and a reader, I asked her the following questions which she kindly answered:

What kind of books did you enjoy reading as a child?
I loved biographies! There was a series (I don’t recall the name), and I enjoyed the ones about strong women like Clara Barton, Jane Addams and Florence Nightingale. I loved the Little House on the Prairie series. I loved fairy tales.

What do you enjoy reading in your spare time now?
I love new fiction, but after a while I will pick up a classic I missed or reread one that I have not read in a while. I read one Jane Austen novel a year. It’s funny—I don’t tend to read biography. I prefer fiction. (Ms. Brown is the president of the Mississippi chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America.)

What books are on your nightstand?
The Signature of Everything by Elizabeth Gilbert; The Department of Speculation by Jenny Offill; Sanditon and Other Stories by Jane Austen; Nothing Gold Can Stay by Ron Rash

When did you decide to become a writer?
I don’t think I ever decided or there was a moment when I said, “I am going to be a writer when I grow up.” I had great English teachers in high school, and my creative writing teacher submitted a story I wrote (entitled “The Rose Garden”) to a local contest and it won! In college I wrote a couple of papers I was quite proud of, followed by my Master’s thesis and dissertation. My dissertation won “Dissertation of the Year” from UNC-Greensboro, a $1000 prize. I never published my dissertation, but it was over 500 pages so I knew I could write a book—I had the discipline. But marriage and children interrupted my writing career, and I didn’t get back to it until I moved to Jackson and rediscovered Eudora Welty who I first read in graduate school.

What lead you to write biographies?
I thought there needed to be a book about Eudora Welty for the younger set. I first tried to write her life as a story for young children, but I couldn’t find the right voice. Then I found a biography of Edith Wharton written by a librarian (The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton by Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge) that I loved. It was about 150 pages and a beautiful combination of illustration and text. And it was an enjoyable read for all ages. I had found my model and, as it turns out, my genre. I would love to write fiction, but all my life I have written in the academic realm. Not since I wrote “The Rose Garden” in the eleventh grade have I written any fiction!

Why did you choose to write for younger readers?
I have two sons and felt that they did not have a book that introduced them to Eudora Welty. I wanted them to know who Welty was, visit her house, read her fiction…there was no book that met the needs of the upper middle and high school age student. And, according to my editor, the Mississippi Library Association had approached her with a request for more non-fiction books for young readers. So the timing was right, and a biography series was born.

How long did it take you to write each book? What percentage of the time was spent on research and what on actually writing?
At least, at a minimum for me, two years. I need a year to a year and a half for research and writing. I love research—going to libraries, reading primary documents, collecting photographs, just getting carried away with the subject. Then I write, and I write pretty quickly. Once I turn the manuscript in it goes through all the steps that University Press of Mississippi requires—editing, layout, gathering permissions, until it is finally ready to be printed. So, to answer you question, I would say it is a 60/40 split: 60% research, 40% writing.

What advice would you give would be writers?
If you have something you want to write about, stick with it. It can be hard to get published, but it’s important to find the right publisher and editor. And writing is rewriting. I have a writing partner in Jackson who read many drafts and told me when I got off track and away from the subject. You need a person you trust to read your drafts. Find a writing partner or group.