Browsing: People

Queen of Memphis, a family saga novel by Pascagoula writer Martin Hegwood, is on the short list of finalists for Southern Literary Review’s 2025 Book of the Year Award.  The story takes place in Memphis, the north Delta, and Jackson. The editors of Southern Literary Review extend this special recognition each year to a select group of books written by Southern authors and deemed to have lasting value in the Southern literary canon.

When I first moved to McComb, I started noticing Scott Photography appearing all over my Facebook feed. I was immediately drawn to the images and the way they captured the heart of this corner of Mississippi. What stood out most was that everything Manuel Scott photographs is centered around McComb and Summit. It’s clear that he isn’t just documenting events; he’s documenting the life and spirit of this community.

Writer and director Clinnesha D. Sibley is bringing a new holiday production to McComb on December 6—Love in the Layover, a Christmas-season play set in the most unlikely of places: an airport full of strangers.

When Lynn Martin talks about sewing, her voice softens—not out of nostalgia, but out of a deep, steady respect for a skill that shaped her life. She grew up moving around the Southwest and the Deep South, the daughter of an ironworker whose union jobs carried the family from Mississippi to Arizona, Texas, and Louisiana. Her father helped build landmarks like the New Orleans Superdome, but it was her mother who built something just as lasting: the family’s clothes, and Lynn’s love for sewing.

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Six-year-old Christopher Best of Flora loves everything about space. Diagnosed with the congenital condition known as Pierre Robin sequence, his Make-A-Wish request was simple—he wanted to experience anything and everything to do with rockets.

For the second year in a row, the Milken Family Foundation traveled from California to Mississippi to bestow the Milken Educator Award (the “Oscar of Teaching”) on a two-time graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi. Kayla Saxton, a Golden Eagle and third-grade English/language arts teacher at Mannsdale Upper Elementary School in Madison, Miss., received the news during a surprise school assembly. Click here to watch.

There is something special about ringing a Salvation Army Bell during the holidays. As a volunteer Bell-Ringer, I am always inspired by the thoughtfulness of those that make their way to the kettle to deposit whatever they have to give. Whether it is a folded bill or a handful of change, the spirit of giving is apparent in her or his own way.

When I first moved to Summit in December of 2024, one of the very first places people told me about was The Happy Easel. As a mom, I was immediately intrigued — my kids have always loved art. And as an artist myself, I thought, how perfect! But here’s the funny thing: my kids don’t really want to learn from me. They’d much rather go somewhere fun, get their hands messy, and hear instructions from someone new — someone like Beth Shepard, the owner of The Happy Easel.

Every now and then, a story from Mississippi’s past reminds us just how deeply courage and kindness are woven into our state’s roots. One of those stories belongs to Mrs. Mamie Thomas — a trailblazer from Vicksburg who quite literally carried her community forward.

The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) is proud to announce that Col. Bruce R. Pulver (’88), retiring commander of The United States Army Band “Pershing’s Own,” will return to his alma mater as artist-in-residence in the School of Music beginning July 1, 2026.

PASCAGOULA—From the armed services to the civilian world, Veteran Richard Jeffery Barnes has spent his entire career leading a life of service to the Country and others, something that he inherited from his father.

Every Veterans Day I have one particular vet that I think a lot about. He was a man I admired in so many ways and still am amazed at is achievements. He grew up in a profoundly poor family in the Mississippi Delta in a shack with no running water, no electricity and no inside toilet. They were often hungry. I am fond of saying poverty either makes you or breaks you. and this country boy hated the Delta so bad as soon as he got a chance to get out, he did. The quickest way out was to join the army. For the first time in his life, he had new, clean clothes, a comfortable bed to sleep in and all the food he wanted to eat.

Diezel Robinson is a young author who wrote the book “Helping Others” after experiencing bullying at the age of eight.…

In the ever-evolving world of art, visibility can be everything. A single post, one small moment of courage to share your work, can change everything. And for many creatives across the state, the Mississippi Artists Facebook group has become the place where that magic happens.

A partnership launched in 1997 between Marshall County Schools and the Mississippi Teacher Corps at the University of Mississippi has transformed into a pipeline for educators reshaping classrooms and leadership across the district

Nestled along the quiet banks of the Topisaw Creek in Summit, Mississippi, sits a small studio where clay, creativity, and faith come together in harmony. It’s here that local artist Emily Nichols, founder of Creekside Pottery, spends her days shaping more than just clay — she’s shaping stories, memories, and moments of connection.