Browsing: People

From the Griswolds to the Grinch, just about every holiday movie features characters cutting, decorating or stealing the perfect Christmas tree. But most people—including moviegoers—don’t consider that Christmas trees take work to cultivate. Like all trees, they are subject to the threats of disease, insects, fungi and other menaces. This is why scientists in Mississippi State’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center have been studying some of the most popular tree species that decorate homes for the holidays.

WIGGINS — What began as a woodturning studio has grown into a coffee shop and gift store that is helping revitalize downtown Wiggins. Southern Turnings, founded by Scott and Jane Ann Maddox, has become a staple for residents and a tourist destination for visitors. 

POPLARVILLE — As Mississippi’s blueberry industry faces a steep decline, one Poplarville farm is finding new ways to keep the state fruit growing — from fresh berries to teas, baked goods and even dog treats. 

The first major museum exhibition devoted to the art and life of L.V. Hull opens March 20, 2026, at the Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA/the Museum). L.V. Hull: Love Is a Sensation is presented in partnership with the L.V. Hull Legacy Center (Legacy Center), a project of the Arts Foundation of Kosciusko in Kosciusko, MS. The Legacy Center, which includes Hull’s preserved home, will also open in March 2026 with a parallel exhibition and related programming.

For Kayla Walker, Lambing Day began not as a book idea, but as a quiet moment of discovery. During Christmas break in 2023, she finally sat down to read The Tower of the Flock: The Christmas Story by Dr. Christine Van Horn—a book that would shift how she understood the nativity story she had known her entire life. What she found were biblical connections and historical details that challenged long-held assumptions and invited deeper reflection.

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.