The Mississippi Writers Trail is a series of historical markers which celebrate the literary, social, historical, and cultural contributions of Mississippi's most acclaimed and influential writers. An advisory committee of state cultural agencies oversees the process of installing historical markers in places of significance to an author's life. To emphasize the literary focus of the trail, the markers are cast in the shape of an open book and display information about the author's life with the goal of educating the public about the legacy of Mississippi writers.
Overview
The Mississippi Writers Trail debuted on the State Capitol grounds in Jackson, Mississippi at the 2018 Mississippi Book Festival with an unveiling of two marker prototypes honoring Eudora Welty and Jesmyn Ward, connecting the past and present contributions of Mississippi authors. The program runs as an unfunded mandate which means these literary markers are produced and installed as funding becomes available.
Initial support from a Statehood Grant through the National Endowment for the Humanities was key for installing the first phase of markers for the Trail. The Writers Trail has received additional support from the Mississippi Delta National Heritage Area, the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area, and the City of Clarksdale, Mississippi to install markers for authors located within the service area of each organization.
Selection and placement process The Mississippi Writers Trail Advisory Committee, composed of many state cultural institutions, selects several scholars who identify potential authors for inclusion in the Writers Trail and to draft the text for each marker. Final locations are determined in consultation with local communities; authors or their surviving families are consulted for the market text as well.
Mississippi Writers Trail Advisory Committee
Mississippi Arts Commission Mississippi Development Authority, Visit Mississippi Mississippi Humanities Council Mississippi Library Commission Mississippi Department of History and Archives Community Foundation for Mississippi Mississippi Book Festival
Mississippi Writers Trail markers WriterMarker LocationCityMarker PhotoDate of InstallationMargaret Walker AlexanderMargaret Walker Center, Jackson State UniversityJackson, MSJuly 8, 2019William FaulknerRowan Oak, Faulkner Home and MuseumOxford, MSOctober 10, 2019Shelby FooteE.E. Bass Cultural Arts CenterGreenville, MSOctober 18, 2019Walker PercyE.E. Bass Cultural Arts CenterGreenville, MSOctober 18, 2019Elizabeth SpencerMerrill MuseumCarrollton, MSOctober 5, 2019Ida B. WellsRust CollegeHolly Springs, MSNovember 7, 2019Eudora WeltyEudora Welty House and GardenJackson, MSSeptember 10, 2018Tennessee WilliamsCutrer MansionClarksdale, MSOctober 17, 2019Richard WrightGeorge W. Armstrong LibraryNatchez, MSJuly 23, 2020Anne MoodyLouis Gaulden and Riquita Jackson Family Memorial ParkCentreville, MSMay 26, 2021Dorothy ShawhanWright Gallery of Kethley Hall, Delta State UniversityCleveland, MSJuly 23, 2021Richard FordCarnegie Public Library Clarksdale, MSSeptember 2, 2021Willie MorrisYazoo Triangle CenterYazoo City, MSJune 4, 2022Stark YoungEmily J Pointer Public LibraryComo, MSNovember 12, 2022
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