In 2002, during my first face-to-face with Prince, one of the first things he asked me was about my musical influences. After naming the usual suspects of BB King, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Parliament/Funkadelic, and others, I added a few more and ended with, “Do you know who Cassandra Wilson is?” He looked at me like I had just cussed him out. I honestly couldn’t tell if he was baffled, pissed, or both that I thought he didn’t know who Cassandra Wilson was. Prince seemed borderline offended at the question. He only said, “Yeah, of course,” but his face said much more. To ease the situation, I added, “Hey, mane, I mostly live in a Mississippi bubble, so I don’t know what folks outside my state be digging.” He gave a slight laugh and a very faint chuckle, and I knew I was no longer on the “Get dis fool outta here” train back to Mississippi. (Nine years later, she would open for Prince during the Welcome to America Tour, joining him on stage to sing “When We’re Dancing Close and Slow.” See pic here and here.) I knew that Cassandra Wilson was a hometown hero and jazz icon, but the look Prince gave me affirmed that she was the ultimate artist—one that other artists respected to the utmost. Connecting the Prince and Cassandra circle, I had the video of her and Prince singing “When We’re Dancing Close and Slow,” but haven’t looked at it in many years. Now, when I wanted to share it with y’all, I can’t find it. Cassandra didn’t even know that someone had posted it on YouTube. When I told her backstage at Yellow Scarf, she said, “Well, that won’t be up long because Prince doesn’t play that,” and returned to sipping her tea as she got ready for her performance.

For the next few days, y’all will hear about Cassandra Wilson—the two-time Grammy winner, the 2022 National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, and Time Magazine’s 2001 “Best Singer.” But, I want to take just a few moments to discuss the woman who was a native of Jackson, Mississippi, attended Jackson State University, formed an all-female band while at JSU, and, then, after becoming a world-renown singer/songwriter, returned to her beloved Jackson, Mississippi, to plant seeds so that the next generation could be fed and nurtured. I’ll begin by allowing Cassandra and her all-female bandmates (Nellie Mack, Rhonda Richmond, and Yvonne “Niecie” Evers) to tell their story of what life was like for them, how they met, and what it meant to form an all-female band in the 70s. During the 2022 JSU Margaret Walker Alexander CASE Festival, I had the honor and pleasure to interview these four super-talented ladies, and y’all can watch the entire two-hour discussion here. This was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life for five reasons. One, I was learning and sharing black history, Mississippi history, and American history. Two, we got to present and center four black women as accomplished intellectuals, musicians, songwriters, and griots. Three, this is another example of the greatness of Afro-Mississippi. Four, we got to see four friends love on each other as they remembered their remarkable journey. And, to be clear, this was not a discussion of a star and three side-women. This was a discussion of four equally talented women who loved and respected each other. This was community; Cassandra was happy and proud to be a member of this community, and I knew how privileged I was to be considered part of this artistic community.

The one constant theme in Cassandra’s life was inquiry, growth, change, and a wrestling with how her art reflected who she was, even when she was constantly transitioning. This is represented in her musical journey and in her life journey as well. By the time she reached high school, Cassandra was a masterful guitarist and singer/songwriter, working primarily as a folk singer, in the tradition of Carley Simon, Joni Mitchell, and Carol King. Longtime Jackson, Mississippi, resident and activist Akil Bakari attended high school with Cassandra and remembers that “she was a regular performer at Poets in the Quarter, a popular restaurant and bar by her teenage years.” (Here and here are much later 1996 pictures of Cassandra with Joni Mitchell for Down Beat.) Yet, he explains, “When she relocated to New Orleans, that’s when her music began to shift as her own cultural and spiritual journey began to shift, particularly toward the Yorùbá religion and the Ifá system of divination.” Yet, rather than completely denounce her Mississippi Christian background, Cassandra blended or amalgamated her various spiritual sensibilities in the same way that she would blend her musical influences. Living in New Orleans and New York rekindled her love of the blues and jazz. And, again, rather than forsaking one for the other, Cassandra became a musical and lyrical alchemist. Bakari affirms, “While all of her early albums showcase Cassandra’s brilliance, New Moon Daughter might be the apex of her musical, spiritual, and cultural odyssey.” This record has all of herself on it—folk, blues, and jazz. It contains her penned “Solomon Sang,” which is a lament to the human struggle to reconcile the carnal and the spiritual and be led by wisdom. But, then there’s Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” a song about ultimate hate, sharing space with U2’s “Love Is Blindness,” an echo of 1 Corinthians 13 that proposes love as the only solution to the hatred of “Strange Fruit.” And, there’s her penned “Memphis,” which has a faint jazz/blues shuffle with dashes of blues guitar that almost defies musical category. Then, the lyrics complicate it more as we realize that this song is referencing Memphis, Egypt, and not Memphis, Tennessee. But, in her ability to parallel and blend all things, Cassandra seems to trope Memphis, TN, as an urban blues haven for those escaping the hellish oppression of the deep South, connecting it to Memphis, Egypt, the first capital of a unified Egypt that has often been perceived as the last place African people were whole and in control of themselves, as she sings:

• “On a river to my heart/ Roll in slowly pour into my veins/ Bring me water and wash away my pain/ With the sweet complexion of a pharaoh/ Dark like a delta night, I said/ I want, I want to go back to Memphis/ And we will dance along the Nile/ And you’ll remember me/ How that water wash over me/ Let’s go back, let’s go back to Memphis/ And we will dance along the Nile/ Smile, dance, ...”

This is a longing and a reclaiming, in which both Memphis cities sit on the banks of the two most fertile rivers known to humanity—the Nile and the Mississippi. Both rivers have been centers of civilization’s progression and human debauchery. This is the apex of her amalgamating history, culture, and the desire to be free, whole, and complete. But, then, there’s more blending with songs functioning as bookends. Son House’s “Death Letter,” which is not just about the death of a lover but how life is so cruel to black folks that they can’t do anything but walk from place to place (the walking blues) to find just a moment of peace from the pain. Next, in a most shrewd act of lyrical signifying, Cassandra places The Monkeys’ “Last Train to Clarksville” square at the feet of Son House’s “Death Letter” to unearth its sociopolitical angst by connecting it to veiled Vietnam protest of “Last Train to Clarksville,” as the speaker asks one’s lover to meet one at the station before the speaker leaves because “I don’t know/ if I’m every coming home.” Although Cassandra scats her way through most of the song, its dread and impending doom are never lost on us, especially since, when she arrives at that final line, all of the music except the acoustic guitar fades so that we clearly hear the declaration of probable death. And, there’s more mixing and contrasting with the death-by-broken-heart dirge of Hank Williams’ “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” at the halfway point of the album, answered by the final song’s whimsical celebration of enduring and long-term love and the comfort of growing old with a mate in Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon.” However, Cassandra mutes Young’s whimsical component for a more subdued sonic that captures the lyrics’ bittersweet nostalgia that death is close but made less fearful by aging with a soulmate. All of this shows that Cassandra learned most from the masters to play by her own rules. Her deep respect for the tradition demanded that she take the past and refashion it into something that could continue to comfort, inspire, and heal as times seemed to get worse. Even for someone like me who is often uninterested in cover songs, New Moon Daughter is the example that the only meaningful cover is one that deconstructs the original to show us something about the original that we would have never known without the cover. These are the moments when she’s being her most Mississippi, and most African, and most female, and most traditional, and most unique, and most perplexing.

It’s this type of work that caused critics to say “she was pushing her unorthodox approach even further, a style that had won an enthusiastic audience but had divided jazz critics between those who hailed her as a leading innovator and those who dismissed her as a crossover compromiser” (here). In the article, “Cassandra Wilson: The New Standard,” Geoffrey Himes continued:

• “When Wilson first emerged in the late ‘80s, jazz vocals had been stuck in a time warp. The template of repertoire, rhythm, and delivery defined by Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan in the ‘40s had remained near constant while everything else in jazz was changing around it. Even Betty Carter and Abbey Lincoln, two of Wilson’s biggest heroes, refined that template without fundamentally altering it. Wilson has changed it all, and she’s continuing to shake things up…One night she sang ‘Cherokee’ at the jazz-club tribute to Charlie Parker, and afterwards the alto saxophonist Steve Coleman came over and struck up a conversation. ‘He told me bebop is important,’ Wilson recounts, ‘but he said it was even more important that I create my own music and my own style. He said I’d never be noticed if I kept doing the same repertoire and that same style from another era; so many singers were doing those same Tin Pan Alley tunes’” (here).

This is where things become both wonderful and complicated when it comes to Cassandra. Some loved her innovative takes on the canon while others felt that she was perverting the canon to be commercial. And, to be clear, this tension didn’t end or stop with her music. As time marched onward, her personal politics, a mix of Afrocentrism and Booker T. Washington-type conservatism, also marched onward. Wilson was the product of a multi-instrumentalist educator father and a mother with a PhD in education, both of whom had come of age in Jim Crow America, seeing education, diligent work ethic, and personal responsibility as the most effective way for African Americans to claim their rightful space in the country. As such, Cassandra was as unyielding in those sensibilities as she was in her musical sensibilities. And, as the country began to re-divide itself with the latest Neo-Colonial wave, Cassandra became perceived as a conservative apologist or as someone either blind to or uncaring about the struggles of those attacked by conservatism. While we both agreed that black self-hatred, from a lack of knowing and embracing our African selves, was a major ill, limiting our racial progress, we disagreed on its causes and solutions. In short, in the later years, we did not agree on many things, social or political. Yet, my respect for what she accomplished and meant to the Jackson, Mississippi, black arts community enabled me to disagree with her without being disagreeable, especially when it came to creating and expanding opportunities to grow the local black arts community.

However, what bothered some folks is that, in her later years, Cassandra’s personal politics, as evidenced by what she sometimes posted on social media, seemed to contradict the more progressive Afrocentrism in which her music and lyrics are rooted. (Interestingly, she seemed to treat her two social media accounts the same way she engaged her art and her personal politics, with her Instagram page projecting her artistic expressions [here] and her Facebook page [here and here] including more of her personal politics.) Yet, what most don’t understand is that traditional and, even, ancient African sensibilities are, much like African American sensibilities, socially conservative. Many seem not to know or have forgotten that James Brown, Mr. Say-It-Loud-I’m-Black-and-I-Proud, was essentially a conservative who only seemed radical in the struggle for African American liberation from Jim Crow because white supremacy is extraordinarily toxic. For Cassandra, it seems that liberalism ran counter to and was often an affront to the Yorùbá and Ifá sensibilities that she embraced, or at least how she understood and interpreted them. Nevertheless, that tension, in some form, is in all African Americans. My father had a DD214 with “Honorable Discharge” on it, and he was still arrested three times for fighting for the right to vote, to be properly educated, and, generally, to be equal under the law. Still, he worked both outside and inside the system until he became the first African American to lead the Mississippi Democratic Party. I have a DD214 with “Honorable Discharge” and know that, even today, I am considered less than human by Mississippi Governor Tater Tot. And, while I chose the path of Black Nationalism, I am grateful for and celebrate all of the Afro-Mississippians (Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evers, and many others) who worked to make my Mississippi hell less hot than theirs. But, the tension remains real. Thus, that tension in Cassandra’s art reflects the tension in her politics. And, as someone who can, unlike most, separate the artist from the art, I only mention those personal politics because she saw herself as a culture worker, a root worker, a conjurer, and a griot. Her goal was to create art that impacted people intellectually and emotionally to cause a catharsis that moved people toward what she saw as the proper, most just, more holistic society. As such, her personal politics don’t diminish, for me, her expansive talent or the community work that she did in her desire to aid other African and African American artists in reaching their full potential in art and business. Though, I acknowledge that those personal politics can be viewed as running counter to, if not hindering, her cultural work.

Although I’ve met, talked to, and even read poetry multiple times at her club, Yellow Scarf, I don’t have many person-to-person Cassandra Wilson stories. The one vivid yet brief interaction I most remember with her was after reading poetry at Highlites. Cassandra was holding an artist showcase to see if she was going to sign a local duo, M.U.G.A.B.E.E., which consists of brothers Maurice (trumpet/singer/songwriter) and Carlton (emcee/singer/songwriter) Turner. I was asked to open the show for them and was delighted to do so. The energy was electric that night because we all felt that something special was about to happen. The place was packed as our hometown hero had come home to identify and provide opportunities for deserving local talent. I might have been the warm-up act, but it was already jumping in there. To be honest, my only job was not to eff up the vibe because we all knew that M.U.G.A.B.E.E. was doing to bring the house down. I finished to a great response. As I took my seat, I looked to my left, and Cassandra, Rhonda, and Judykay Jefferson were beaming as Cassandra smiled more and nodded her head, giving me the sign of approval. That was all I needed—another sign from another Mississippi legend to let me know I was walking in the right direction.

After that, we didn’t interact a lot, talking mostly in passing, especially when planning events at Yellow Scarf. Much of her words of encouragement and praise that she had for my work were communicated to me through her friends. I was close to five of her closest friends: David Brian Williams (poet, lawyer, and lighting and sound master), Ramona Ward (visual artist and costume designer in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Alabama State University), Judykay Jefferson (poet, stylist, educator, and all-around person who gets shit done), Nellie Mack (kickass bassist and sought-after studio and road musician), Rhonda Richmond (singer, songwriter, musician, and educator), and Charlie R. Braxton (poet, editor, and cultural critic). These were the beautiful people, particularly David, Judykay, Rhonda, and Ramona, through whom I met Cassandra while co-hosting Mississippi Vibes Poetry Night at Highlites. It is from these people I learned that an artist needs a family of artists. By nature, I’m a person who likes to be alone—I crave the hours of me time, being alone in my head with my ideas. It was only through meeting David Brian Williams and poet, activist, and scholar Dr. Jolivette Anderson that I was thrust into this beautiful, Mississippi family of artists in which Cassandra moved, not like a star, but a sister, play cousin, and aunt. I often state that David and Jolivette dragged me kicking and screaming onto the stage to read my poetry, and that’s true. But, even more, they dragged me kicking and screaming into a family of artists that loved and nurtured each other into their best selves. One of the best examples of that was Cassandra starting Ojah Records to curate space for wonderful artists, such as Rhonda Richmond and others, whom the major labels didn’t understand or think there was a place for them to shine. Additionally, Cassandra opened Yellow Scarf as “a place for real music, by real musicians, in real time” that featured both local and international artists in her hometown of Jackson, Mississippi. An artist of her caliber could have opened a club in New York or LA, but, in the spirit of Prince, she chose to reinvest in her hometown. Over the years, I was fortunate to witness and participate in some great performances at Yellow Scarf. Here is one of the times when I read as part of Rhonda Richman’s band. And, the following are a few announcements of shows at Yellow Scarf, beginning in 2012, that were posted in the newsletter.

April 12, 2012: “JSU MWA CAF, JSU Gibbs Green Memorial, Yellow Scarf, and More”

• International Jazz Icon and Grammy Award-winning artist Cassandra Wilson has opened an elegant and state of the art listening room, Yellow Scarf (741 Harris Street, Suite E). Essentially, Yellow Scarf is the finest in jazz/soul/blue live music experience in the Jackson-Metro area and will feature Wilson and her renowned band, the wonderful vocals and songs and Rhonda Richmond, the soulful experience of Twanna Shante, the legendary Andy Hardwick, and much more! And true to her roots in the Jackson, Mississippi, arts world, Yellow Scarf has already coupled the listening pleasure with visual arts. In short, Yellow Scarf is the classiest, hippest, and most dynamic live music experience that Mississippi has to offer. For more information, contact Thabi Moyo at t.moyo@ojahmediagroup.com or info@ojahmediagroup.com.

May 23, 2012: “McInnis Awarded First Runner-Up and His Reading at Yellow Scarf”

• C. Liegh will also read poetry this weekend, May 26, 2012, at Yellow Scarf (741 Harris Street, Suite E) as part of nationally noted vocalist Rhonda Richmond’s “The Roots of Love and Freedom” performance. In an interview, the songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Richmond stated that “The roots of love and freedom is about healing and celebration and the use of music in that process.” Adding to this, C. Liegh stated, “Before African people can get free and fulfill their potential, we must learn to love ourselves. Thus, the development of self-love is organic to any freedom or liberation struggle. So, until African people learn to love themselves, we will never obtain first-class citizenship.” Yellow Scarf is the finest in jazz/soul/blues live music experience in the Jackson-Metro area and is owned by Grammy-Award winning artist, Cassandra Wilson, and Richmond is signed to Wilson’s label, Ojah Media. A couple of weekends ago, listeners were treated to the fabulous performance of Twanna Shante who was recently signed to Ojah Media and debuted three songs from her upcoming album along with a video for the lead single.

July 24, 2012: “Margaret Walker Celebration Tonight and Poetry at Yellow Scarf Next Week”

• On next Saturday, July 14, 2012, Yellow Scarf will host A Marriage of Poetry and Music, featuring the poetry of Kanika Welch, Bob Hudson, Nathan Harper aka Urban Raw, Herb Brown aka The Ugly Poet, and C. Liegh McInnis. The reading will be from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and for more information contact Thabi Moyo at t.moyo@ojahmediagroup.com or Ramona Ward at rward3@charter.net.

February 2, 2013: “Upcoming Literary Events”

• On February 14, 2013, at 7:00 p.m., Yellow Scarf Listening Room (741 Harris Street, Ste. E) presents “A Night of Music and Poetry” featuring songwriter, vocal phenomenon, and Ojah Media Group recording artist Tawanna Shante, poet/activist and candidate for city council Ward Seven June Hardwick, and writer/editor C. Liegh McInnis. For additional information, contact junehardwick@gmail.com.

April 10, 2014: “MWA CAF and Other Upcoming Events”

• Friday night, April 11, from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m., Jolivette Anderson aka The Poet Warrior will present a poetry reading/one woman show, My Mother’s Lives, at Yellow Scarf (741 Harris Street, Suite E). For more information, contact (347) 754-0668 or go to www.yellowscarf-Jackson.net.

April 17, 2014: “Yellow Scarf: Wine, Women, and Wisdom Music and Poetry Three-Night Event”

• Hey Y’all,

• We apologize for this late notice, but for the next three nights, Yellow Scarf (741 Harris Street, Suite E) will be holding its annual Wine, Women, and Wisdom Celebration featuring music and poetry. Tonight, April 17, will feature singer/songwriter with the most beautiful songbird voice around, Tawanna Shaunte’ with musicians Bill Perry, Jr., Lamont Jamison, and Johnny Hubbard. Doors open at 7:00 p.m., and the show begins at 8:00 p.m. Friday night, April 18, will feature singer/songwriter, master lyricist/storyteller Rhonda Richmond. Joining Richmond will be poet/fiction writer C. Liegh McInnis and poet/playwright Charlie R. Braxton along with master percussionist/teacher Rufus Mapp. Doors open at 8:00 p.m., and the show begins at 9:00 p.m. And ending the celebration Saturday night, April 19, will be internationally acclaimed jazz vocalist Vanessa Rubin and internationally acclaimed jazz pianist Helen Sung. With seven albums to her credit, two charting in Billboard’s Top Ten, Rubin has worked with jazz icons, such as Pharaoh Sanders, Kenny Barron, Lionel Hampton, Grover Washington, Jr., and Herbie Hancock. With nine albums to her credit, Sung has worked with jazz icons, such as Clark Terry, Wynton Marsalis, Jimmy Heath, and Slide Hampton. For tickets, contact (347) 754-0668 or go to http://www.yellowscarf.ojahmediagroup.com/.

Of course, there were many more shows and announcements, as, for a short time, Yellow Scarf became the place to be for masterful and experimental artists—those seeking to follow Cassandra’s lead of being anchored in history while crafting new trails. We had so many great times making art and using that art to impact the sociopolitical matrix, and Cassandra was always in the trenches with us or supporting us in other ways when her talents took her all over the planet. In closing, here, here, and here are pics of Cassandra, Rhonda, Ramona, and saxophone master Ezra Brown at the David Brian Williams memorial celebration at Seven All Arts Café in 2006. And, here is a pic of Judykay, Rhonda, and me at the 2008 “Vote for Your Life” and “Swing that Vote” Rallies where we all performed and/or spoke. Cassandra is just to the left of Judykay, off camera because she didn’t want to be photographed while eating. When a black woman from Mississippi tells you, “Don’t take my picture while I’m eating, you do as you are told.” But, she was there, as she always was, using her gifts to uplift others. In every aspect of life, Cassandra was the epitome of T. S. Eliot’s “Tradition and the Individual Talent,” in which she mastered all that came before her so that she could carve her unique space in the canon of great art. Cassandra Wilson was a global star who used much of her glow to illuminate her hometown. I have her music to remind me of her genius, but I have my memories to remind me of her heart.

McInnis is a poet, short story writer, Prince scholar, 2025 Finalist for the Mississippi Poet Laureate, co-founder of the Jackson State University Creative Writing Program, the former editor/publisher of Black Magnolias Literary Journal, and the author of eight books, including four collections of poetry, one collection of short fiction (Scripts: Sketches and Tales of Urban Mississippi), one work of literary criticism (The Lyrics of Prince: A Literary Look at a Creative, Musical Poet, Philosopher, and Storyteller), one co-authored work, Brother Hollis: The Sankofa of a Movement Man, which discusses the life of a Mississippi Civil Rights icon, and the former First Runner-Up of the Amiri Baraka/Sonia Sanchez Poetry Award sponsored by North Carolina State A&T. Additionally, his work has been published in numerous journals and anthologies, including Obsidian, Callaloo, African American Review, Black Fire—This Time Vols. 1 and 2, Tribes, Konch, Down to the Dark River, an anthology of poems about the Mississippi River, and Black Hollywood Unchained, which is an anthology of essays about Hollywood’s portrayal of African Americans.

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Hey Y’all,

My narrative, “Aunt Imogene’s Rolls,” has been published in the latest issue of First of the Month, which y’all can read here. Additionally, checkout the latest issue of First of the Month, edited by the always-on-point Benj DeMott, which can be read here. Along with this issue, First of the Month publishes some of the most insightful essays, poetry, and fiction.

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Hey Y’all Again,

If y’all missed my “Brief Review of Jubilee: A Folk Opera,” go here and here.

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This morning’s Friday Forum will feature Pieter Teeuwissen, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Jackson, who will discuss “State of the City after One Year of Mayor Horhn’s Administration.” Then, join the Refill Group for the Saturday Breakfast Club, which is an informal dialogue on various topics. For more information about today and tomorrow’s programs, see the calendar of events below or contact Nicole McNamee at nmcnamee72@gmail.com.

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Today, the Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum will host Tea Talks: “Tender Poems for Trouble Times: Honoring the Haiku of Richard Wright.” Join JFGM for an afternoon of tea and haiku composed by author and poet, Richard Wright, during the last years of his life while exiled in Paris. Professor Emerita Theresa “T” Ford will be joined via zoom with poet and activist Julia Wright and scholars* to discuss Richard Wright’s influence on their current work and the importance of his poetry as a space to conquer loss, pain, healing and joy. To purchase a copy of Wright’s Haiku: The Last Poetry of Richard Wright, go here. And, for more information about today’s celebration, read the current issue of the Richard Wright Bulletin (here) and see the calendar of events below.

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Tomorrow, the Mississippi Writers’ Guild (MWG) will meet and feature a talk by Barbara Travis on “The Art of the Interview, as an Interviewer and an Interviewee.” Travis is an economic and community development professional who has held numerous local and state-level leadership positions across Mississippi. Notably, she served as the Executive Director of the Mississippi World Trade Center. She has taught at two Mississippi universities, where her innovative teaching techniques earned feature coverage on NBC’s TODAY Show. She also lectures frequently on business etiquette and professional protocol. Currently working as a freelance writer and public speaker, her feature writing has been published in outlets such as Delta Magazine. She actively serves on advisory boards for multiple civic and state organizations. For more information about tomorrow’s meeting, see the calendar of events below.

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Tougaloo College grad Dr. Howard Rambsy and his brother, Morehouse College grad Dr. Kenton Rambsy, have co-authored One Black Writer at a Time: How Literary Coverage Shapes Reception, which “focuses on the recurring pattern in media, scholarly discourse, and publishing to elevate one Black writer at a time, often at the expense of hundreds of others whose works go underrecognized.” One Black Writer at a Time is “the culmination of several years of thinking through literary data and trying to quantify a concern that stretches back more than half a century among African American writers and commentators: the unequal visibility of Black writers. The Rambsy brothers have chapters on Toni Morrison, Ta-Nehisi Coates and Colson Whitehead, The New York Times, literature anthologies, and the broader patterns that shape the reception of Black writers.” For excerpts of the One Black Writer at a Time, go here and here, and to publish a copy, go here.

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Poet, photographer, editor of Valley Voices, and Chair of the Mississippi Valley State University English Department, Dr. John Zheng has a new poetry e-chapbook, Dancing Apart, which can be read here. Dancing Apart explores how sociopolitical turmoil impacts and implodes interpersonal relationships. After the ten-year-long Cultural Revolution, dance halls erupted across China like bamboo shoots after a sudden rain. People swarmed into them, desperate to replace a decade of gray endurance with the vibrant colors of rhythm. But beneath the music, a new wildfire was spreading. As the heat of dance floor warped traditional values, the flames of divorce began to consume once solid families. In this world of neon and repentance, we find Seng and Mei—two characters caught in a swirling cycle of hidden encounters and regret.

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If y’all missed Jackson, MS, native, noted poet, editor, and Jackson State University Visiting Associate Professor of English, Dr. Kelly Ellis discussing her poetry collection, Solum, during the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s weekly History Is Lunch, y’all can watch it here. Centered on the life of her great-grandfather, George Asbury Kelley, a shoemaker at the Jackson Shoe Hospital, Solum explores family history through poetry. Ellis will discuss how she constructs narratives using government documents, archival information, family photos, oral histories, and family lore.

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This week’s Torch Literary Arts feature is novelist and music industry executive Ashley M. Coleman. To read more about Coleman’s work, go here. This fall, Torch Literary Arts—a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established to publish and promote creative writing by Black women—will celebrate its 20th Anniversary with A Gathering of Flames, a three-day event that will include Torch Awards Gala, The Gathering (readings, panels, and workshops), and Community Brunch and feature award-winning and noted writers, such as Sharon Bridgforth, Patricia Smith, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, and Crystal Wilkinson. For more information on A Gathering of Flames, see the calendar of events below.

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Each week during the month of September, Tougaloo College’s School of Humanities in partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council, Millsaps College, and St. Andrews Episcopal School will host a Community Reading Series, exploring Dr. B. Brian Foster’s compelling work, I Don’t Like the Blues: Race, Place, & the Backbeat of Black Life. Whether you’re a student, faculty member, staff, or community member, this is a timely opportunity to engage with Foster’s powerful exploration of music, culture, and Black life in America. Dr. Foster will attend the first session, and the month-long discussion will culminate in October with free admission to Blue Monday, a weekly blues jam session featuring some of Mississippi’s most noted musicians and singers, at Hal and Mal’s (an evening of celebration with our reading cohort!). If you’d like to participate, contact Dr. Miranda Freeman—Dean of the School of Humanities—at mfreeman@tougaloo.edu. We hope you’ll join us for this enriching series and help support a vital conversation about race, place, and culture in our community. For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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From September to December, The International Museum of Muslim Cultures (IMMC) will host its “Fall Faith Series,” which will be an interfaith gathering for healing, reflection, and relationship gathering the third Thursday of each month. This series marks the 25th anniversary of September 11 and features guest speaker Sister Okolo Rashid, co-founder of the museum and the Jackson Model Beloved Community Partnership. The gatherings will focus on the practice of sharing faith stories that praise God, build community, and expand perspective. The goal is to answer questions, reinforce personal beliefs, and strengthen convictions. For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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The Center for the Study of Southern Culture has posted its September events in its latest newsletter, which can be found below in the calendar of events.

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Here is the link to the September newsletter of the Civil Rights Movement Archive (CRMA). Also, CRMA has a new collection, What the Civil Rights Movement Taught Us, a collection of writings from various civil rights veterans, which can be viewed here. To learn more about CRMA, go here, and to read their collection of civil rights poetry, which includes seven poems by C Liegh McInnis, go here and here.

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Seeing Myself on the Shelf—a collection of African-American books, ephemera, and historical documents that shares stories, questions, and discoveries from its archives—has posted a great new commentary, “The eBay Album I Almost Regretted Buying (here).”

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Here is a fun and creative list, “An A to Z of Prince,” by John McKie, in which McKie is only offering a good time while finding a fresh way to celebrate Prince’s genius. Additionally, McKie is the author of Prince: A Sign O’ the Times, which examines the remarkable life and career of one of the most mysterious figures in music through the prism of the record considered by many as his masterpiece, 1987’s Sign “O” the Times. McKie’s book can be purchased here.

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Rooted Magazine has a great new interview with Jackson, Mississippi, native, Jackson State University grad, and current Ph.D. scholar in Virology at Harvard University Amerria M. Causey as part of its “Mississippi Expat” series that y’all can read here. Rooted is a free, online magazine dedicated to telling stories of place to people who call Mississippi home. It publishes weekly questionnaires with interesting Mississippi transplants, natives, and expats. Their lagniappe issues feature original prose, poetry, art, and photography from Mississippi writers and artists. Y’all can subscribe to the online magazine at rooted.substack.com.

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Narrative 4—an organization of creatives that uses storytelling to build community and civic engagement—has sent its latest newsletter that can be read here.

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Study the South, the publication of The Center for the Study of Southern Culture, has posted its Call for Proposals for the 2027 Study the South Research Fellowship. Scholars researching the South have an opportunity for funded research in the collections of the Department of Archives and Special Collections at the J. D. Williams Library at the University of Mississippi. The Study the South Research Fellowship, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and the Department of Archives and Special Collections, will provide funding of $1,500 to one qualified scholar, who will also have an opportunity to publish an essay in Study the South based on their research. Special Collections has particular strengths in areas that include political history, the blues, civil rights, and the antebellum and Civil War eras. Subject guides and finding aids at Archives and Special Collections can be found at www.libraries.olemiss.edu/specialcollectionspages. The funds will support travel and lodging expenses, and the remainder serves as a stipend. Research should take place between February 2027 and December 2027. Study the South is an online scholarly journal at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. They will ask the successful fellow either to give a public presentation at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture or a short, recorded interview about one’s work, to be shared through Study the South, www.studythesouth.com. All scholars, including advanced graduate students, are eligible for the fellowship. For more information on how to submit, see the calendar of events below.

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Next week, poet and fiction writer Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears (rashell.spears@jsums.edu) and poet and literary theorist Dr. Shanna Smith (shanna.l.smith@jsums.edu) will facilitate the bi-monthly creative writing workshop that meets via Zoom. They have been meeting for over ten years, and many of the works developed in the workshop have been published. For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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Next week, storyteller, visual artist, and longtime arts activist Diane Williams—author of The Life and Legacy of B.B. King: A Mississippi Blues Icon and co-author of A Guide to Mississippi Museums—will be one of the panelists for the 41st Printers Row Literary Festival in Chicago discussing her new book, Fostering Love: Resilience, Growth, and Triumph, which is a memoir based on the author’s early life. Williams was born to an incarcerated mother in Union Township, New Jersey. She was placed in the foster care system at birth; she spent the first 10 years of her life with her maternal great-grandmother and her step-great-grandfather until she was removed from her household when her great-grandmother died. Williams’ life turned 360 degrees afterward from stability to a story like the Land of Oz – wild and untamed. In Fostering Love, she describes the snow blizzards and beasty winds she endured and how surviving the scars and setting goals gave Williams direction and new life. To purchase a copy of Fostering Love: Resilience, Growth, and Triumph, go here. For more information about the panel, other panelists, and the festival, see the calendar of events below.

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Next week, midnight & indigo—a literary media company and a creative home for Black women writers worldwide—will host its online Black Women Writer’s Write-in for Black women writers of all genres and experience levels. Participants will be given writing prompts, write independently for a while, and be invited to share. You’ll have the opportunity to get to know each other and build community in our smaller “Writer’s Room” breakout groups. Then, we’ll rejoin for a word of inspiration. Sessions are meant to be informal. So, come in your PJs if you want or your sweats. No critiques will be provided. The write-in is hosted by Ianna Small, founder of midnight & indigo. For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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Next week, Mississippi for a Just World (MSJW) and Briarwood Arts Center will host People Over Politics: Stop Data Centers. For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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In two weeks, Grammy-nominated poet, editor, cultural critic, and human and civil rights activist Kevin Powell will begin is American tour to support his latest collection of poetry, A Poem for Evangeline and Other Songs, which can be purchased here, while serving as the Pratt Institute (New York City) 2026 Poet-and-Scholar-in-Residence. To kick off his tour and residency, Powell has released his latest poem-song, “My Father Could not Read or Write,” featuring Classique516, which can be heard here. For the complete list of dates for Powell’s upcoming tour, see the calendar of events below.

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In three weeks, the 2026 Mississippi Book Festival aka The Greatest Literary Lawn Party will be held, and poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis has just been tapped to facilitate a poetry workshop, “Crafting Poetry about Songs, Songwriters, Singers, and Musicians,” at this year’s Mississippi Book Festival aka The Greatest Literary Lawn Party. For a complete list of authors and panels, go here and see the calendar of events below.

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midnight & indigo—a literary media company and a creative home for Black women writers worldwide—has just sent their latest newsletter, featuring award-winning poet, fiction writer, and essayist Fatima Abdullahi’s, “Untethered, Unclaimed, Unbroken (here),” in which she “tries to find her voice amid a culture and society that seeks to drown it.” To receive the midnight & indigo newsletter, go here. They have published more than 400 writers, taught more than 1,000 students, and built one of the few platforms in the literary world dedicated entirely to the stories, craft, and careers of Black women across the diaspora. midnight & indigo does three things: publish original fiction and essays in their print and digital journal, run an online Writing Program offering classes and coaching, and offer professional developmental editing for writers ready to deepen their work. All of it is rooted in the same commitment: to take Black women’s writing seriously and without apology. midnight & indigo is 100% Black women-owned, and to learn more about them, go here.

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Mississippi native, fiction writer, playwright, and health activist Katrina Byrd has posted a reflective essay, “Memories of Keifer’s Restaurant (here), which explores how place holds our memories and how to navigate those memories embedded in the place.

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Poet and essayist Aysha Galadima has posted two new insightful commentaries, “Live Life Like You’re Dying (here)” and “I Couldn’t Wait to Grow Up. Then, I Actually Did (here).”

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Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC)—a private nonprofit corporation funded by Congress through the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide public programs in traditional liberal arts disciplines to serve nonprofit groups in Mississippi—has emailed its latest newsletter, which includes is most recent accomplishments and upcoming events. To receive a copy of the newsletter, contact kmolpus@mississippihumanitiescouncil.ccsend.com.

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Here is the link to visual artist Aleesha Ewan’s Mamba, a collage that works on two levels—illustrating Kobe Bryant’s personal history and place within the canon of the game and the overall history of the game. The work evokes T. S. Eliot’s “Tradition and the Individual Talent,” in which Eliot implores artists to learn and master the canon so that they can carve their own place within it. Ewan captures his notion beautifully with Mamba, showing that Bryant was both a student and innovator of the game. Ewan is a figurative artist who describes her painting and collaging style as ambiguous storytelling, cultivating her subjects by mirroring a multilayered narrative with the use of mixed media. Through her desire to “create with intentions,” she crafts works with multiple meanings. To view more of Ewan’s visual art and blogging, go here.

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Next month, The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX) will host two dynamic events.

The first will be a screening of Marvel’s Behind the Mask + Q&A with John Jennings. Explore the evolution of heroes and representation through the lens of Marvel history. The evening kicks off with a statewide filmmaker meetup hosted by Film Mississippi, offering local film industry folks a chance to connect, network, and share ideas before the feature presentation. Following the screening, stick around for an engaging Q&A session with acclaimed artist, scholar, and cultural curator John Jennings, facilitated by Ryan Parker of the Mississippi Film Society.

BET Raised Us: From Mississippi to the World, which will be a red carpet, high-energy, after-hours dance party celebrating Mississippi’s enduring influence on Black entertainment and culture, including Mississippi native and Black Entertainment Television founder Robert L. Johnson. Inspired by the energy and glamour of The BET Awards, BET Raised Us: From Mississippi to the World will be hosted by award-winning comedians Rita Brent (Comedy Central, Late Night with Rita Brent) and Merc B. Williams (Kevin Hart’s Hart of the City, Born Funny Comedy Tour), who will interview eventgoers as they make red-carpet arrivals before introducing live performances by Ariel J. and DJ Sirato in the Citizens National Bank Courtyard. Plus, meet award-winning graphic novelist John Jennings and tour his exhibition, John Jennings: Build Your World, now on view at The MAX. The event will begin with an add-on VIP dinner experience featuring a menu prepared by Chef Enrika Williams of Fauna Foodworks. Then, the red carpet will open to all ticket holders, with Ariel J. taking the stage at 8:00 p.m. and DJ Sirato at 9:00 p.m. BET Raised Us honors Robert L. Johnson, who made history in 1980 with the launch of the first cable television network aimed at Black Americans. BET transformed Black entertainment and storytelling, helped launch the careers of numerous hip-hop and R&B artists through the groundbreaking programs Video Soul and 106 & Park, and became part of the first Black-controlled company listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

For more information of both events, see the calendar of events below.

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Next spring, Jackson Live will present The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight, performing the music of Metallica, Guns ‘N Roses, System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine, My Chemical Romance, Evanescence, Linkin Park, AC/DC, and The Cranberries. For more information and to purchase tickets, see the calendar of events below.

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The Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center has posted its latest newsletter, which includes 60th Anniversary of Jubilee, National Folk Fest Call for Volunteers, Professional Opportunities, MS Book Festival, and the latest episode of the HBCU Radio Preservation Project that can be read here and here. Additionally, the JSU MWA Center unveiled Margaret Walker & the Power of Words—the first permanent exhibit on campus that examines the life and career of Margaret Walker Alexander. As the first African American to win the Yale Younger Poets Award for her book, For My People, Nikki Giovanni called Dr. Alexander “the most famous person nobody knows” because she, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Richard Wright are the Holy Trinity that formed the literary bridge between the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement. Additionally, her novel, Jubilee, is the first neo-slave novel, creating the blueprint for Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Alex Haley’s Roots. Margaret Walker & the Power of Words documents the extraordinary life and work of a woman whose legacy continues to impact the current generation of writers. The grand opening included a wonderful discussion and reception with the foremost Margaret Walker Alexander scholar, Dr. Maryemma Graham, author of The House Where My Soul Lives: The Life of Margaret Walker, in the JSU Student Center Theater. (Here and here are pics from the lecture.) Dr. Graham’s lecture was followed by exhibit tours in Gallery 1. The exhibit is open to the public and available for tours of all sizes. To schedule a tour, contact Dr. Robert Luckett, Director of the JSU MWA Center, at robert.luckett@jsums.edu. Finally, the JSU MWA Center has started the Jubilee Book Club, which will feature close readings of Margaret Walker Alexander’s essential novel, Jubilee, along with resources, notes from Dr. Alexander’s journals, guest contributions, and more. Rather than read one book over the course of a few weeks, or several over a few months, the JSU MWA Center will spend its time taking a deep dive into Jubilee. Think of it as a low-stakes, slow-paced literature class—Jubilee 101! Each month, The Center will send a newsletter that contains a close reading of a topic or theme in the novel. Y’all will also see further reading suggestions, links to interviews, readings, trivia and polls, materials from our digital archive, and more! Plus, The Center will add page numbers for excerpts from the novels that will be helpful to (re)read, depending on the month’s topic. Here is the link to this month’s edition of the Jubilee Book Club. Finally, here is the link to poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis reading poetry, talking writing, engaging in Q&A, and providing a poetry prompt to those in attendance at the May Jubilee Book Club, and here is a link to the printed version of The Center’s Q&A with C Liegh, including some of the questions that weren’t answered during the live. When y’all get to the page, scroll down to “Bonus Q&A.” For more information about the JSU MWA Center, contact mwa@jsums.edu.

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Dr. Howard Rambsy, inspired by my C Liegh McInnis’ poem “Saturday Serenades aka Watching Bob Ross Paint,” wrote an article on the history of black poets writing about visual arts, tracing 253 years (1773 – 2026), from Phillis Wheatley on Scipio Moorhead to McInnis on Ross, which can be read here. It also comes with a companion checklist of black poets and black visual artists (here). As a reminder, McInnis’ Ross and two other poems along with Doc Rambsy’s tribute to Dr. Jerry W. Ward, Jr., are published in the current issue of African American Review. Here is a copy of the table of contents, and to purchase a copy of the issue, go here and here. Finally, if your academic institution has a Project Muse account, you can view the issue digitally here

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To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Ishmael Reed’s Flight to Canada, Literary Hub has published Reed’s article, “Reinventing the Slave Narrative: Ishmael Reed on Flight to Canada at 50 (here),” which is a wonderful discussion of the work’s place in the American literary canon. The only thing that I’d add is that Margaret Walker Alexander’s Jubilee might be the first neo-slave narrative, setting the stage for Flight to Canada, Octavia Butler’s Kindred, Sherley Anne Williams’ Dessa Rose, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Edward P. Jones’ The Known World, Charles Johnson’s Middle Passage, Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, and others. Yet, they all are seminal to me. And, while it might be more of a forerunner to the genre, thanks to Doc Howard Rambsy for reminding me of Arna Bontemps’ Black Thunder. Now, checkout Reed’s article to understand why Flight to Canada and the entire genre is essential.

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Ishmael Reed is resurrecting the Living Newspaper, a method of addressing the issues of the day used in the 1930s by playwrights. This approach to theater was designed to bring urgent social topics to the stage, giving voice to perspectives that were often overlooked by mainstream media. By organizing performances of two plays, King Ludd and The Amanuensis, one of which is “about mass murder Elon Musk,” Reed hopes to continue this tradition and create a space for dialogue and reflection on current issues. If you appreciate or want to support his efforts, you can contribute to Reed’s Go Fund Me. The funds raised will be used to pay the talented actors and crew who bring these stories to life, rent a venue that welcomes our community, and cover advertising costs to reach a wider audience. Supporting this project means supporting the arts and ensuring that important conversations can happen through theater. Since ancient times, those without access to the mainstream media of the day have chosen theater as a way to provide an outlet for different points-of-view. Your support will help revive this powerful tradition and make these performances possible. Please consider contributing and sharing this fundraiser to help Reed bring the Living Newspaper back to the stage.

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If y’all haven’t seen Josh Johnson’s HBO comedy special, Symphony, it’s worth the watch. Here is the trailer. Johnson—noted stand-up comedian who is also known as a writer, correspondent, and rotating host on The Daily Show—became wildly popular for posting hour-long segments of his politically focused sets on the various topics of the day. However, for Symphony, Johnson uses his set as a metaphor for one’s ability to recognize, understand, and connect the hidden similarities of the various moments of one’s life into ultimate understanding to see life’s innate or organic meaning. It’s an equal amount of heart, human insight, and humor.

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Perfect Sound Forever has just published a special issue, “Sly Stone Tribute: Dancefloor, Style Superfreaks, Simplicity, Revolution, and Ongoing Riots,” edited by Dr. Tamara D. Hill and including an article by iconic Funk scholar Ricky Vincent, which can all be read here.

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Asymptote Journal has a call for poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction for its special issue, “The Weather Has Changed,” seeking submissions that reckon with the climate crisis at every scale: the planetary and the intimate, the spectacular disaster, and the almost imperceptible alteration. Across the world, the vocabulary of exceptional weather is becoming strangely ordinary: record-breaking, unprecedented, once-in-a-century. Wildfires rage through another summer; cities swelter under extreme heat; elsewhere, floods swallow streets and homes. Climate change, once spoken of principally in the future tense, is increasingly the weather of the present. Who is protected, who is exposed, and what happens to our ideas of home and season as the world around us changes? We are also interested in what climate change does to language, memory, and our sense of time. How do we narrate a crisis whose causes may lie centuries behind us and whose consequences stretch centuries ahead? We especially welcome unexpected approaches, including works in which climate change enters through a side door: through a vanished word, a strange summer. To read the full call and how to submit, see the calendar of events below.

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The Bob Moses Conference will be held in October in Montgomery, AL, to celebrate and study the work of legendary Civil Rights activist Bob Moses who was one of the primary strategists for The Movement, especially for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Freedom Summer, Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). The Board has taken the conference to Montgomery, the capital of the Confederacy and an Epicenter of major campaigns in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, including Birmingham, Montgomery, Lowndes County, and Selma, with the theme, “Remaking America: The Work before Us.” In addition to the lecture series and interactive workshops, attendees will tour the Legacy Museum Sites, Montgomery Square, and the Sculpture Arts Park, where art and history, tragedy and triumph are braided into a visceral narrative of the African/African-American/Indigenous experience in America. All activities will be in person. For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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The National Council for Black Studies (NCBS) has its Call for Papers for the 2027 National Council for Black Students Conference with the theme: “A Resilient Life-Affirming Pedagogy: Black Studies as Truth-Telling and Transformative Practice.” NCBS invites scholars, educators, students, artists, activists, and community practitioners to submit proposals for the 51st Annual NCBS Conference. As the NCBS enters its second half-century, they reaffirm and recommit themselves to the foundational principles that gave rise to the discipline of Black Studies: the pursuit of truth, the advancement of liberation, and the unwavering belief that knowledge must serve the people. For more than fifty years, NCBS has championed Black Studies not only as an academic discipline, but also as a transformative intellectual, political, and community-based project dedicated to the study, preservation, and advancement of African-descended peoples worldwide. The theme of the 51st Annual Conference, “Resilient Pedagogy: Black Studies as Truth-Telling,” emerges at a critical moment in the history of education and public discourse. Across the United States, legislative actions, book bans, curricular restrictions, and political pressures have sought to sanitize, suppress, or altogether erase critical histories of race, resistance, and liberation. These efforts challenge not only what can be taught, but also who has the authority to define historical truth and shape public memory. As a result, this moment requires students of Black Studies as well as academicians, practitioners, and activists to engage in deep liberating thinking suitable to producing transformative change and results that sustained Black life. For more information, including the full call and the deadline to submit, see the calendar of events below.

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Mississippi native, award-winning visual artist, novelist, illustrator, graphic design artist, and editor John Jennings has a new exhibit, John Jennings: Build Your World, that’s currently at The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX) and will run for a year. The exhibit explores the extraordinary storytelling and world-building of Jennings—NYTimes bestselling graphic novelist, Harvard Fellow, and Hugo- and Eisner Award-winning artist. In Build Your World, Jennings’s groundbreaking work in Afrofuturism, folklore, and comics is brought to life through multiple creative projects, including Silver Surfer: Ghost Light (Marvel), Kenny Dreadful and the Hainted Hoodie, Blue Hand Mojo: Hard Times Road (Rosarium Publishing), and Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation (Abrams ComicArts). For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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Here is an insightful review of California Fever Dream: A Memoir, which chronicles the life of award-winning poet, short story writer, novelist, essayist, playwright, and seminal member of the Black Arts Movement, Judy Juanita. California Fever Dream examines the life of an extraordinary artist who joined fellow student protesters at San Francisco State University to revolutionize American higher education and create the nation’s first Black Studies Department, who then continued to become the editor-in-chief of The Black Panther, the newspaper of the Black Panther Party. Throughout her life, Juanita became one of the most important voices and workers of her time, and California Fever Dreams serves as both a testament and blueprint to a revolutionarily artistic life. For more information and to purchase a copy, go here.

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Starfleet Log Entries: Influence and Interpretations of Star Trek, which is co-edited by Jackson State University Professor and literary scholar Dr. Craig A. Meyer and features chapters from leading scholars, including JSU Professor, novelist, and poet Dr. Candice Love Jackson, is available for order (here). Starfleet Log Entries: Influence and Interpretations of Star Trek presents a sweeping, multidisciplinary examination of one of the most culturally significant franchises of the modern era. Since its 1966 debut, Star Trek has inspired generations with its aspirational vision of a future defined by cooperation, curiosity, and radical inclusivity. This edited collection brings together international scholars from across the humanities and social sciences to explore how the franchise has shaped—and been shaped by—shifting cultural, political, technological, and ethical terrains over the past six decades. For more information and to purchase a copy, go here.

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Cultural critic Jason Thompson has posted his outstanding five-part series analysis, “The Veil Between: On the Musicology of Sinners,” which can be read here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

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Here is the link to poet, editor, literary scholar, and arts activist E. Ethelbert Miller’s E Channel, which includes interviews and discussions with creatives and scholars from On the Margins and The Scholars.

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Sabir Abdul-haqq—teach advocate and founder of Extraordinary Business Solutions aka XtraordinaryBiz—has been investigating and working to reduce the burden that Mississippians are paying to fund three massive Amazon Web Services data centers that aren’t even open yet. In short, Mississippians are already paying an additional $10.60 a month. Thanks to a Mississippi law passed in 2024, big tech gets the red carpet while everyday ratepayers get stuck with a 7% bill hike to fund their upfront grid expansions. To hear Brother Abdul-haqq discuss this more, go here. And, to read a thorough report on this, go here. Finally, if you are interested in learning more and joining the fight to keep citizens from funding Amazon’s destruction of the environment, contact Brother Abdul-haqq at sabirabdulhaqq@gmail.com.

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Alternate ROOTS—an organization based in the Southern USA whose mission is to support the creation and presentation of original art, in all its forms, which is rooted in a particular community of place, tradition or spirit—has published its latest newsletter, which can be read here.

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Muntu Dance Theatre hosts dance workshops on various Saturdays throughout the month. For the next workshop, see the calendar of events below.

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Left of Black is the Webby Awards-nominated web series featuring interviews with Black Studies scholars created and hosted by James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African and African American Studies Dr. Mark Anthony Neal. From 2010 – 2020, it was produced by the John Hope Franklin Center for International and Global Studies. In 2020, the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute took over production, with funding support from Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. Ceckout all of the previous episodes of Left of Black here. And, be sure to purchase a copy of Derbew’s Untangling Blackness in Greek Antiquity here.

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The Emmett Till Interpretive Center has sent its latest newsletter. To read more about the ETIC, go here, and to receive the ETIC newsletter, go here.

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Monument Labs—a collaborative platform for critically understanding and reimagining monuments—works to highlight artists who are deeply committed to changing the way we study, build, and interpret monuments. To view their latest newsletter, go here, and for more information about Monument Labs, go here and here. Next, Monument Lab – Re:Generation, edited by Paul M. Farber and Sue Mobley, addresses the question, “Which stories belong in public?,” through impactful, local reclamation projects that provide a deeper understanding of how monuments live and function in communities. The book presents case studies that travel across the country, highlighting local commemorative campaigns dedicated to advancing public memory. Featuring essays and artwork from the country’s leading monument makers plus a foreword from New York Times bestselling author Clint Smith. For more information and to purchase a copy, go here. Additionally, Monument Lab’s special issue of Bulletin celebrates the life and legacy of Mamie and Emmett Till. To purchase a copy of that issue, which features some of the major names in African-American literature, go here. Finally, Monument Lab has announced its 2026 Monument Lab Summit, which is a biennial gathering of kindred spirits in the monument world. The Summit invites artists, organizers, scholars, and civic and cultural workers from across the country for three days of learning, dialogue, and play guided by the theme “School of Monumaking.” The Summit will offer inspiration, ideas, tools, and practice to deepen the monument-making approaches of attendees toward the cultivation and expansion of kinship and belonging in their communities. For more information and a detailed list of presenters, see the calendar of events below.

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Dr. Sarah L. Webb launched the global initiative Colorism Healing in 2013 to raise awareness and foster individual and collective healing through creative and critical work. Her myriad efforts to address colorism include designing college courses, hosting an international writing contest, publishing books, teaching workshops, and mentoring students across the world from Sacramento, California, to Sydney, Australia. Here is the link to Dr. Webb’s latest newsletter. Additionally, here is a link to Dr. Sarah L. Webb’s YouTube page, Colorism Healing, and here are the links to her website and Instagram page.

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Moss Point, Mississippi, native and Princeton Professor Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr., has posted another great article, “A New School Year (here),” which reminds readers that, even with the current onslaught by the Neo-Confederates to destroy education, critical thinking remains the greatest weapon against ignorance, fearm and hate, and can be read on his platform, A Native Son. And, Glaude’s latest book, America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries, can be purchased here, and y’all can go here for the latest dates of his book tour.

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The Jackson Advocate, one of the oldest African-American newspapers, has more insightful articles, including this week’s news blast that can be read (here).” And for more articles from JA, go here. To watch archived episodes of JA’s podcast, go here and here, and to subscribe to JA, contact janews@thejacksonadvocate.com.

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First of the Month.org, edited by the always-on-point Benj DeMott, has published an updated version of poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis’ article, “RIP The Snake (here).” Along with this issue, First of the Month publishes some of the most insightful essays, poetry, and fiction, which can be read here.

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So, I don’t have a favorite Prince song as I prefer to listen to Prince albums rather than just one song. However, I’m not opposed to lists, especially when the goal is to explore Prince’s artistry rather than just rank his output. That being said, Roots drummer and award-winning filmmaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has compiled “The Prince 100,” which y’all can read here.

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Noted Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angela Duff has posted her monthly newsletter, Polished Solid, with the full review of this year’s annual Polished Solid/NYU Prince Symposium, #IWonderU40, with links to all of the presentations, and a preview of the upcoming November and April Symposiums, which y’all can read it here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis had the honor and pleasure of reading his poem, “SNCC’s Southern Echo (for Mike Sayer),” during the Homegoing Celebration of legendary national and Mississippi Civil Rights Attorney Michael “Mike” Sayer in the Tougaloo College Congressman Bennie G. Thompson Building, which y’all can watch here. Along with C Liegh’s reverence for Mike’s Movement work, Mike and he connected over sports and their love of creative writing. Along with being a brilliant legal researcher and writer, authoring countless briefs and co-authoring manuals for Southern Echo, one of which has become known as the bible of redistricting, Mike loved writing poems and very short stories. They not only talked about creative writing a great deal, C Liegh had the honor and pleasure to publish a couple of Mike’s works in Black Magnolias. He discussed his relationship with Mike before reading his poem. Here is the link to the video of the full memorial service, and here are pics from it. (Major thanks to longtime activists Mac Epps, Sabir Abdul-Haqq, and Al White for coordinating the service and livestreaming it on such short notice. It’s a fitting testimonial to Mike’s work and includes Leroy Johnson (co-founder of Southern Echo and last survivor of the three—Hollis Watkins, Mike Sayer, and he) as the emcee, NAACP President Derrick Johnson who started his organizing work as a staff member of Southern Echo, and some of the folks from around Mississippi who were trained by Hollis, Mike, and Leroy to do Movement work. Finally, First of the Month.org, edited by the always-on-point Benj DeMott, published a feature on Mike’s work that includes links to part one of an extensive interview with Mike and a printed copy of C Liegh’s updated poem, which can be accessed here. For more information about the strategic brilliance and contribution of Attorney Sayer to the national and Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, watch these two thorough interviews with him: here and here.

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Along with publishing a feature on Attorney Mike Sayer, First of the Month.org published an updated version of C Liegh McInnis’ commentary, “Seeing Prince Open for Rick James,” which can be read here. Additionally, First of the Month publishes some of the most insightful essays, poetry, and fiction, which can be read here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis and poet and literary theorist Dr. Shanna Smith had the honor of writing poems as part of the Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center’s 56th Gibbs-Green Commemoration to memorialize the 1970 attack on JSU by the Jackson Police Department, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, and the Mississippi National Guard, which took the lives of Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, a twenty-one-year-old JSU student, and James Earl Green, a seventeen-year-old Jim Hill High School Student along with wounding eighteen others as law enforcement fired over four hundred rounds into Alexander Hall, a female Dorm. The commemoration included the unveiling of the Ben Brown Freedom Trail Marker and a special memorial tribute to James “Lap” Baker. Dr. Smith and C Liegh wrote poems in tribute to Lap Baker, and y’all can read C Liegh’s poem here. (And, shout out to poet, fiction writer, and literary theorist Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears for giving such a wonderful reading of Doc Smith’s poem in her absence.) Ben Brown, a student volunteer at the COFO Office, was murdered in 1967 by Jackson Police Officer Lloyd “Goon” Jones because of his work in the Mississippi Movement in front of JSU. Brown is another of the countless lives that were taken in the struggle to end Jim Crow. Baker was a member of the JSU Class of 1970 and a dauntless advocate for commemorating the Gibbs-Green Tragedy, often speaking to JSU classes about the attack throughout the year. Here and here are pics from the commemoration.

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The Mississippi Conference NAACP held its annual Celebration Committee Program to honor the lives and legacies of Medgar Evers, Aaron Henry, and Anger Winston Hudson, and Monica McInnis received the Medgar Evers Award in recognition of her leadership and contributions to advancing justice and equity in our communities. Y’all can watch the video of Monica receiving her award here, and here are pics from the event. The Medgar Evers Award is a premier honor, highlighting service in the spirit of the slain civil rights leader. Through her work of increasing state-wide Census data of Afro-Mississippians, through creating maps that led to the creation of three new voting districts that enabled Afro-Mississippians to elect the candidate of their choice, through conducting redistricting training sessions across Mississippi, through her voter registration, voter education, and voter protection work, and through her work as a liaison to the Red Cross to ensure that black communities are not forgotten or neglected during natural disasters, Monica McInnis exemplifies the spirit, work, and legacy of Medgar Evers as a worker and fighter to make democracy accessible and real to all people, which is a struggle that continues today.

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It’s been a productive two months for C Liegh, and here is a recap.

I had the honor and pleasure to discuss Ryan Coogler’s Sinners via Zoom with Dr. Felicia Cosey’s Western Washington University ENG 367: Equity & Representation in Film & Media (Topic—Contemporary Representations of Black America), which y’all can watch here. During my talk, I provided a brief historical overview to situate the film, a very brief discussion of the two types of Blues films that are typically made by Hollywood, four themes of Sinners, and answered the wonderful questions provided by the students who had seen the film and read my analysis, “Facing the Hellhounds on Our Trail: The Metatextual Duality of the Blues in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners,” which can be read here. Additionally, because time didn’t allow me to answer all of the students’ questions during the class, here is the link to the printed discussion with all of my answers to the students’ questions. Thanks so much to Doc Cosey and her class for an awesome discussion.

Next, here is the link to me reading poetry, discussing writing, engaging in Q&A, and providing a poetry prompt to those in attendance at the Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center’s May Jubilee Book Club. Additionally, here is a link to the printed version of The Center’s Q&A with me, including some of the questions that weren’t answered during the live. When y’all get to the page, scroll down to “Bonus Q&A.” Big thanks to Ms. Patricia Syner, Communication Director for The JSU MWA Center, for organizing and facilitating this event.

Third, here is the link to my presentation, “Under the Cherry Moon as the Manifesto of the Hope(ful) Romantic,” at this year’s Polished Solid Prince Symposium #IWonderU40, curated by Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angela L. Duff. (Y’all can also read my full paper here.) Additionally, here is the link to the Q&A Presenters Panel discussion in which I participated after presenting my paper. Also, here is the link to me participating on the Under the Cherry Moon Film Talkback Panel. Additionally, immediately following the “Four You Crew + One Music Snob Roundtable,” which was excellent as always, there was a Tribute to Prof Duff for her ten years of curating the Prince Symposiums and so many other events to illuminate the artistry and legacy of Prince, which includes a poetic tribute by me and a wonderful video that contains love offerings from a few Prince scholars from across the planet that y’all can watch here. We’ve also added more pics from the symposium that y’all can view here. To view all of the #IWonderU40 presentations that have been uploaded to this point, go here.

Finally, here is the link to me being in conversation with award-winning author, filmmaker, and Indiana University Professor of African-American and African Diaspora Studies, Dr. Randal Maurice Jelks, about his latest book, My America: Langston Hughes on Democracy, at Central United Methodist Church. Additionally, here are some pictures of the talk and the signing. This was a great conversation, and props to the work of Sister Helena Brantley and Red Pencil Publicity, Sister Maati Joan Prim, owner of Marshall’s Bookstore, and Reverend Domini S. Henry for working to provide the local community the opportunity to engage this discourse. For more information about Dr. Jelks, go here, and to purchase a copy of My America: Langston Hughes on Democracy, go here.

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To continue our commemoration of the ten years since Prince’s passing, here are two nice videos.

First, here is a very brief clip of D’Angelo playing and singing Prince’s “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker.” I’m only sad that it’s so short. On an additional note, Roy Ayers is considered the Godfather of Neo-Soul. Yet, I’ve always seen “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker (here)” is its blueprint. When I think of all the artists who became associated with Neo-Soul, especially the Soulquarians, that sound seems to trace directly to this song. To be clear, I’m not saying that “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker” is the be all and end all of the origins of Neo-soul, but a major mark in its evolution. Even if the name, or the coining of it, was just another marketing ploy, the sound was organic.

Next, during Guitar World Magazine’s celebration of the Telecaster Guitar, the great Mississippi native and bluesmane Kingfish Ingram covered Prince’s “Cream” to show how Prince inspired him to use the Telecaster. “Cream” is one of my apex blues moments with Prince, along with Prince’s cover of BB King’s “I Got Some Help I Don’t Need (here),” during the Purple Rain Tour, Prince’s performance of “Blues in C (here),” during the Lovesexy Tour, and damn near any of his versions of “The Ride (here, here, here, and here).” Prince’s performance of “Cream (here)” on the Arsenio Hall Show is my favorite performance of that song because that is the bluesist version. Though, I will add that the extended jam of it during the Diamonds & Pearls Tour comes close. That’s why Kingfish’s cover of it is so important. I’ve long asserted that blues is an integral part of Prince’s sound. So, to have Kingfish cover what I consider one of Prince’s true blues songs is apropos and another document that Prince had more slices in his pie chart than most folks recognize.

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In case y’all missed it, here is the link to a wonderful panel on Dr. Lelia G. Rhodes and her book, Jackson State University: The First Hundred Years, 1877 – 1977. The panelists discussed Dr. Rhodes and her service, writing JSU’s first official history. The panel included JSU historians and trailblazers Dr. Robert Luckett—Director of the JSU Margaret Walker Alexander Center, Ms. Angela Stewart—Archivist for the JSU MWA Center, Dr. Hilliard Lackey—JSU Professor Emeritus, and Ms. Gailya Porter—CEO Porter Insurance and former JSU Cheerleader who was on the campus the night JSU was attacked by MS law enforcement, killing two and injuring eighteen. They reflect on the university’s journey from Natchez to Jackson—and how that history continues to shape our present and inform our future. Now available in hardback, paperback, and eBook, Dr. Rhodes’ Jackson State University: The First Hundred Years, 1877 – 1977, can be purchased here. Before it was Jackson State University, it was Natchez Seminary, a school built on a vision of education and empowerment. In 1877, H. P. Jacobs and Black ministers from the Mississippi Baptist Missionary Convention, in partnership with the American Baptist Home Mission Society, founded Natchez Seminary to educate newly freed Black students. That institution grew into Jackson State University, a powerhouse of education, culture, and progress and one of the first HBCUs to achieve R2 status. For more information and to purchase a copy, go here. And, to watch two brief news reports about the republishing of Jackson State University: The First Hundred Years, 1877 – 1977, go here and here.

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Third World Press, one of the largest black-owned publishers on the planet, has copies of Margaret Walker Alexander’s How I Wrote Jubilee, which can be purchased here. TWP has wonderful collections of poetry, fiction, and prose by award-winning and historic writers. To browse their entire catalog, go here.

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Chicago-area musician, composer, and performer Christopher Fisher performed a one-man band tribute to Prince on April 24, 2026, at Ashbury’s at Boughton Ridge in Bolingbrook, IL. The set included “The Cross,” “Cream,” “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” “Raspberry Beret,” and “Diamonds & Pearls.” For more information on Fisher, go here, here, and here.

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The Mississippi Book Festival has uploaded last year’s panels. So, here is the link to poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis reading his poem, “Remembering Emmett Till (in Five Haiku Movements),” and y’all can watch the entire panel, which features Patrick Weems (Director of the Emmett Till Interpretative Center), Gloria Dickerson (Director of the Mae Bertha Carter Learning Center), W. Ralph Eubanks (noted historian/scholar and author of Ever Is a Long Time), and Yolanda Wisher (poet/musician and author of Monk Eats an Afro), and myself here. After each reads their work from Monument Lab’s special issue of Bulletin on the “Life and Legacy of Mamie and Emmett Till,” they have a cool discussion about how they use their work to teach this history and implement this history in their current struggle. Finally, here is the link to C Liegh reading the 12-inch version of the poem at the 70th Commemoration of the Lynching of Emmett Till.

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To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Prince’s passing, The Estate has released the remastered demo of Prince’s song, “With This Tear,” which was written for Celine Dion and released on her 1992 album, Celine Dion. Y’all can watch the video for it here.

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The always busy fiction writer, music journalist, and cultural critic, Michael Gonzales, has a great new article, “Ten Years Gone: On Prince (here),” showing that Prince was a beloved figure in the black community well before the mega success, and contrary to the misconceptions, he remained anchored in the community while he conquered the world.

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Here is an insightful article, “When It Comes to Prince, 10 Songs Isn’t Enough,” by John McKie, in which McKie provides a list of 10 hit singles, 10 dance songs, 10 songs everyone should hear, 10 love songs, 10 songs written for other people, 10 great live songs, and 10 songs recommend by BBC personality Craig Charles. Additionally, McKie is the author of Prince: A Sign O’ the Times, which examines the remarkable life and career of one of the most mysterious figures in music through the prism of the record considered by many as his masterpiece, 1987’s Sign “O” the Times. McKie’s book can be purchased here.

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The expanded version of poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis’ commentary, “Prince, New Edition, Tevin Campbell, and the Transition from Respectable Love Songs to Disrespectful Sex Songs,” has been published by First of the Month and can be read here. First of the Month.org, edited by the always-on-point Benj DeMott, publishes some of the most insightful essays, poetry, and fiction, which can be read here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis had the honor and the pleasure to read poetry during Fahrenheit Creative Group’s 15th Anniversary Celebration during its third “Freedom House” (Freedom School + Open House) with a Teach-in on the lawn across the street from the Mississippi Capitol Building. The event began at the offices of FCG with Freedom Songs, sign-making, and a poetry reading and culminated with a brief lecture by longtime political strategist Pamela Shaw. Thanks to Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center staffers Patricia Syner and Anastasia Taylor for capturing pics and video of C Liegh’s reading. Y’all can watch him reading “For Hollis (Slight Return)” and “For Emmett Till (12-inch Version)” here. C Liegh also got a few pics, including his two pitiful signs that paled in comparison to some of the more creative signs that y’all can see here. Ultimately, it was a great day of celebrating Fahrenheit CEO, founder, and still noteworthy emcee Jason Thompson for the great work that Fahrenheit has done as a “Black-owned, full-service marketing agency that works primarily with nonprofit organizations, foundations, and government agencies,” helping them effectively communicate and connect their messages and work with the citizens they serve. To learn more about Fahrenheit Creative Group, go here

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Internationally noted bass player Ted Gould, III, of Ted Talks Bass, has posted an extremely insightful analysis of Prince’s song, “The War,” explaining just how creative, innovative, and visionary he was as the song rings precisely true today. Y’all can watch it here. If y’all are unfamiliar with the song, y’all can listen to it here. Along with being the band director at Cova Conservatory, Gould has “held the bass chair with funk legend Zigaboo Modeliste, toured with pop icon Jody Watley, worked with members of Prince’s Revolution and NPG, served as a musical director on two continents, and spent 11 years as a K12 music educator.” To watch Gould’s great online bass tutorials and history lessons, go here, and to learn more about Gould, go here.

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Poetry Magazine—the oldest poetry journal in America—curated a reading of award-winning heavy hitters that included Nikky Finney (National Book Award for Head Off & Split), Frank X Walker (founder of the Affrilachian Poets and NAACP Image Award for Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers), Parneishia Jones (Midwest Book Award for Vessel), and Kelly Norman Ellis (Jackson, Mississippi, native, Chair of the Chicago State University English Department, current Visiting Professor of English at Jackson State University, and author of Tougaloo Blues.) Y’all can watch this riveting reading here.

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Award-winning fiction writer, editor, and poet Sheree Renée Thomas has had the career and productivity of which most writers dream. Along with editing the groundbreaking black speculative fiction anthologies, Dark Matter (2000 and 2004), which were the first to introduce W.E.B. Du Bois’ science fiction short stories, Thomas gained even more acclaim authoring the Marvel novel adaptation of the legendary comics, Black Panther: Panther’s Rage (2022). If that wasn’t enough, her collection Shotgun Lullabies: Stories & Poems was described by novelist Arthur Flowers as “a wondrous work like Jean Toomer’s Cane.” Moreover, she’s been published by just about every major literary journal and popular trade magazine. And, yet, her two latest releases show that she doesn’t seem to be stopping anything soon. The Tongue I Dream In, a multi-genre volume, has been hailed as “poems, stories, and essays draws together examples illustrating a mind immersed in Black legends and white myths, and in the growing realization of our place in the world and time, and in irresistible pull of the future: starships, floods, dancers twinned by crystal-filled caverns, and iridescent crops of living retribution.” For more information and to purchase a copy of The Tongue I Dream In, go here. And, Ring Shout Saturn is book two of the three-book The Root and Sky Series of short stories. “Thomas’ electrifying collection transports readers on a cosmic journey where ancient African Diasporic wisdom meets expansive Afrofuturist visions. From a prophet building a starship from salvaged dreams on a Martian farm to children breaking generational curses through powerful moonsongs, these tales explore themes of transformation, survival, and the enduring quest for liberation.” For more information and to purchase a copy of Ring Shout Saturn, go here.

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Jackson State University alum and Severance star Tramell Tillman—who became the first Black actor to win an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama series—is among the star-studded cast for Marvel’s Spider-Man: A Brand New Day. To learn more about Tillman appearing in Spider-Man: A Brand New Day, go here, here, here, and here. As always, Thee I Love because I only Love Thee!!!

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When Doves Podcast: Prince—Album by Album & Song by Song has posted Part Two of its great new interview with internationally recognized Prince scholar De Angela Duff, Associate Vice Provost at New York University and professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, and she discusses the origins of the Prince Symposia, What Did Prince Do This Week?, Prince and politics, D’Angelo, Bilal, Andre 3000, Cory Henry, Janelle Monae, Alice Smith, Prince’s album artwork, Prince’s philanthropy, Marva Collins, the We Are The World documentary, Live Aid, Luke Vibert, Arthur Turnbull and The Music Snobs, more on C Liegh McInnis and The Lyrics of Prince, and much more. To listen to part one, go here.

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In celebration of Black History Month, poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis had the honor and pleasure to read poetry with cellist Bridgette Olugbala as part of the Margaret Walker Alexander Library’s month-long series of events. Y’all can watch the video here, which includes their presentation and a brief Q&A that followed. And, here’s a picture from the event.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis joined Brother Ken Clark on KC 1400 Media and ended their discussion explaining how every vote matters by giving props to his wife, Monica McInnis, and others who worked to reduce the Neo-Confederate stronghold over the Mississippi Legislature from a supermajority to a majority, which enabled Democrats to kill a bill that was designed to gut funding severely to public education. Y’all can watch those brief comments here. However, he was remiss in not mentioning legendary civil rights Attorney Carol Rhodes, who has been a primary architect for the legal battles that have enabled Afro-Mississippians to create more districts that enable Afro-Mississippians to choose the representatives of their choice.

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As most of y’all know, I’m probably the least hip-hop person on the planet, but LL Cool J’s discussion of what it means to be an artist and why artists are important (here) is one of the best explications of the topic. This excerpt is taken from LL Cool J’s September 6, 2024, Breakfast Club Interview, which can be seen in full here.

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Here is the Schomburg Centennial Book List: 100 Black Voices, which is a wonderful resource, especially in a time when everything related to blackness and black history is being attacked and erased. Moreover, this list reminds me of the reading list I created for my comp lit classes. (See here.) Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste was the last book that I added as I retired in the same year it was published. During the semester, my students had to read four of the books from my list, one every 30 days, and produce a five-paragraph critical analysis on each. Well, two of the books were chosen for them. They had to read one book by Richard Wright and one book by Margaret Walker Alexander. Then, they could choose two books by two other writers on the list. (My Mississippi and Jackson State University bias wouldn’t allow me not to assign a Wright and Alexander book.) Yet, over the years, I was happy to see how much the students liked having the list for their own further reading. Although I’m no longer teaching, former students still email and ask me to re-share my list with them. Thus, this Schomburg list will allow me to update my list. Or, I could just be lazy and send them the Schomburg list.

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Best-selling author James Patterson chose Jackson State University Creative Writing Students to be recipients of $75,000 scholarships as part of his investment in HBCUs. Y’all can read more here. The Jackson State University Creative Writing website be accessed here. Also, to give to this program, go here. Once you are at the page, complete the amount and contact information, type “Department of English, Creative Writing,” in the “or other” box at the bottom of the form, and submit payment. And, here is a link to poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis discussing the JSU Creative Writing Concentration and Minor.

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Poet, editor, literary scholar, and arts activist E. Ethelbert Miller interviews Mississippi native and internationally noted historian Dr. W. Ralph Eubanks about his latest book, When It’s Darkness on the Delta: How America’s Richest Soil Became Its Poorest Land, for the latest episode of On the Margins, which y’all can see here. Finally, y’all can read a chapter from Doc Eubanks’ When It’s Darkness on the Delta here at Rooted Magazine.

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Political commentator Joy Reid provides an insightful commentary on “The Three Types of Black People in the African Diaspora (here).”

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Here is a great discussion, “Michael Jackson and Prince: Why Comparison Misses the Point,” between Prince scholar and Podcast Juice: Prince Podcast host Michael Dean and Prince scholar and entertainment lawyer Marc Wiggins. Rather than the usual “Who’s better?” debate, Dean and Wiggins seek to study and celebrate both artists as generational talents through the following topics: How Joe Jackson and John L. Nelson’s discipline became the foundation of genius; The blueprint they inherited from Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, James Brown, and Jimi Hendrix; Why they HAD to be undeniable—the 10x rule; How they redefined creative control and Black masculinity; Why MJ and Prince answered different questions about greatness; and The real legacy: collective triumph, not competition.

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In celebration of Black History Month and in anticipation of the Lionsgate release of Michael, the cinematic portrayal of the life and legacy of Michael Jackson, the Jackson State University Marching Band, The Sonic Boom of the South, has joined the national campaign to promote the film and the artistry of MJ with their performance of “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough (here).” Additionally, when chosen to be this year’s featured band for the HBCU Legacy Bowl, the all-star football game that highlights senior HBCU players, The Boom’s entire halftime show was dedicated to MJ, which can be viewed here. Finally, to learn more about The Boom’s participation in the Michael promotion campaign, go here.

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Here, here, and here are three very cool music videos celebrating the beauty and brilliance of Jackson, Mississippi, the City with Soul.

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Here is the link to an excellent discussion at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture about Prince’s place in American and African-American music by three brilliant black women: Prince scholar, host of What Did Prince Do This Week?, and NYU Professor De Angela Duff, ethnomusicologist and Juilliard Professor Dr. Fredara Mareuva Hadley, and Schomburg Curatorial Specialist Daniella Brito.

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“Kiss” is one of Prince’s most noted and popular songs. Many consider it an essential song to know Prince’s aesthetic, genius, and popularity. However, since its release in 1986, there’s been a great and ongoing discussion of whether or not “Kiss” fits and, for that matter, helps the album, Parade, and the film, Under the Cherry Moon. Specifically, many fans and scholars of Prince’s work assert that “Kiss” does not fit sonically with either the album or film and that it mostly disrupts, if not distracts, from the sound, flow, and meaning of both works. To this point, during the January 17, 2026, episode of What Did Prince Do This Week?, graphic designer, Prince scholar, and NYU Professor—De Angela Duff (who also coordinates the NYU Prince Symposiums), Prince scholar and host of Podcast Juice: A Prince Podcast—Michael Dean, Prince scholar and host of The Music Snobs—Arthur Turnbull, noted bass player, music teacher, and host of Ted Talks Bass—Ted Gould, and poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar—C Liegh McInnis discuss if Prince’s song, “Kiss,” should be in the film, Under the Cherry Moon, and on the Parade album, or should it have been replaced by “Neon Telephone” or “🧡 or $.” Y’all can watch their discussion here.

What makes this discussion great is that it’s not a group of people arguing to see who’s right. It’s a serious discussion about how the sound and lyrics of a song determine if it fits within a particular collection or project and how presenting a cohesive collection of works aids in the effectiveness and popularity of a work. Moreover, the discussion provides even more insight to Prince as a master songwriter (musician and lyricist), poet, storyteller, and producer. With that, please enjoy this discussion highlighting Prince’s overall genius and be sure to like and comment in the chat. Let them know what y’all think!

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Mississippi native and internationally noted historian Dr. W. Ralph Eubanks has another great discussion about his book, When It’s Darkness on the Delta: How America’s Richest Soil Became Its Poorest Land, with Mississippi native and Princeton University Professor Dr. Eddie Glaude that y’all can watch here. After that, check out Doc Eubanks’ great interview on The Eddrick Show! Finally, y’all can read a chapter from Doc Eubanks’ When It’s Darkness on the Delta here at Rooted Magazine.

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REAL Learning Institute and Afrikan Art Gallery have shared a cool video celebrating African and African-American history that y’all can watch here. For more information of the work they are doing, contact Baba Asinia Lukata Chikuyu at realsoulutions@yahoo.com.

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Afrikan Art Gallery has a new home at 1036 Charles Evers Blvd, Jackson, MS. For more information, go here and contact Asinia Lukata Chikuyu at afrikan_tbt@yahoo.com.

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Mississippi-based scholar, editor, and community activist Vijay Shah has compiled a wonderful list of historical and literary resources that can be viewed here.

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Let’s highlight the great work that the Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center is doing in all of its endeavors. As such, if y’all would like to donate to one or all of them, here is the link to donate to the JSU MWA Center’s Catherine Coleman Literary Arts, Food, and Justice Initiative, which provides avenues for emerging writers across the state of Mississippi and in the City of Jackson to engage the rich legacy of creative writing in Mississippi, the tradition of southern foodways, and the history of social justice movements in their communities, here is the link to donate to the JSU MWA Center’s Endowment, and here is the link to purchase tickets for the JSU MWA Center’s For My People Award Luncheon. And, if you have any extra funds and really want to get in good with the spirit of my Pops, you can also donate to JSU Athletics through the KC 1400 Collective (here) and the JSU by 40 Campaign (here). Always remember that a mind and a great football program are terrible things to waste. That is all. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: Thee I Love because I only Love Thee!!!

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Dance / Music / Sex / Romance aka Princesong.org is a song-by-song blog examining the music of Prince in chronological order by noted Prince scholar Zachary Hoskins. The latest entry can be read here and here, and all of the entries can be found here. His essay, “Rude Boy: Prince as Black New Waver,” was published in a special issue of Spectrum, A Journal on Black Men (2020), and his presentation from the Prince #1plus1plus1is3 virtual symposium (2021), “I Wish We All Were Nude: Controversy ‘Shower Poster’ as Aesthetic Linchpin and Artifact,” was published in the Journal of Popular Music Studies. He has also presented and appeared on roundtables at other @polishedsolid symposia, #TripleThreat40 (2023), #SexyMF30 (2022), and #DM40GB30 (2020), as well as the University of Minnesota’s Prince from Minneapolis symposium (2018). He holds an M.A. in Media Arts from the University of Arizona and B.A.’s in Film & Video Studies and Creative Writing & Literature from the University of Michigan. Go enjoy Zach’s wonderful insights on Prince’s songs.

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I struggled with sharing the video of my lecture, “Faith over Fear,” in the newsletter because I wondered if I was the proper messenger to provide this message, especially with it being rooted in a religious or spiritual context. However, after sharing it with a very few folks on the listserv, many of them provided positive feedback. Although I’ve never been afraid to pursue my dreams, I know that so many amazingly intelligent and creative folks are kept from pursuing their dreams simply because of fear. As such, I hope that this lecture can give them the push they need to become the person they truly are. Last Saturday morning, before the Jackson State University Football Game, I was asked to give a presentation on “Faith over Fear” for the Central United Methodist Church Community Prayer Breakfast, which y’all can watch here. It’s currently unlisted on my YouTube channel, and I haven’t decided if I’ll make it public. My wife, Monica, does a great deal of community work with Central because of their history within the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement and their current work as community servants and advocates. Additionally, one of my former JSU professors is an active member in Central’s work, and it’s difficult to say no to your former teachers who poured so much into you. However, although I admire Central’s work, I initially declined their invitation to speak for artistic and personal reasons. One, I retired from teaching to dedicate more time and energy to writing. That’s my life. That’s my love. That’s what I am. For better or worse, I’m a writer. Yet, I got to a point where too many other things were making it difficult to write. As such, since 2020, I’ve narrowly defined myself as a poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar, taking steps to ensure that nothing else interferes with writing, which includes declining several lucrative opportunities to remain a broke but focused writer. Yet, I agreed to give the talk, primarily because of my admiration for Central’s work and because of what it means to be with the same women since 1991, which has taught me that I’m not really the boss of anything. That being said, I didn’t know that my wife would record the lecture. It went well, and Monica promised to share the video with the Central congregation. Thus, even though it’s “unlisted” on the channel, some will have access to it. Since I haven’t decided if I’ll make it public, I’m sharing it with a very few of y’all on the listserv, mostly because y’all specifically manage to overcome the daily hurdles of life to do the work. But, since I no longer see myself as a religious person, I’m hesitant to make a lecture public that is rooted in religious (Christian) ideology, even though I think it can be of comfort or inspiration to some. That being said, check it out in your leisure as I know that y’all, who are receiving this email, overcome fear, doubt, oppression, and other hurdles daily to get the work done. (Y’all can also read the text here.) Now, let’s checkout the upcoming events.

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Here’s a great video, “Twenty Black Writers Who Changed America Forever.” Although it’s a very good list, I would replace Percival Everett with Margaret Walker Alexander—the first African-American to win the Yale Younger Poet Award for her poetry collection, For My People, and her novel, Jubilee, is the first credited neo-slave novel that inspired Toni Morrison’s Beloved and from which Alex Haley’s Roots borrows greatly. Additionally, in 1973, she curated the Phillis Wheatley Conference at Jackson State University, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, which gathered every major black female writer at the time, including Morrison, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, and others. If the definition of greatness is that life after you is different and better than life before you, then Dr. Alexander is one of the seminal writers of American history. Finally, here is a link to an excellent presentation, “The Life of Margaret Walker,” by noted literary scholar Dr. Maryemma Graham, author of The House Where My Soul Lives: The Life of Margaret Walker (here), during the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s “History is Lunch” monthly session.

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If y’all missed poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis’ commentary, “Keep Wokeness from Purple Rain!!!, Pt. 2,” about Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins using somebody else’s art as a Trojan horse for his own politics, thereby soiling the original vision of the film, y’all can read it here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis had the honor and pleasure to participate in “Trouble the Water: Remembering the Life and Work of Dr. Jerry W. Ward,” which can be seen here. The tribute included poet, scholar, and arts activist Kelly Harris-DeBerry, poet, fiction writer, and scholar Dr. Candice Love Jackson, literary theorist and editor Dr. Howard Rambsy, II, legendary poet, playwright, fiction writer, scholar, and activist Kalamu ya Salaam, and C Liegh. The tribute to Doc Ward was also the opening event of the Words and Music Literary Festival, curated by One Book One New Orleans. The Festival had its usual great lineup of musical and literary masters, and to view some of the presentations, go here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis also had the honor and pleasure to be on the second installment of Favorite Poem Podcast, which is a monthly segment on MPB’s The Mississippi Arts Hour/Arts Hour Extra, hosted by Mississippi Poet Laureate Ann Fisher-Wirth. Each episode is ten to fifteen minutes and features poets reading and analyzing their favorite poem. Y’all can listen to C Liegh here as he reads and analyzes Margaret Walker Alexander’s “Jackson State, May 15, 1970.” Because they were limited in time, he wasn’t able to analyze the poem in its entirety. As such, y’all can read the entire analysis of the poem here. Additionally, Fisher-Wirth has completed three other episodes: Fisher-Wirth discusses Emily Dickinson’s “A Bird Came Down the Walk— (here),” Former MS Poet Laureate Beth Ann Fennelly reads and discusses Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29, “When, in Disgrace with Fortune and Men’s Eyes (here),” and poet, editor, and Professor Melissa Ginsburg reads and discusses H. D.’s “Oread (here).” As soon as more episodes are released, we’ll provide the links. We hope y’all enjoy C Liegh’s discussion of Dr. Alexander’s seminal poem on the night that African-American youth and intelligence were attacked by Jim Crow (here).

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Clarksdale and Bentonia, Mississippi, Blues establishments were featured on Good Morning America’s “50 States in 50 Weeks,” which y’all can see here and here.

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Everyday Tech is MPB Think Radio’s weekly program about consumer technology. Co-hosted by MPB’s own Abram Nanney and local community tech advocate Sabir Abdul-Haqq, you can listen to the show in real time, every Monday at 10:00 a.m. CST or previous episodes here. They invite you to enjoy the conversation: dial 877-MPB-RING to add to the subject at hand, ask a tech question that’s bugging you, or you can email the show at: everydaytech@mpbonline.org. Each episode explores the latest news talk, issues, and products in consumer technology, and they troubleshoot problems posed by the show’s callers and introduce listeners to preventive measures in a manner that’s easy-to-understand, cordial and not “tech-heavy.” Check it out everywhere you get your podcasts and on demand on the MPB PublicMedia App! For more information, contact Sabir Abdul-Haqq at sabir@yourebs.biz.

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Monica McInnis—through her efforts as a Census specialist, grassroots organizer, voter education specialist, and political mapmaker—was instrumental in the work across Mississippi that helped to create three new districts that were won by African-American Democrats, flipping them from Republican control. Senate District 2 was won by Theresa Isom (here), Senate District 44 was won by Johnny Dupree (here), and House District 22 was won by Justin Crosby (here). With more than two years of research and community engagement, Monica partnered with various organizations and community folks to enable Afro-Mississippians to increase their voice while ensuring better checks and balances in the Mississippi legislative process. “After six years, Mississippi Democrats have broken the Republican Party’s supermajority in the Mississippi Senate. Voters elected Democrats to two seats previously held by Republicans, reducing the number of Republican senators in the upper chamber from 36 to 34—one fewer than necessary to constitute a supermajority” (Pittman). Although Mississippi Republicans still hold a majority, not having a supermajority makes it difficult for them to “override a governor’s veto, propose constitutional amendments and execute certain procedural actions, like reviving dead legislation,” forcing them to develop some sort of a working relationship with Democrats in constructing legislative agenda (Pittman). Working directly with redistricting icon Attorney Carroll Rhodes and others, Monica has traveled tirelessly from the Delta, through Jackson and the Pine Belt to the Gulf Coast, helping communities organize and realize that they can craft their own maps to give voice to their political power. This past Tuesday night was a reminder and affirmation that we have the power to protect ourselves from President Agent Orange if we simply use what we have to get what we need. In this regard, Monica embodies Prince’s song “The Work, Pt. 1,” as she went from community to community and door to door teaching liberation gospel.

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Here is an interesting YouTube post, “Prince’s Legacy Is Over…AI Ruined It,” which discusses how many content creators are making a mockery of Prince’s artistry and legacy through the use of AI.

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In 2025, poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis read his poem, “Remembering Emmett Till (in Five Haiku Movements),” as part of the Mississippi Book Festival’s Monument Lab’s Bulletin Panel, which y’all can watch here. C Liegh joined Patrick Weems (Director of the Emmett Till Interpretative Center), Gloria Dickerson (Director of the Mae Bertha Carter Learning Center), W. Ralph Eubanks (noted historian/scholar and author of Ever Is a Long Time), and Yolanda Wisher (poet/musician and author of Monk Eats an Afro), and y’all can watch the entire panel here. After each reads their work from Monument Lab’s special issue of Bulletin on “The Life and Legacy of Mamie and Emmett Till,” they have a cool discussion about how they use their work to teach this history and implement this history in our current struggle. Once again, the MBF was fantastic, and each of the writers on our panel has work in Bulletin’s special issue that commemorates the 70th anniversary of Emmett Till’s murder by celebrating the reverence for him and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. The collection includes several great poets, visual artists, and scholars, such as The Alluvial Collective, Tony Bolden, Adrienne Brown-David, Daphne R. Chamberlain, Gloria Dickerson, W. Ralph Eubanks, Paul M. Farber, Justin Hardiman, Jerome G. Little, Dick Lourie, Yannick Lowery, Airea D. Matthews, January Gill O’Neil, Mark Palacio, Theo Palacio, Aubree Penney, Olivia C. Riley, Sonia Sanchez, Sabrina Santiago, Omar Tate, Wright Thompson, Natasha Trethewey, The Tyler Twins, Ashley Tyner, Elliot Waters-Fleming, Patrick Weems, Steve Weinik, Reverend Willie Williams, Yolanda Wisher, and C Liegh McInnis. Y’all can purchase a copy of this Bulletin’s special issue on “The Life and Legacy of Mamie and Emmet Till” here.

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If anyone missed the video of poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis reading the 12-inch version of his poem, “Remembering Emmett Till (in Five Haiku Movements),” during the Opening Plenary of the 70th Emmett Till Commemoration at Mississippi Valley State University, facilitated by the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, y’all can watch here. This is an extended version of the poem published in the special issue of Monument Lab’s Bulletin, which celebrates the life and legacy of Mamie and Emmett Till. (To purchase a copy of that issue, which features some of the major names in African-American literature, go here.) The 70th Emmett Till Commemoration was a wonderful four-day event that featured panels with many of the national and local Civil Rights workers in Mississippi between 1955 and 1968. Thursday night featured a performance of Jackson State University MADDRAMA’s Take Me Back: Unsettling Memories, which y’all can watch here. And, to watch the full Opening Plenary and all three panels that occurred on Friday, go here. Props to MVSU, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, Monument Lab, and everyone involved in facilitating this great event.

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Here is a link to an excellent presentation, “The Life of Margaret Walker,” by noted literary scholar Dr. Maryemma Graham, author of The House Where My Soul Lives: The Life of Margaret Walker (here), during the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s “History is Lunch” monthly session. Additionally, here are two more great presentations at “History is Lunch.” Longtime activist and former Dean of the Jackson State University College of Education Dr. Ivory Phillips, author of The Ayers vs. Waller Case: The Promise and the Disappointment (here), presented “The Ayers Case: A Fight for Equity in Higher Education (here),” and JSU Political Science Professor Dr. Byron D’Andra Orey and Dr. Jeanne Middleton Hairston, co-author of the original Mississippi: Conflict and Change, discussed the updated textbook Mississippi: Conflict and Change: A New Edition (here). To watch more of these great “History is Lunch” sessions, go here.

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Here is a two-minute excerpt from an awesome Prince discussion with poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis, author of The Lyrics of Prince: A Literary Look at a Creative, Music Poet, Philosopher, and Storyteller, and the wonderful Dr. Megan Holt, Director of the New Orleans Words and Music Festival. If you enjoy those two minutes, here is the link to the entire conversation that was part of a week-long masterclass on Prince that was taught by C Liegh at 100 Men Hall in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, which is a perfect place to conduct a masterclass on Prince, especially one in which Prince is rooted firmly in the tradition of black music. From 1922 to the late 60s, 100 Men Hall was one of the major stops on the Chitlin’ Circuit between New Orleans and Natchez, Mississippi, and up to Jackson, Clarksdale, and then, of course, Memphis. In short, if you were a famous black performer between 1922 and the late 60s, you played the 100 Men Hall, including Ray Charles, James Brown, Etta James, Big Joe Turner, Guitar Slim, Irma Thomas, Professor Longhair, Ernie K-Doe, James Booker, Deacon John, Earl King, and numerous others. Doc Holt and C Liegh talk all things Prince from race to gender to lyrics to music to the importance of b-sides and more. We hope y’all enjoy the talk as much as those in attendance did and feel free to share it with anyone y’all think will enjoy it. Also, here is the link to the 3-minute video of testimonials from some of the students who attended the week-long Prince Masterclass. Next, thanks to Racheal Dangermond, Director of 100 Men Hall, for moving mountains to make the class possible. (Here is a link to Dangermond appearing on a local Bay St. Louis station to promote the class.)

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis has two poems, “Free-the-Land Man [for Chokwe Lumumba] (here)” and “Yes He Did [for Obama] (here),” and an essay, “My Pop’s Retirement [for Work Well Done] (here),” in Merge Literary Magazine’s special issue “Celebrating Black Men: 2025 Special Edition,” Summer 2025. Kudos to the editors, Mari Rice and Malkia M’Buzi Moore, for compiling so many well-crafted writers for this issue, including Opal Moore, Alice Lovelace, RaShell Smith-Spears, Jacquese Armstrong, Tamara J. Madison, Tony Medina, Charlie R. Braxton, and many more. To see the cover, go here, to read the poetry, go here, to read the short stories and essays, go here, and to read the writer bios, go here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis joined noted sociologist and African-American history professor Dr. Charity Clay aka Professor Fresh on African World Order, which is hosted by emcee and Jackson, Mississippi, community organizer, Skipp Coon aka Joecephus Martin, to discuss NBA players’ slander of Memphis and Sinners. Their discussion of the slander of Memphis involved a discussion of the anti-political black athlete and is at the beginning of their discussion, which can be seen here. Their discussion of Sinners included Brother Skipp citing various points in C Liegh’s analysis of film and them discussing Sinners, point by point and scene by scene to provide an artistic and sociopolitical analysis of the film, which y’all can watch here.

To learn more about emcee and community organizer Skipp, here is a link to a great interview with him on Black Liberation Media. Here is a link Skipp’s song, “Color Complex,” and here is the link to “Women, Revolution, and Tennis Shoes,” both from his first album Women, Revolution, and Tennis Shoes. His work with various community organizing agencies, such as Fahrenheit Creative Group and being an Ashe Leaders Fellow (here), shows that his artistry is a reflection of the real life he’s living. To learn more about Skipp and his work, go here and here, and to watch more great discussions on African World Order, go here.

Dr. Clay is an emcee and Former D1 basketball player who, after an injury, pivoted to teach financial literacy and the lingering effects of racial trauma and healing. She’s currently a Professor at Rhodes College, and y’all can learn more about her research and teaching here and here. And, here’s a great brief documentary about Doc Clay titled Who Is Professor Fresh?

Finally, to remind folks why we should see, discuss, and celebrate Sinners as much as possible, here is the link to C Liegh’ analysis of the film. And, to celebrate Coogler’s love letter to the blues as a primary carrier and protector of African-American culture, here is a link to Playing for Change’s cover of Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads,” featuring many of the Mississippi blues masters keeping the blues alive today with musicians and singers across the globe whose art has been greatly impacted by the blues.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis has a poem and two essays (“Eshu’s Post-Dated Poem,” “The Mythological People of Color Coalition,” and “‘This or That?’: Voting for Vice President Kamala Harris Despite Democratic Debacle and Cowardice”) published in a newly released anthology, Donald Trump’s Second Coming—Is Democracy Dead, Dying or Alive: An Anthology of North American Writers and African Writers, Vol 4., edited by Tendai Mwanaka. The collection features stories, poetry, essays, plays, fiction, mixed genres, songs, and visual art of writers from Africa and North America, discussing President Agent Orange’s impact on American democracy, global democracy, and the reaction and resistance to it. Other noted American writers included in the collection are Mississippi native, poet, playwright, editor, and cultural critic Charlie R. Braxton, who has two essays in the collection, and New York native, poet, editor, and arts activist Bob McNeal, who has four poems included. In total, the collection has seven essays, two short stories, ten artworks, and twenty-eight poems from writers and artists from Africa and North America. For more information or to purchase a copy, go here.

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Dr. John Zheng’s interview of poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis has been published in African American Review (57.2), which is cited and archived online here by Project Muse. And, here is the link to purchase the issue. To subscribe to ARR, go here. To order a copy of this issue (57.2) by phone, contact (800) 548-1784 or jrnlcirc@press.jhu.edu. AAR has featured renowned writers and cultural critics, including Trudier Harris, Arnold Rampersad, Hortense Spillers, Amiri Baraka, Cyrus Cassells, Rita Dove, Charles Johnson, Cheryl Wall, Toni Morrison, and many more. The official publication of the Modern Language Association’s Division on Black American Literature and Culture, AAR fosters a vigorous conversation among writers and scholars in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

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Here, here, and here are pictures and video from the 55th Gibbs-Green Commemoration to memorialize the 1970 attack on Jackson State University by the Jackson Police Department, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, and the Mississippi National Guard, which took the lives of Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, a twenty-one-year-old JSU student, and James Earl Green, a seventeen-year-old Jim Hill High School Student along with wounding eighteen others as law enforcement fired over four hundred rounds into Alexander Hall, a female Dorm. The photos include many of the speakers, including Mrs. Dale Gibbs—the wife of Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, Ms. Gloria Green McCray—the sister of James Earl Green, JSU Interim President Dr. Denise Jones Gregory, State Representative Zakiya Summers, James “Lap” Baker—JSU Class of 1970, Nadia Wright—Award-winning youth poet, C Liegh McInnis—poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar, and Dr. Robert Luckett—Director of the JSU Margaret Walker Alexander Center. Finally, props to Doc Luckett for accepting the baton from Dr. Jean “Jughead” Young and never wavering from his promise to keep this essential moment in Mississippi and American history ever-present so that all will know what happened, why it happened, and how Jackson State University and its community survived and thrived through the worst that Jim Crow and the neo-Confederates could muster. Additionally, BVC Films has an agreement with the Gibbs family to produce a six-part limited TV series, Blood on the Books, based on Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, which will also feature James Earl Green and others associated with the event. It’s great to know that BVC Films has been in talks with Doc Luckett through JSU Communications about getting story right, the possibility of filming on campus, and speaking with others who lived this event for even more research. For more about this, go here.

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Valley Voices, vol. 25, No. 1 (Spring 2025), “River and Land: The Mississippi Delta,” issue, edited by Dr. John Zheng—Chair of the Mississippi Valley State University English Department, is available, and it is a fantastic issue. The poetry contains contributions from Claude Wilkinson, Sterling D. Plumpp, Larry D. Thomas, George Drew, Philip C. Kolin, C. T. Salazar, Michelle McMillan-Holifield, and two new works celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Jerry W. Ward by Charlie R. Braxton and C Liegh McInnis. There are also vivid essays on the land of Mississippi by Hermine Pinson and John Zheng, insightful criticism by John J. Han and Allison Wiltshire, beautiful photography by Claude Wilkinson and J. Guaner, and intriguing fiction by Jack Crocker and Dick Daniels. To purchase a copy of Abrasion & Erasing: Essays, Interviews, and Poems of Jerry W. Ward, Jr., send $10 to Valley Voices at MVSU 7242, 14000 Highway 82 West, Itta Bena, MS 38941 or valley_voices@yahoo.com.

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If y’all missed poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis’ analysis of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, y’all can read it here. Also, we’d like to share two more insightful discussions of Sinners that approach the film from different positions but are seeking the same end. Poet, literary theorist, librarian, arts activist, and Prince scholar Scott Woods’ essay, “Sinners Soars, But Act Like You Been Here Before (here),” asks that viewers, especially black viewers, engage the film with a more critical eye to understand what is and isn’t there to have a full appreciation of Coogler’s work and why black folks still need the blues. SIUE Professor and literary theorist Dr. Howard Rambsy’s brief essay, “Ryan Coogler, C Liegh McInnis, and Black Convergences (here),” asks viewers to understand Sinners as “cultural cataloging” in the most dense way to teach and celebrate black history and black genius within the limited timeframe a film allows. Finally, here is a link to “Sinners: A Reading and Resource List,” which provides a syllabus of materials to aid in the understanding and enjoyment of the film. Together, the two commentaries and the syllabus can aid in how we approach, discuss, share, and celebrate black art.

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Over the past three years, filmmaker Mark Brockway has been working on a new documentary, Where We Daily Tread, which tells the story of white supremacy, the Black Power Movement, and the May 1970 attack on Jackson State by Mississippi law enforcement. He has begun uploading very brief clips of interviews for the doc, and here is the link to give y’all a “taste” of what the doc will be. Two of the clips include insights from poet, short story writer, Prince scholar, and JSU graduate C Liegh McInnis.

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If you missed the Polished Solid #PopLife40 Prince Symposium, which celebrated 40 years of Prince’s Around the World in a Day, The Family’s self-titled album, and Sheila E.’s Romance 1600, you missed another great three days of Prince scholarship and community. Symposium curator and NYU Professor De Angela Duff has started uploading the videos of all the panels and roundtables, which y’all can watch here. These include the brilliant Prince scholar Edgar Kruize’s presentation, “Love Is the Color This Place Imparts,” which deconstructs how the album cover artwork of Around the World in a Day tells a cohesive story to reflect the message(s) of the songs, the first keynote, featuring The Family, the second keynote with saxophonist Eddie M, who is C Liegh’s favorite horn player to play with Prince, Maceo Parker notwithstanding, and more.

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The Spring 2025 edition of Ishmael Reed’s Konch Magazine has been published with its usual excellent poetry, fiction, and essays, including two tribute commentaries to poet and literary theorist Dr. Jerry W. Ward by poet and activist Julia Wright and poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis, which y’all can read here.

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Abrasion & Erasing: Essays, Interviews, and Poems of Jerry W. Ward, Jr., edited by poet, scholar, and Mississippi Valley State University English Chair Dr. John Zheng, is available and beautiful—physically and literarily. Abrasion & Erasing is a collection of essays, interviews, and poems by Doc Ward published over the years in Valley Voices: A Literary Review and the Journal of Ethnic American Literature. Through this collection, Dr. Zheng has captured and illuminated the beauty, power, and significance of Doc Ward as one of the most important literary voices of Mississippi, the South, and America. We are extremely proud to share that poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis’ interview with Doc Ward is included, along with interviews of Doc Ward by storyteller, visual artist, and arts activist Diane Williams and Dr. Tian Zhang—Professor of English at Central China Normal University. This collection is a testament and call to action to continue the work of Doc Ward as he served skillfully as a steward of black literature, leaving a brilliant blueprint for us to follow. As an artist, scholar, and Afro-Mississippian, I thank you for this work! To purchase a copy of Abrasion & Erasing: Essays, Interviews, and Poems of Jerry W. Ward, Jr., send $10 to Valley Voices at MVSU 7242, 14000 Highway 82 West, Itta Bena, MS 38941 or valley_voices@yahoo.com.

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Here and here are links to a fantastic new funk documentary, We Want the Funk, which was just released on PBS this week. It has a host of funk legends and scholars interviewed, including noted Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angela Duff, music archivist, DJ, and Loyola and Tulane Professor Melissa A. Weber aka DJ Soul Sister, and noted cultural critic and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal. This is one of the best documentaries on Funk!

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Magnitude and Bond: A Field Study on Black Literary Arts Organizations is now LIVE! This first-of-its-kind field study focuses on Black literary arts service organizations that provide essential programming, services, and networks of support to the literary community. These organizations have modeled resilience in the face of concentric disparities often in the absence of institutional support and recognition. To produce this research, Cave Canem and Ithaka S+R collaborated closely with a working group, composed of directors from Getting Word: Black Literature for Black Liberation, as well as two literary experts in the field, to hone the research questions and instruments that would become this study. Click here to explore the Magnitude and Bond webpage, read the full study, flip through our executive summary e-zine, and learn more about upcoming programs.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis appeared on long-time media veteran and Prince scholar Tonya Pendleton’s WURD radio show Reality Check to read his poem, “Black Man,” and discuss the continued significance of observing and celebrating Black History Month. To watch the recording, go here and then go to the 1:41:38 mark. Feel free to leave a like or comment so that Sister P knows that y’all were there. Also, if y’all would like to read “Black Man,” go here.

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On November 21, 2024, in New Orleans, poet, fiction writer, playwright, and editor Kalamu ya Salaam was joined by poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis to discuss Salaam’s new novel, Walkin’ Blues, and their discussion was recently uploaded here.

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Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters has released its special issue documenting and celebrating the Jackson State University Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival. In 2023, the Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center curated the Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the original 1973 festival, which hosted most of the major black women writers of the day. In the same vein, the 2023 festival hosted many of the major black women writers of today. Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters, one of the three major African-American literary journals, has published a special proceedings issue of the 2023 JSU MWA Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival that includes scholarly essays, poetry, fiction, and artwork presented during the festival along with interviews, reflections, and photography from the festival. The Callaloo special proceedings issue documents this historic gathering of scholars and artists, including noted writers Jesmyn Ward, Alice Walker, Paula Giddings, Maryemma Graham, Imani Perry, Tiffany Caesar, Barbara Lewis, and a host of JSU professors and products—Tonea Stewart, Shanna L. Smith, Iely Mohamed, Roy Lewis, RaShell R. Smith-Spears, LaWanda Dickens, Ebony Lumumba, Kaitlyn Taylor, and C Liegh McInnis. To view the full table of contents, go here. For more information about the Callaloo Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival Special Issue, go here, and to purchase a single print or electronic issue, go here. Once y’all get to the page, scroll down to the print section or the electronic section and choose The Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival 50th Anniversary: A Special Issue Vol. 42, No. 3, Summer Issue 2024. Finally, to give y’all an idea of the type of scholarship presented during the festival and included in the special issue, here is a link to C Liegh McInnis’ edited video presentation of his paper, “‘You Will Be Moved’: Exploring Black Liberation Theology in the Work of Margaret Walker Alexander and Prince.” The complete version of his paper is in the Callaloo special issue along with his poem, “My People.” Other amazing sessions at the festival include the Opening Session, which was a Tribute to the Original Participants hosted my award-winning actress and JSU graduate Tonea Stewart (here), Dr. Maryemma Graham’s keynote, Nikki Giovanni’s talk, and Sonia Sanchez’s talk. For more about Callaloo, go here.

Additionally, Jackson State University’s The Researcher: An Interdisciplinary Journal published a special issue (In Our Own Words: The Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival 50th Anniversary Commemorative Issue) that y’all can read here. Y’all can also purchase a print copy of the issue here. C Liegh McInnis has a poem, “For Sappho, Margaret, Marie, and Iley (After Catherine Pierce’s Message to POL),” and an essay, “The Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival as Performative Manifestation of Margaret Walker Alexander’s Literary Manifesto and Genius,” included in the issue, along with great works by scholars and poets, such as Dr. Tiffany Caesar, Alissa Rae Funderburk, Angela Stewart, Dr. Craig Meyer, Dr. Shanna Smith, Patricia Jones, Ming Joi, Barbara Brewster Lewis, and Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears. Special thanks to Dr. Candis Pizzetta, editor of The Researcher, for compiling this wonderful special issue. This commemorative issue was crafted before the actual festival as a way to promote and highlight the festival as it was occurring.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis appeared on The Eddrick Show, which is hosted by Eddrick Jerome, a talented writer and award-winning short film producer from Northern California. Jerome is also the former host of The Globe Newspaper Hour on KECG 88.1 FM - More Public Radio in Oakland, CA. (Shoutout to Alice Tisdale, Editor Emeritus of the Jackson Advocate, for McInnis and Jerome.) Brother Jerome asked if C Liegh would discuss songs in which Prince is directly addressing issues specific to the African-American community. Here and here are the YouTube and audio only versions of their discussion. We hope y’all enjoy the discussion, and, of course, feel free to let us know what y’all think.

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Here, here, and here are three very cool music videos celebrating the beauty and brilliance of Jackson, Mississippi, the City with Soul.

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Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angelia Duff has uploaded all of the presentations, panels, and roundtables for the #Come30 Virtual Prince Symposium. To watch all of the events, including C Liegh McInnis’ presentation, “Part I: Come as the Introduction/EP to The Gold Experience or When Life Imitates Art and/or Art Imitates Life in the Artistic Production of Prince,” go here.

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Tougaloo College grad Dr. Howard Rambsy II aka Doc HR is the author of two excellent books, Bad Men: Creative Touchstones of Black Writers and The Black Arts Enterprise and the Production of African American Poetry. He has dedicated time over the years to chronicling the work of C Liegh McInnis at his wonderful website Cultural Front, which can be read here. His latest commentary on McInnis’ work, “A Local Conscious Poet Who Knows a Lot about Prince,” can be read here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis was interviewed by the brilliant Scott Woods, editor of Rock Critics.com, which features interviews with some of the most noted music journalists of the past sixty years. (This Scott Woods is not to be confused with the other brilliant Scott Woods who is a noted Prince scholar.) The title of the interview is “The Aesthetics of Prince: An Interview with C Liegh McInnis” and can be read here. It’s a very lengthy interview of C Liegh’s work as a Prince scholar and engages a few things that he hasn’t discussed regarding his work on Prince. One of the coolest parts of the interview is that C Liegh got to shout out Prince scholar Harold Pride about midway through the interview and that he got to shout out the Polished Solid Prince Symposium and What Did Prince Do This Week? at the end of the interview. RockCritics.com is also on Twitter. So, if y’all feel so inclined, locate and checkout his tweet about the interview as well. We hope y’all enjoy the interview and, as always, feel free to respond with your thoughts or feedback.

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The Jackson State University Creative Writing website is live and can be accessed here. Also, to give to this new program, go here. Once you are at the page, complete the amount and contact information, type “Department of English, Creative Writing,” in the “or other” box at the bottom of the form, and submit payment. And, here is a link to poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis discussing the newly established JSU Creative Writing Concentration and Minor.

The JSU Creative Program Writing offers a concentration and minor for its Bachelor of Arts program. Unlike many creative writing programs across the country, JSU’s creative writing concentration and minor will allow students to specialize in multiple genres if they desire. Additionally, unlike most creative writing programs across the country, JSU’s creative writing concentration and minor will encourage and prepare students to use their writing to engage social justice and socio-political issues by offering a capstone class that will match a student with an organization or institution that is doing the type of social justice work that the young writer desires to engage with one’s writing. This new concentration and minor were developed as a collaborative effort between Dr. Ebony Lumumba—Chair, Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears—Graduate Coordinator, and C Liegh McInnis. For more information, contact Dr. Lumumba at ebony.o.lumumba@jsums.edu or Dr. Smith-Spears at rashell.smith-spears@jsums.edu.

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Every Monday at 6:30 p.m., Afrikan Art Gallery & Bookstore (1036 Charles Evers Blvd, Jackson, MS) will hold weekly meetings to discuss and organize around the newly published Long Term Strategic Plan for Black America. For more information, contact Asinia Lukata Chikuyu at afrikan_tbt@yahoo.com.

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The first Tuesday of each month, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., at the Capital Club, Women for Progress of Mississippi, Inc., will host its monthly Lunch and Learn, featuring various women in impactful leadership in the city and around the country. For more information, contact mail@womenforprogress.net.

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Every Wednesday from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., Dependable Source Corp. Center for Community & Workforce Development, which is a black woman-owned business, hosts The Working Woman Report, which is a live podcast that curates conversations on a variety of topics with professional women. Y’all can join the conversation here, and for more information, contact Willie Jones, owner and CEO of Dependable Source Corp at williejones@drivingyourfuturems.com.

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Every Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m., Refill Jackson—a nonprofit designed to equip young adults ages 18 – 24 with the skills needed to enter the workforce and be self-sufficient—holds its Friday Forums, which are at 136 S. Adams Street Jackson, MS 39203. For more information, contact Nicole McNamee at nmcnamee72@gmail.com or visit their website here.

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The first Friday of each month, at 8:00 p.m. at The Event Center (716 S Gallatin Street), Spoken Soul Open Mic holds its monthly open mic readings and performances. Hosted by Queen Speaks, the cost is $10. All poets and performers welcomed. For more information, contact Erica Garrett at ericamvsu03@gmail.com or (601) 500-3502.

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Each Saturday, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m., at Kennedy King College, Muntu Dance Theatre will facilitate a Community Class with a certified dance instructor. To register, go here, and for more information, contact info-muntu.com@shared1.ccsend.com and go here.

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The first Saturday of each month, the Mississippi Museum of Art will begin its Access for All: Free First Saturdays. For more information, go here.

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The first Saturday of each month, from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX) will host, Earth’s Bounty at the Max, which is held the first Saturday of every month and features:

8:00 – noon: Earth’s Bounty Farmers Market + Live Music

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Free admission to The MAX

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Art activities in upstairs classroom

To register and to learn about vending opportunities, go here.

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The second and fourth Saturday of each month, Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears (rashell.spears@jsums.edu) and Dr. Shanna Smith (shanna.l.smith@jsums.edu) coordinate a creative writing workshop that meets via Zoom. That group has been meeting for almost ten years now, and many of the works developed in that workshop have been published. In fact, I’ve had at least four works that I had workshopped by the group to be published later.

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Two Saturdays a month, Afrikan Art Gallery will host a program, Freedom School Saturdays, for middle and high school students that is modeled after the 1964 Freedom Summer/School Project. The mission is to will help with the intellectual empowerment of our children with course in Civics 101, A Meeting with the Elders: What to Expect in Life, Spiritual Pilgrimage to the Mississippi Delta, Spiritual Pilgrimage to Africatown, AL, photo-journalism exercises, cultural expressions and performances for Black-centered events through their Speech - Choir and Afrikan Cultural Pride Dance Troupe, financial literacy workshops, and so much more. For more information, contact Asinia Lukata Chikuyu at afrikan_tbt@yahoo.com.

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Every Saturday, noted Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angela Duff hosts, What Did Prince Do This Week?, a very, very, very slow read of Duane Tudahl’s entire Prince Studio Sessions book series through an interactive, online, weekly book club web series. Professor Duff will be live via Streamyard video every Saturday at noon ET on YouTube and Facebook to discuss the parallel week, beginning in 1983. The weekly discussion will be recorded if y’all cannot attend the livestream. The first Saturday of the series, Duff was joined by Tudahl, and y’all can watch the recording of the first session here. To get notifications or to join Duff’s listserv, go to

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The last Saturday of every month, from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., Mississippi Writer’s Guild and Mississippi Songwriter’s Alliance partner for writer’s meeting and workshop at The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX). Whether songwriter, poet, author, all writers are welcome. This is a time for writers to network and write together and have breakout sessions. Every writer is welcome to participate because we inspire each other. For more information, go here.

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Every Sunday from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Afrikan Art Gallery & Bookstore (800 North Farish Street) will hold stimulating conversations, robust debates, and strategic action-step planning for an improved lifestyle for Afrikans. These meetings will be facilitated by the Coalition for Economic Empowerment, and for more information contact Jean at (769) 572-7441 and Asinia Lukata Chikuyu at afrikan_tbt@yahoo.com.

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Each Sunday at 5:00 p.m. CST, award-winning novelist Ellen Morris Prewitt, author of In the Name of Mississippi, and Alisha Johnson Perry, children’s book author, social justice advocate, and certified fundraising executive, have joined forces to establish Contemplative Writing Group. Each week is led by a member of the group. They catch up on their writing week, then the leader offers a contemplative writing prompt. They write for 30 - 40 minutes and share if anyone want. It’s come-and-go/participate when you can and of indefinite duration—as long as folks are getting something from it, the workshop will be offered. To join the group, folks can email the School of Contemplative Living at livingschool12@gmail.com or go here.

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Mississippi-based funnymen Merc B. Williams and Cocky McFly...real-life brothers…have joined forces to create The Vibe Controllers, which is a podcast that shows the two of them in their natural element discussing various topics, with a little humor and lots of sibling banter! Y’all can checkout the podcast via Soundcloud or YouTube at soundcloud.com/thevibecontrollers and The Vibe Controllers Podcast - YouTube.

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Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) has posted its exhibits and events for September. To see all exhibits and events go here.

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The Center for the Study of Southern Culture has posted its September events in its latest newsletter, which can be read here.

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September 4 – 5, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., both days, at Refill Jackson, will feature Pieter Teeuwissen, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Jackson, who will discuss “State of the City after One Year of Mayor Horhn’s Administration.” Then, join the Refill Group for the Saturday Breakfast Club, which is an informal dialogue on various topics. For more information about both events, contact Nicole McNamee at nmcnamee72@gmail.com.

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September 4, 2026, at 3:00 p.m., the Japanese Friendship Garden and Museum will host Tea Talks: “Tender Poems for Trouble Times: Honoring the Haiku of Richard Wright.” Join JFGM for an afternoon of tea and haiku composed by author and poet, Richard Wright, during the last years of his life while exiled in Paris. Professor Emerita Theresa “T” Ford will be joined via zoom with poet and activist Julia Wright and scholars* to discuss Richard Wright’s influence on their current work and the importance of his poetry as a space to conquer loss, pain, healing, and joy. To purchase a copy of Wright’s Haiku: The Last Poetry of Richard Wright, go here. And, for more information about today’s celebration, read the current issue of the Richard Wright Bulletin (here) and go here.

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September 5, 2026, at 2:00 p.m., at St. Columbus Episcopal Church in Ridgeland, the Mississippi Writers’ Guild (MWG) will meet and feature a talk by Barbara Travis on “The Art of the Interview, as an Interviewer and an Interviewee.” Travis is an economic and community development professional who has held numerous local and state-level leadership positions across Mississippi. Notably, she served as the Executive Director of the Mississippi World Trade Center. She has taught at two Mississippi universities, where her innovative teaching techniques earned feature coverage on NBC’s TODAY Show. She also lectures frequently on business etiquette and professional protocol. Currently working as a freelance writer and public speaker, her feature writing has been published in outlets such as Delta Magazine. She actively serves on advisory boards for multiple civic and state organizations. For more information about the workshop, contact MWG Director Susan Marquez at susanmarquez39110@gmail.com or Janet Taylor-Perry at janettaylorperry@gmail.com.

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September 9, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., at Millsaps College, Tougaloo College’s School of Humanities in partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council, Millsaps College, and St. Andrews Episcopal School will host a month-long, free Community Reading Series, exploring Dr. B. Brian Foster’s compelling work, I Don’t Like the Blues: Race, Place, & the Backbeat of Black Life. Whether you’re a student, faculty member, staff, or community member, this is a timely opportunity to engage with Foster’s powerful exploration of music, culture, and Black life in America. Dr. Foster will attend the September 23rd session, and the month-long discussion will culminate in October with free admission to Blue Monday, a weekly blues jam session featuring some of Mississippi’s most noted musicians and singers, at Hal and Mal’s (an evening of celebration with our reading cohort!). If you’d like to participate, contact Dr. Miranda Freeman—Dean of the School of Humanities—at mfreeman@tougaloo.edu. We hope you’ll join us for this enriching series and help support a vital conversation about race, place, and culture in our community. For more information, go here and here.

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September 12, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. via Zoom, poet and fiction writer Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears (rashell.spears@jsums.edu) and poet and literary theorist Dr. Shanna Smith (shanna.l.smith@jsums.edu) will facilitate the bi-monthly creative writing workshop that meets via Zoom. They have been meeting for over ten years, and many of the works developed in the workshop have been published. For more information, email either Smith-Spears of Smith for the link.

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September 12, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., at the 41st Printers Row Literary Festival, in Chicago, IL, storyteller, visual artist, and longtime arts activist Diane Williams—author of The Life and Legacy of B.B. King: A Mississippi Blues Icon and co-author of A Guide to Mississippi Museums—will be one of the panelists for the 41st Printers Row Literary Festival in Chicago, discussing her new book, Fostering Love: Resilience, Growth, and Triumph, which is a memoir based on the author’s early life. Williams was born to an incarcerated mother in Union Township, New Jersey. She was placed in the foster care system at birth; she spent the first 10 years of her life with her maternal great-grandmother and her step-great-grandfather until she was removed from her household when her great grandmother died. Williams’ life turned 360 degrees afterward from stability to a story like the Land of Oz – wild and untamed. In Fostering Love, she describes the snow blizzards and beastly winds she endured and how surviving the scars and setting goals gave Williams direction and new life. To purchase a copy of Fostering Love: Resilience, Growth, and Triumph, go here. For more information about the panel, other panelists, and the festival, go here.

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September 12, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. EST, midnight & indigo—a literary media company and a creative home for Black women writers worldwide—will host its online Black Women Writer’s Write-in for Black women writers of all genres and experience levels. Participants will be given writing prompts, write independently for a while, and be invited to share. You’ll have the opportunity to get to know each other and build community in our smaller “Writer’s Room” breakout groups. Then, we’ll rejoin for a word of inspiration. Sessions are meant to be informal. So, come in your PJs if you want or your sweats. No critiques will be provided. The write-in is hosted by Ianna Small, founder of midnight & indigo. For more information, go here.

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September 12, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. – 2:20 p.m., at Briarwood Arts Center, Mississippi for a Just World (MSJW) will host People Over Politics: Stop Data Centers. For more information, go here.

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September 16, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., at Millsaps College, Tougaloo College’s School of Humanities in partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council, Millsaps College, and St. Andrews Episcopal School will host a month-long, free Community Reading Series, exploring Dr. B. Brian Foster’s compelling work, I Don’t Like the Blues: Race, Place, & the Backbeat of Black Life. Whether you’re a student, faculty member, staff, or community member, this is a timely opportunity to engage with Foster’s powerful exploration of music, culture, and Black life in America. Dr. Foster will attend the September 23rd session, and the month-long discussion will culminate in October with free admission to Blue Monday, a weekly blues jam session featuring some of Mississippi’s most noted musicians and singers, at Hal and Mal’s (an evening of celebration with our reading cohort!). If you’d like to participate, contact Dr. Miranda Freeman—Dean of the School of Humanities—at mfreeman@tougaloo.edu. We hope you’ll join us for this enriching series and help support a vital conversation about race, place, and culture in our community. For more information, go here and here.

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September 17, 2026, from 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in the MS Arts Center Atrium, The International Museum of Muslim Cultures (IMMC) will host the first of four “Fall Faith Series,” which will be an interfaith gathering for healing, reflection, and relationship gathering the third Thursday of each month. This series marks the 25th anniversary of September 11 and features guest speaker Sister Okolo Rashid, co-founder of the museum and the Jackson Model Beloved Community Partnership. The gatherings will focus on the practice of sharing faith stories that praise God, build community, and expand perspective. The goal is to answer questions, reinforce personal beliefs, and strengthen convictions. For more information, go here and here.

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September 17 – November 20, 2026, Grammy-nominated poet, editor, cultural critic, and human and civil rights activist Kevin Powell will begin is American tour to support his latest collection of poetry, A Poem for Evangeline and Other Songs, which can be purchased here, while serving as the Pratt Institute (New York City) 2026 Poet-and-Scholar-in-Residence. To kick off his tour and residency, Powell has released his latest poem-song, “My Father Could not Read or Write,” featuring Classique516, which can be heard here. For the complete list of dates for Powell’s upcoming tour, go here.

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Asymptote Journal has a call for poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction for its special issue, “The Weather Has Changed,” seeking submissions that reckon with the climate crisis at every scale: the planetary and the intimate, the spectacular disaster, and the almost imperceptible alteration. Across the world, the vocabulary of exceptional weather is becoming strangely ordinary: record-breaking, unprecedented, once-in-a-century. Wildfires rage through another summer; cities swelter under extreme heat; elsewhere, floods swallow streets and homes. Climate change, once spoken of principally in the future tense, is increasingly the weather of the present. Who is protected, who is exposed, and what happens to our ideas of home and season as the world around us changes? We are also interested in what climate change does to language, memory, and our sense of time. How do we narrate a crisis whose causes may lie centuries behind us and whose consequences stretch centuries ahead? We especially welcome unexpected approaches, including works in which climate change enters through a side door: through a vanished word, a strange summer. The deadline to submit is September 20, 2026. To read the full call and how to submit, go here.

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September 23, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., at Millsaps College, Tougaloo College’s School of Humanities in partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council, Millsaps College, and St. Andrews Episcopal School will host a month-long, free Community Reading Series, exploring Dr. B. Brian Foster’s compelling work, I Don’t Like the Blues: Race, Place, & the Backbeat of Black Life. Whether you’re a student, faculty member, staff, or community member, this is a timely opportunity to engage with Foster’s powerful exploration of music, culture, and Black life in America. Dr. Foster will attend the September 23rd session, and the month-long discussion will culminate in October with free admission to Blue Monday, a weekly blues jam session featuring some of Mississippi’s most noted musicians and singers, at Hal and Mal’s (an evening of celebration with our reading cohort!). If you’d like to participate, contact Dr. Miranda Freeman—Dean of the School of Humanities—at mfreeman@tougaloo.edu. We hope you’ll join us for this enriching series and help support a vital conversation about race, place, and culture in our community. For more information, go here and here.

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September 25, 2026, at 8:00 p.m., in the Jackson Convention Complex, Jackson, Mississippi, native, comedian, emcee, musician (wonderful drummer), singer, and Emmy Award winner Rita Brent will present the next episode of her variety show, Late Night with Rita Brent, which will feature award-winning authors that will be featured at tomorrow’s Mississippi Book Festival aka The Greatest Literary Lawn Party, including award-winning novelist, memoirist, and Mississippi native Kiese Laymon, award-winning journalist and Mississippi native Jerry Mitchell, founder of The Village Market and Mississippi native Dr. Laykesha Hallmon, award-winning actress Tisha Campbell, and singer/songwriter Calvin Richardson. In preparation for tonight’s snow, here is an excerpt from the opening monologue of an earlier episode. It’s not just funny. It’s Dick Gregory, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Paul Mooney level of artistry. She takes Mississippi Governor Tater Tot’s flippant comments on the Nolan Wells case and deconstructs them to the marrow of their racism and ignorance. More than an entertainer, Brent strives to be an artist whose work makes us think and laugh. To be clear, she’s all about the good time and the party. But, she is also the epitome of partying with a purpose, and her purpose is to use her art to comfort, heal, educate, and inspire. Along with being a nationally noted comedian who appears weekly on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, her hit single, “Raised in the ‘Sipp” made waves all around the country, and y’all can watch it here. I’m digging this, and I’m not even a hip-hop head. Her previous single, “Kamala,” was all over YouTube, CNN, and just about everywhere. Y’all can vibe to “Kamala” here and the 2024 remix here. As a multitalented artist, I’ve long proclaimed that Rita B is as equally talented as a triple threat like Jamie Foxx. (Of course, no one touches Sammy Davis, Jr., as a multitalented artist, but that’s a debate for another time.) Jacktown aka Jackfrica is extremely proud of our hometown girl who always keeps us laughing and dancing while thinking. Rita B will tickle your funny bone while stimulating your mind. For those not familiar with the artistry of Rita B, I’ll leave y’all with two of my favorite works by her. The first is her song, “Can You Rock Me Like a Pothole?” The second is her routine about substitute teachers. Checkout both and go to her Website, YouTube, and Facebook page and follow her to remain current with what she’ll be doing. For more information about tonight’s Late Night with Rita Brent, go here, here, and here.

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September 25 – 27, 2026, in Houston, TX, Torch Literary Arts will celebrate its 20th Anniversary with A Gathering of Flames, a three-day event that will include Torch Awards Gala, The Gathering (readings, panels, and workshops), and Community Brunch and feature award-winning and noted writers, such as Sharon Bridgeforth, Patricia Smith, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, and Crystal Wilkinson. To see the complete schedule and presenters and to purchase tickets, go here and here, and to learn more about the work of Torch Literary Arts and its magazine, go here.

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September 26, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., on the grounds of the Mississippi State Capitol, the 2026 Mississippi Book Festival aka The Greatest Literary Lawn Party will be held. For a complete list of authors and panels, go here.

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October 2 – 4, 2026, The Bob Moses Conference will be held in Montgomery, AL, to celebrate and study the work of legendary Civil Rights activist Bob Moses who was one of the primary strategists for The Movement, especially for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Freedom Summer, Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). The Board has taken the conference to Montgomery, the capital of the Confederacy and an Epicenter of major campaigns in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, including Birmingham, Montgomery, Lowndes County, and Selma, with the theme, “Remaking America: The Work before Us.” In addition to the lecture series and interactive workshops, attendees will tour the Legacy Museum Sites, Montgomery Square, and the Sculpture Arts Park, where art and history, tragedy and triumph are braided into a visceral narrative of the African/African-American/Indigenous experience in America. All activities will be in person. For more information and to register, go here.

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October 1, 2026, from 6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX) will host a screening of Marvel’s Behind the Mask + Q&A with John Jennings. Explore the evolution of heroes and representation through the lens of Marvel history. The evening kicks off with a statewide filmmaker meetup hosted by Film Mississippi, offering local film industry folks a chance to connect, network, and share ideas before the feature presentation. Following the screening, stick around for an engaging Q&A session with acclaimed artist, scholar, and cultural curator John Jennings, facilitated by Ryan Parker of the Mississippi Film Society. For more information, go here.

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October 3, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m., The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX) will host BET Raised Us: From Mississippi to the World, which will be a red carpet, high-energy, after-hours dance party celebrating Mississippi’s enduring influence on Black entertainment and culture, including Mississippi native and Black Entertainment Television founder Robert L. Johnson. Inspired by the energy and glamour of The BET Awards, BET Raised Us: From Mississippi to the World will be hosted by award-winning comedians Rita Brent (Comedy Central, Late Night with Rita Brent) and Merc B. Williams (Kevin Hart’s Hart of the City, Born Funny Comedy Tour), who will interview eventgoers as they make red-carpet arrivals before introducing live performances by Ariel J. and DJ Sirato in the Citizens National Bank Courtyard. Plus, meet award-winning graphic novelist John Jennings and tour his exhibition, John Jennings: Build Your World, now on view at The MAX. The event will begin with an add-on VIP dinner experience featuring a menu prepared by Chef Enrika Williams of Fauna Foodworks. Then, the red carpet will open to all ticket holders, with Ariel J. taking the stage at 8:00 p.m. and DJ Sirato at 9:00 p.m. BET Raised Us honors Robert L. Johnson, who made history in 1980 with the launch of the first cable television network aimed at Black Americans. BET transformed Black entertainment and storytelling, helped launch the careers of numerous hip-hop and R&B artists through the groundbreaking programs Video Soul and 106 & Park, and became part of the first Black-controlled company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. For more information, go here.

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October 15, 2026, from 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in the MS Arts Center Atrium, The International Museum of Muslim Cultures (IMMC) will host the first of four “Fall Faith Series,” which will be an interfaith gathering for healing, reflection, and relationship gathering the third Thursday of each month. This series marks the 25th anniversary of September 11 and features guest speaker Sister Okolo Rashid, co-founder of the museum and the Jackson Model Beloved Community Partnership. The gatherings will focus on the practice of sharing faith stories that praise God, build community, and expand perspective. The goal is to answer questions, reinforce personal beliefs, and strengthen convictions. For more information, go here and here.

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The National Council for Black Studies (NCBS) has its Call for Papers for the 2027 NCBS Annual Report. This report will include short APA-style essays (between 2,000 and 2,500 words, or 8–10 double-spaced pages, including references) on new, emerging, and ongoing current issues and innovations of importance to Africana communities in the U.S. and anywhere in the global African world. NCBS’ mission is to create a space for its discipline to offer historical context, future projections, solutions, and culturally grounded analyses of current needs, concerns, innovations, and ideas of people of African ancestry anywhere in the world. The theme of this call for papers is Mapping the Terrain for the Continuous Advancement of Black/Africana Studies. NCBS invites essays that contribute to the development of pathways for the growth and defense of Black/Africana Studies’ approaches to knowledge production and interpretive practices across the African world. This annual report asks contributors to draw from ancestral wisdom, historical and cultural grounding, critical consciousness, and innovative concepts and practices to help build strategies for the discipline’s ongoing growth, development, and advancement. The deadline to submit is November 1, 2026. For more information and the deadline to submit, go here and here.

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Until November 8, 2026, Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) will host Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985, which features over 100 artists and examines the vital role photography played in shaping a distinctly Black artistic and cultural identity in the mid-twentieth century. Demonstrating the medium’s versatility—as art, design, organizing tool, and community builder—the exhibition brings together a remarkable range of perspectives, subjects, and voices. From celebrations of Black beauty in Kwame Brathwaite’s fashion photography to Gordon Parks’ groundbreaking photojournalism on Nation of Islam communities for Life magazine, these works reveal how a wide array of cultural producers—from studio and street photographers to designers, activists, and community organizers—used photography to document, imagine, and transform Black life. This dynamic exhibition brings together approximately 150 works that highlight a bold and expansive vision of Black identity across the mid-20th century. Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955-1985 features over 100 artists, including Gordon Parks, Dawoud Bey, Carrie Mae Weems, and Kwame Brathwaite. While rooted in the era of the civil rights movement, it goes beyond that, revealing the richness and complexity of Black experiences and capturing everything from intimate portraits and everyday moments to fashion, music, and media. For more information, go here.

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November 19, 2026, from 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in the MS Arts Center Atrium, The International Museum of Muslim Cultures (IMMC) will host the first of four “Fall Faith Series,” which will be an interfaith gathering for healing, reflection, and relationship gathering the third Thursday of each month. This series marks the 25th anniversary of September 11 and features guest speaker Sister Okolo Rashid, co-founder of the museum and the Jackson Model Beloved Community Partnership. The gatherings will focus on the practice of sharing faith stories that praise God, build community, and expand perspective. The goal is to answer questions, reinforce personal beliefs, and strengthen convictions. For more information, go here and here.

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Through November 20, 2026, Grammy-nominated poet, editor, cultural critic, and human and civil rights activist Kevin Powell will embark upon an American tour to support his latest collection of poetry, A Poem for Evangeline and Other Songs, which can be purchased here, while serving as the Pratt Institute (New York City) 2026 Poet-and-Scholar-in-Residence. To kick off his tour and residency, Powell has released his latest poem-song, “My Father Could not Read or Write,” featuring Classique516, which can be heard here. For the complete list of dates for Powell’s upcoming tour, go here.

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The National Council for Black Studies (NCBS) has its Call for Papers for the 2027 National Council for Black Students Conference with the theme: “A Resilient Life-Affirming Pedagogy: Black Studies as Truth-Telling and Transformative Practice.” NCBS invites scholars, educators, students, artists, activists, and community practitioners to submit proposals for the 51st Annual NCBS Conference. As the NCBS enters its second half-century, they reaffirm and recommit themselves to the foundational principles that gave rise to the discipline of Black Studies: the pursuit of truth, the advancement of liberation, and the unwavering belief that knowledge must serve the people. For more than fifty years, NCBS has championed Black Studies not only as an academic discipline, but also as a transformative intellectual, political, and community-based project dedicated to the study, preservation, and advancement of African-descended peoples worldwide. The theme of the 51st Annual Conference, “Resilient Pedagogy: Black Studies as Truth-Telling,” emerges at a critical moment in the history of education and public discourse. Across the United States, legislative actions, book bans, curricular restrictions, and political pressures have sought to sanitize, suppress, or altogether erase critical histories of race, resistance, and liberation. These efforts challenge not only what can be taught, but also who has the authority to define historical truth and shape public memory. As a result, this moment requires students of Black Studies as well as academicians, practitioners, and activists to engage in deep liberating thinking suitable to producing transformative change and results that sustained Black life. The deadline to submit is December 4, 2026. For more information, including the full call and the deadline to submit, go here.

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December 17, 2026, from 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in the MS Arts Center Atrium, The International Museum of Muslim Cultures (IMMC) will host the first of four “Fall Faith Series,” which will be an interfaith gathering for healing, reflection, and relationship gathering the third Thursday of each month. This series marks the 25th anniversary of September 11 and features guest speaker Sister Okolo Rashid, co-founder of the museum and the Jackson Model Beloved Community Partnership. The gatherings will focus on the practice of sharing faith stories that praise God, build community, and expand perspective. The goal is to answer questions, reinforce personal beliefs, and strengthen convictions. For more information, go here and here.

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Study the South, the publication of The Center for the Study of Southern Culture, has posted its Call for Proposals for the 2027 Study the South Research Fellowship. Scholars researching the South have an opportun7ty for funded research in the collections of the Department of Archives and Special Collections at the J. D. Williams Library at the University of Mississippi. The Study the South Research Fellowship, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture and the Department of Archives and Special Collections, will provide funding of $1,500 to one qualified scholar, who will also have an opportunity to publish an essay in Study the South based on their research. Special Collections has particular strengths in areas that include political history, the blues, civil rights, and the antebellum and Civil War eras. Subject guides and finding aids at Archives and Special Collections can be found at www.libraries.olemiss.edu/specialcollectionspages. The funds will support travel and lodging expenses, and the remainder serves as a stipend. Research should take place between February 2027 and December 2027. Study the South is an online scholarly journal at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. They will ask the successful fellow either to give a public presentation at the Center for the Study of Southern Culture or a short, recorded interview about one’s work, to be shared through Study the South, www.studythesouth.com. All scholars, including advanced graduate students, are eligible for the fellowship. The deadline for application is January 15, 2027, and the selection committee will notify the awardee by February 15, 2026. Candidates should send a description of a research agenda (500 words max.), citing research questions and specific collections that seem most useful, to James G. Thomas, Jr., editor of Study the South, at jgthomas@olemiss.edu.

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March 17 – 20, 2027, in Atlanta, GA, at the Courtland Grand Hotel, the National Council for Black Studies (NCBS) has its Call for Papers for the 2027 National Council for Black Students Conference with the theme: “A Resilient Life-Affirming Pedagogy: Black Studies as Truth-Telling and Transformative Practice.” NCBS Conference will feature scholars, educators, students, artists, activists, and community practitioners exploring and documenting the ways in which the NCBS reaffirm and recommit themselves to the foundational principles that gave rise to the discipline of Black Studies: the pursuit of truth, the advancement of liberation, and the unwavering belief that knowledge must serve the people. For more than fifty years, NCBS has championed Black Studies not only as an academic discipline, but also as a transformative intellectual, political, and community-based project dedicated to the study, preservation, and advancement of African-descended peoples worldwide. The theme of the 51st Annual Conference, “Resilient Pedagogy: Black Studies as Truth-Telling,” emerges at a critical moment in the history of education and public discourse. Across the United States, legislative actions, book bans, curricular restrictions, and political pressures have sought to sanitize, suppress, or altogether erase critical histories of race, resistance, and liberation. These efforts challenge not only what can be taught, but also who has the authority to define historical truth and shape public memory. As a result, this moment requires students of Black Studies as well as academicians, practitioners, and activists to engage in deep liberating thinking suitable to producing transformative change and results that sustained Black life. For more information, go here.

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Until March 27, 2027, Mississippi native, award-winning visual artist, novelist, illustrator, graphic design artist, and editor John Jennings’ exhibit, John Jennings: Build Your World, will show at The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX) and will run for a year. The exhibit explores the extraordinary storytelling and world-building of Jennings—NYTimes bestselling graphic novelist, Harvard Fellow, and Hugo- and Eisner Award-winning artist. In Build Your World, Jennings’s groundbreaking work in Afrofuturism, folklore, and comics is brought to life through multiple creative projects, including Silver Surfer: Ghost Light (Marvel), Kenny Dreadful and the Hainted Hoodie, Blue Hand Mojo: Hard Times Road (Rosarium Publishing), and Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation (Abrams ComicArts). For more information, go here.

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April 1, 2027, at 8:00 p.m., in Thalia Mara Hall, Jackson Live will present The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight, performing the music of Metallica, Guns ‘N Roses, System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine, My Chemical Romance, Evanescence, Linkin Park, AC/DC, and The Cranberries. For more information and to purchase tickets, go here and here.

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I had the joy and honor of knowing Curtis Nichouls for twenty-nine years as a visual artist, poet, and filmmaker, who remained a model of innovative excellence and community dedication. Curtis was one of those young geniuses that I met when I was co-hosting a weekly open mic, Mississippi Vibes, across the street from Tougaloo College at Highlites with David Brian Williams aka The Hoochie Coochie Mane, Dr. Jolivette Anderson aka The Poet Warrior, Ken Stiggers, and community activist Derrick Johnson, who is now the CEO and President of the NAACP. When Curtis walked into Highlites, he was brash, extremely confident in his abilities, ready for the revolution to pop off at any moment, and we loved him immediately. He, along with his young peers, embodied what Mississippi Vibes was designed to be—a vessel through which art could be used to make immediate and wide-ranging sociopolitical change. We all embraced W.E.B. Du Bois’ notion that “all art is propaganda,” and Curtis embodied that as much as anyone, as his art became the primary way that he worked to make a better world. Moreover, he’s one of the few people that, when I learned of his death, I had a similar reaction to learning of Prince’s death. While his life was much too short, Curtis is a wonderful example of pursuing one’s dreams and living each day as if it’s the last, which is shown by the great amount of art created and left. He’s a published poet, a painter who has murals in multiple cities, including Jackson, Mississippi, and Chicago, IL, and he produced films with some of the biggest names in the business. That’s time well spent, in which the legacy of his art shows the best of what humanity can be while refuting the lies of white supremacy. The dash between his birth date and death date is a bit longer and more engraved than others because he got the most from his life.

A native of Chicago, he first came to artistic prominence at thirteen when he was selected by the Mayor’s Office to paint a mural in the municipal park. He later graduated from Langston University in Oklahoma with a B.S. in Business Management while pursuing his painting interest. In 1997, Curtis became Jackson, Mississippi’s Artist-In-Residence, teaching animation, painting, drawing, and creative writing. While in Jackson, he blossomed as a poet, participating in events hosted by Mississippi Vibes, The Living Room Coffee House, and Seven All Arts Café, of which he was one of the seven founding members. Curtis wasn’t content to be an artist for hire. He understood that the real power was in those who create spaces for artists. Through his organizing and administrative work with Seven All Arts Café, Curtis mastered fundraising and networking, in which he had an uncanny ability to connect people of various backgrounds to weave a beautiful mosaic of human creativity. Most importantly, he believed and acted upon his notion that black folks have all we need to construct the world we want to see exist, and he constantly called upon his friends and the wider community to use their talents in our progress.

As a filmmaker, he proved to be skillful on all levels—writing, directing, and producing, which includes securing and managing million-dollar budgets. Therefore, Curtis is the personification of making a way from no way, as he has spent the past ten years producing award-winning films with internationally noted actors, such as Bruce Willis, Leon, Frank Grillo, Kevin Dillon, Taye Diggs, John Cusack, George Lopez, and others, right here in Mississippi. Furthermore, these works have earned several awards, including Best Drama – Downtown LA Film Festival, Best Action Film – Spain Int’l Action Fest, and Best Documentary – Pan African Film Festival. (Here is a cool interview with Curtis at the premiere of his film A Day to Die, and here is the brief review I wrote of his film River Runs Red.) Yet, rather than using his accomplishments merely to line his own pockets, he used his experience to propose a program at Jackson State University that would enable him to enhance students’ artistic and economic understanding of making films. But, even that was nothing new for him, as Curtis was an educator in every aspect possible, developing a visual arts curriculum for Washington Irvin High School, developing a multi-track creative curriculum that includes acting, voiceover, editing, cinematography, marketing, and documentary production, which focuses on STEAM integration, for Piney Woods Academy and Jim Hill High School, and conducting weekly workshops for local church and youth groups, including the YMCA. Most recently, in July, Curtis—through his production company, Sweet Unknown South—launched an open mic space every Tuesday night at The Patton House in downtown Jackson, Mississippi, that featured improv, monologues, spoken word, poetry, comedy, and more. Along with having a space to perform and try new material, artists had the opportunity to receive feedback from the audience, and videos and pictures of their performance would be made available to them. Curtis was never about the fame, but the work. This was an undercover workshop in which he crafted another way to contribute to the city that he loved. This is also evident in his purchasing space in the old Jackson Metro Center Mall for his film production company to create another avenue for arts production in Mississippi. Here and here are two video reports, and here and here are two printed reports.

Selfishly, I’ll remember Curtis as the cocky young poet who believed that words could accomplish the mission that Frantz Fanon demanded of creatives, which is to produce work that can destroy the oppressor of our minds. As such, I had the pleasure of publishing my two favorite poems of his, “M.I.S.S.I.S.S.I.P.P.I” and “Ghetto Supa Star,” in Black Magnolias Literary Journal (vol. 1, no 2). They are reprinted below as a celebration and testament to a young creative who unflinchingly crafted art that called us on our bullshit while loving us enough to offer hope and direction to being better. Keep in mind that these poems were published in 2002, which makes him pretty prophetic with his proclamation in the second poem.

“M.I.S.S.I.S.S.I.P.P.I”
by Curtis Nichouls

M.I.
Trippin’ off this poetry.
double S Spells Super Stress
controlling Me.
Medication be jazzoetry.
M.I. finances constantly Ignoring Me.
Super who I…
double S on my chest,
and when I.P.P.I…
use both hands.
Standing tall over white
Pearly Porcelain, forcing it down,
when I Spit down on the M.I.
See me excite Society with
this vibrant thing.
South Side of the Chi till I dizz I,
but on the by and by…
M.I.
trippin’ off this poetry
double S Spells Super Stress
controlling me.
Medication be jazzoetry.
Put together by E.B. & Company.
Super who I…
double S on my chest
and when I.P.P.I…
use both hands…I.

“Ghetto Supa Star”
by Curtis Nichouls

Ghetto Supa Star?
Yeah, everybody knows who you are.
Ghetto Funktabolous,
only mess with the playas with the Acuras.
Moved up from Boones Farm to sippin’
on strawberry Daiquiris.
Ghetto Fab-o-lous.
Got three baby daddies
and a couple of suga daddies.
You know the ones who drive the pink Caddies.
Ghetto hustla.
Bring home the bacon and the mustard.
Run your camp like Col. Custard.
Your kids are raised by Barney and Goldberg.
P. Diddy’s their hero,
while you’re in the back with the next man,
shootin’ up a kilo.
Ghetto Supa Star?
Yeah, I guess that’s what you are,
but just maybe that star… is spelled
BACKWARDS!

Along with being an innovative creative, Curtis was a concerned citizen. His volunteer work with various agencies demonstrates his concern for community. Working with his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, and with the NAACP, he has served as a judge for the NAACP ACT-SO Competition, organized water drives and distribution during Jackson’s water crisis, and served as a community mentor for far too many organizations to list. This shows that Curtis understood that the true purpose of the scholar and creative is to lead, guide, assist, and protect those who have been less fortunate than oneself. Thus, it’s not surprising that he died as he lived, making art, in the midst of producing another film in his adopted hometown. This returns me to the beginning. Curtis lived these words: “Nothing comes from dreamers but dreams/ sitting idle in our boat while everyone else is down the stream/ Nothing comes from talkers but sound/ We can talk all we want to, but the world still goes around and round.” He was a doer, not a talker. Curtis rarely discussed what he was going to do, allowing the fruit of his production to speak for him. He was, in short, the embodiment of my favorite Prince quote: “Anyone who was around back then knew what was happening. I was working. When they were sleeping, I was jamming. When they woke up, I had another groove. I’m as insane that way now as I was back then.” This was Curtis. When everyone else was talking, he was working. Now that he’s gone, his art and his community service will be the best testament to a life well lived. RIP Renaissance Man. To learn more about Curtis, go here and here.

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Hey Y’all

Mississippi comedian JJ from the Sipp has been getting a lot of buzz lately, with folks like Deon Cole and Cedrick the Entertainer showing him love, especially for his latest comedy special, Overlooked (here). This has led to JJ doing a lot of interviews lately. He was recently on TFU, which has some cool interviews, and opened by discussing his time as a student and band member at Alcorn State University at the same time that NFL great Steve “Air 2” McNair was playing at Alcorn.

I’m not going to lie. Even as a diehard Jackson State University Tiger, it warmed my heart to hear JJ talk about the time that McNair had the national media in Mississippi. I was a senior at Jackson State during McNair’s freshman year, and after the first game against us, we knew it was going to be a long four years. I’ve never been so ready for someone to graduate from college, but that damn McNair gave us, and the entire HBCU world, fits. He ended in third place for the Heisman Trophy, but everyone knows that the only reason he didn’t win is because he attended an HBCU. Neither of the two people ahead of him had better stats, and McNair continued to have a much better pro career than either of them. So, that says what? While y’all know how I feel about sampling, Alcorn’s 1994 campaign for McNair to receive the Heisman is still my favorite. Y’all can watch it here as the song by a local rap duo begins at the 1:04 mark. In short, Air 2 McNair is one of the most amazing mofos I’ve ever seen play football. Anyway, just sharing what was a wonderful time in Mississippi as Steve “Air 2” McNair reminded the nation that Mississippi always has and continues to produce some of the biggest names in sports, music, and literature. That is all.

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Hey Y’all Again,

The Jackson State University family has been celebrating former JSU President John A. Peoples, who turned 100 this week. On the day of his 100th birthday, Dr. Peoples recorded a message for Thee Tiger Family that y’all can watch here. Additionally, Dr. Ivory Phillips has published a great article, “We too Celebrate Dr. John Peoples’ 100th Birthday (here),” honoring Jackson State University’s greatest president. Finally, the JSU Margaret Walker Alexander Center posted its 2013 interview with him that y’all can watch here. Without a doubt, Doc Peoples is the university’s most impactful president and one of the many reasons that I continue to proclaim Thee I Love because I only Love Thee!!!

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Hey Y’all One Mo’ Time,

If y’all missed my “Brief Review of Jubilee: A Folk Opera,” go here and here.

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This morning’s Friday Forum will feature Dr. LuFunya Porter, Coordinator of the Jackson State University Continuing Education Learning Center, who will discuss “JSU Continuing Education Learning Center: Changing Lives, One Student at a Time.” Then, join the Refill Group for the Saturday Breakfast Club, which is an informal dialogue on various topics. For more information about today and tomorrow’s programs, see the calendar of events below or contact Nicole McNamee at nmcnamee72@gmail.com.

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The 2026 Mississippi Book Festival aka The Greatest Literary Lawn Party will be held next month, and poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis has just been tapped to facilitate a poetry workshop, “Crafting Poetry about Songs, Songwriters, Singers, and Musicians,” at this year’s Mississippi Book Festival aka The Greatest Literary Lawn Party. For a complete list of authors and panels, go here and see the calendar of events below.

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Today and tomorrow, storyteller, visual artist, and longtime arts activist Diane Williams—author of The Life and Legacy of B.B. King: A Mississippi Blues Icon and co-author of A Guide to Mississippi Museums—will participate in two events to promote her new book, Fostering Love: Resilience, Growth, and Triumph, which is a memoir based on the author’s early life. Today will be a book talk, reading, and signing at The Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi. Tomorrow, Williams will be the featured guest speaker for the monthly Writer’s Meeting and Workshop sponsored jointly by The Mississippi Writer’s Guild and Mississippi Songwriter’s Alliance. Williams was born to an incarcerated mother in Union Township, New Jersey. She was placed in the foster care system at birth; she spent the first 10 years of her life with her maternal great-grandmother and her step-great-grandfather until she was removed from her household when her great-grandmother died. Williams’ life turned 360 degrees afterward from stability to a story like the Land of Oz – wild and untamed. In Fostering Love, she describes the snow blizzards and beastly winds she endured and how surviving the scars and setting goals gave Williams direction and new life. To purchase a copy of Fostering Love: Resilience, Growth, and Triumph, go here. For more information about next weekend’s two events, see the calendar of events below.

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Tonight, Jackson, Mississippi, native, comedian, emcee, musician (wonderful drummer), singer, and Emmy Award winner Rita Brent will host her variety show, Late Night with Rita Brent, with special guest Lil Rel Howery and others. Here is an excerpt from the opening monologue of a previous episode. It’s not just funny. It’s Dick Gregory, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Paul Mooney level of artistry. She takes Mississippi Governor Tater Tot’s flippant comments on the Nolan Wells case and deconstructs them to the marrow of their racism and ignorance. More than an entertainer, Brent strives to be an artist whose work makes us think and laugh. To be clear, she’s all about the good time and the party. But, she is also the epitome of partying with a purpose, and her purpose is to use her art to comfort, heal, educate, and inspire. For more information about the next Late Night with Rita Brent, see the calendar of events below. Along with being a nationally noted comedian who appears weekly on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, her hit single, “Raised in the ‘Sipp” made waves all around the country, and y’all can watch it here. I’m digging this, and I’m not even a hip-hop head. Her previous single, “Kamala,” was all over YouTube, CNN, and just about everywhere. Y’all can vibe to “Kamala” here and the 2024 remix here. As a multitalented artist, I’ve long proclaimed that Rita B is as equally talented as a triple threat like Jamie Foxx. (Of course, no one touches Sammy Davis, Jr., as a multitalented artist, but that’s a debate for another time.) Jacktown aka Jackfrica is extremely proud of our hometown girl who always keeps us laughing and dancing while thinking. Rita B will tickle your funny bone while stimulating your mind. For those not familiar with the artistry of Rita B, I’ll leave y’all with two of my favorite works by her. The first is her song, “Can You Rock Me Like a Pothole?” The second is her routine about substitute teachers. Checkout both and go to her Website, YouTube, and Facebook page and follow her to remain current with what she’ll be doing. For more information about tonight’s Late Night with Rita Brent, see the calendar of events below.

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Today through Sunday, the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation will host a three-day Emmett Till 71st Anniversary Commemoration Weekend in Jackson, Mississippi, to honor Emmett Till’s life and legacy with a life changing weekend of reflection, education, empowerment, and engagement.

Day One will include a press conference at the Mississippi State Capitol followed by A Time For Unity in Black and White (wear black and white attire), which will be a moment of silence at Myrlie’s Garden, a community green space and memorial, near the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument. Next, folks are invited to visit the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum for free admission. That will be followed by a free TILL movie screening and talkback, concluding with a candlelight vigil and unity prayer all at the Jackson State University Rose E. McCoy Auditorium.

Day Two will begin with the departure of the Till Trail of Tears and Terror Bus Tour, which will travel to locations and sites through the Delta, along Emmett’s final journey and more. There will be opportunities to connect with others who are passionate about legacy, civil rights, history, voting, and the well-being of our future generations.

Day Three will conclude the weekend with Worship Together in White at Farish Street Baptist Church, providing an opportunity for participants to break bread together with a meal, a call to action, and a sendoff for safe travels back to our various destinations. For more information and the full itinerary, see the calendar of events below.

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Tomorrow, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center will gather in the Mississippi Delta at the Mound Bayou Museum of African American Culture & History for the 71st Anniversary Memorial Service and Wreath Laying Ceremony to remember Emmett Till and pay tribute to his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, for her courage and unwavering fight for justice in his name. This will be a one-day commemoration that will feature a host of Civil Rights luminaries, scholars, and artists to remember, study, and commemorate the beautiful soul and tragic murder of Emmett Till and the power and grace of Mamie Till-Mobley. For a list of the participants, go here. To learn more about the commemoration, including the day’s full agenda, see the calendar of events below. And, to get y’all ready for the festivities, here is the link to poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis reading his poem, “Remembering Emmett Till (in Five Haiku Movements),” which was written for the 70th Commemoration of the Lynching of Emmett Till and published in Monument Lab’s special issue of Bulletin on the “Life and Legacy of Mamie and Emmett Till,” that can be purchased here, and, next, here is the link to C Liegh reading the 12-inch version of the poem at the 70th Commemoration of the Lynching of Emmett Till, which was held on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University. Finally, to watch the award-winning film, Till, go here.

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Wednesday, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History will present its weekly History Is Lunch, featuring Jackson, MS, native, noted poet, editor, and Jackson State University Visiting Associated Professor of English, Dr. Kelly Ellis, to discuss her poetry collection, Solum. Centered on the life of her great-grandfather, George Asbury Kelley, a shoemaker at the Jackson Shoe Hospital, Solum explores family history through poetry. Ellis will discuss how she constructs narratives using government documents, archival information, family photos, oral histories, and family lore. This free event will take place in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Two Mississippi Museums and will stream live on the MDAH Facebook page and YouTube channel. For more information on History Is Lunch: Kelly Ellis, “Informed Imagination: Hard Research and Poetic Narratives,” see the calendar of events below.

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Each week during the month of September, Tougaloo College’s School of Humanities in partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council, Millsaps College, and St. Andrews Episcopal School will host a Community Reading Series, exploring Dr. B. Brian Foster’s compelling work, I Don’t Like the Blues: Race, Place, & the Backbeat of Black Life. Whether you’re a student, faculty member, staff, or community member, this is a timely opportunity to engage with Foster’s powerful exploration of music, culture, and Black life in America. Dr. Foster will attend the first session, and the month-long discussion will culminate in October with free admission to Blue Monday, a weekly blues jam session featuring some of Mississippi’s most noted musicians and singers, at Hal and Mal’s (an evening of celebration with our reading cohort!). If you’d like to participate, contact Dr. Miranda Freeman—Dean of the School of Humanities—at mfreeman@tougaloo.edu. We hope you’ll join us for this enriching series and help support a vital conversation about race, place, and culture in our community. For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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Award-winning poet, essayist, and health-care advocate Jacquese Armstrong, author of Blues Legacy, birthing yourself naturally, and fabricating a home ‘cause you never had one, a memoir constructed in essay and poetry, has posted two poems: “What Are We Doing?,” inspired by Dr. Jason Arday, and “Underground Railroad (of the Mind),” inspired by Harriet Tubman. Both can be read here. For more information about Armstrong, go here, and to purchase a copy of fabricating a home ‘cause you never had one, go here.

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Seeing Myself on the Shelf—a collection of African-American books, ephemera, and historical documents that shares stories, questions, and discoveries from its archives—has posted a great new commentary, “The Enduring Legacy of Professor Darlene Clark Hine (here).”

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Rooted Magazine has a great new interview with Natchez, Mississippi, native, community curator, and founder of Jackson Book Club kimar cain as part of its “Mississippi Natives” series that y’all can read here. Also, Tuesday, Rooted editor Lauren Rhoades will talk with Moss Point, Mississippi, native and Princeton University Professor, Dr. Eddie S. Glaude, about his book, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries, during an online discussion for Rooted’s monthly Bottom Reader Book Club discussion. For more information about and to order U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries, go here. To learn more about the upcoming discussion, go here. Be sure to subscribe to Rooted to receive the notification when they go live. And, for more information about Doc Glaude’s upcoming discussion in Rooted’s August Book Club, see the calendar of events below. Finally, Rooted editor Lauren Rhoades is currently on a book tour, promoting Split the Baby: A Memoir in Pieces, and y’all can read more about that here. Rooted is a free, online magazine dedicated to telling stories of place to people who call Mississippi home. It publishes weekly questionnaires with interesting Mississippi transplants, natives, and expats. Their lagniappe issues feature original prose, poetry, art, and photography from Mississippi writers and artists. Y’all can subscribe to the online magazine at rooted.substack.com.

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Here is the link to visual artist Aleesha Ewan’s Mamba, a collage that works on two levels—illustrating Kobe Bryant’s personal history and place within the canon of the game and the overall history of the game. The work evokes T. S. Eliot’s “Tradition and the Individual Talent,” in which Eliot implores artists to learn and master the canon so that they can carve their own place within it. Ewan captures his notion beautifully with Mamba, showing that Bryant was both a student and innovator of the game. Ewan is a figurative artist who describes her painting and collaging style as ambiguous storytelling, cultivating her subjects by mirroring a multilayered narrative with the use of mixed media. Through her desire to “create with intentions,” she crafts works with multiple meanings. To view more of Ewan’s visual art and blogging, go here.

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In two weeks, poet and fiction writer Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears (rashell.spears@jsums.edu) and poet and literary theorist Dr. Shanna Smith (shanna.l.smith@jsums.edu) will facilitate the bi-monthly creative writing workshop that meets via Zoom. They have been meeting for over ten years, and many of the works developed in the workshop have been published. For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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In two weeks, storyteller, visual artist, and longtime arts activist Diane Williams—author of The Life and Legacy of B.B. King: A Mississippi Blues Icon and co-author of A Guide to Mississippi Museums—will be one of the panelists for the 41st Printers Row Literary Festival in Chicago discussing her new book, Fostering Love: Resilience, Growth, and Triumph, which is a memoir based on the author’s early life. Williams was born to an incarcerated mother in Union Township, New Jersey. She was placed in the foster care system at birth; she spent the first 10 years of her life with her maternal great-grandmother and her step-great-grandfather until she was removed from her household when her great-grandmother died. Williams’ life turned 360 degrees afterward from stability to a story like the Land of Oz – wild and untamed. In Fostering Love, she describes the snow blizzards and beasty winds she endured and how surviving the scars and setting goals gave Williams direction and new life. To purchase a copy of Fostering Love: Resilience, Growth, and Triumph, go here. For more information about the panel, other panelists, and the festival, see the calendar of events below.

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In two weeks, midnight & indigo—a literary media company and a creative home for Black women writers worldwide—will host its online Black Women Writer’s Write-in for Black women writers of all genres and experience levels. Participants will be given writing prompts, write independently for a while, and be invited to share. You’ll have the opportunity to get to know each other and build community in our smaller “Writer’s Room” breakout groups. Then, we’ll rejoin for a word of inspiration. Sessions are meant to be informal. So, come in your PJs if you want or your sweats. No critiques will be provided. The write-in is hosted by Ianna Small, founder of midnight & indigo. For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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In two weeks, Mississippi for a Just World (MSJW) and Briarwood Arts Center will host People Over Politics: Stop Data Centers. For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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midnight & indigo—a literary media company and a creative home for Black women writers worldwide—has just sent their latest newsletter, featuring poet and essayist Jessica Edmond’s, “You Forgot to Delete This (here),” who discusses that she was “scrolling through her phone and found proof that someone had been moving through her phone while she was sick.” To receive the midnight & indigo newsletter, go here. They have published more than 400 writers, taught more than 1,000 students, and built one of the few platforms in the literary world dedicated entirely to the stories, craft, and careers of Black women across the diaspora. midnight & indigo does three things: publish original fiction and essays in their print and digital journal, run an online Writing Program offering classes and coaching, and offer professional developmental editing for writers ready to deepen their work. All of it is rooted in the same commitment: to take Black women’s writing seriously and without apology. midnight & indigo is 100% Black women-owned, and to learn more about them, go here.

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Mississippi native, fiction writer, playwright, and health activist Katrina Byrd was a guest on Healing Hub Podcast Chat w/Katrina to discuss “Journey from Grief to Purpose (here),” and Byrd read her narrative, “A Staycation that Gave Clarity (here),” during the Six Feet Apart Story Slam.

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Here is an insightful article, “A Prince Prom Would Be Dearly Beloved,” by John McKie, in which McKie makes the case for why The Estate and the BBC should consider using Prince’s music as part of next year’s BBC Proms, which is short for promenade concert, featuring world leading orchestras, musicians, and conductors. Additionally, McKie is the author of Prince: A Sign O’ the Times, which examines the remarkable life and career of one of the most mysterious figures in music through the prism of the record considered by many as his masterpiece, 1987’s Sign “O” the Times. McKie’s book can be purchased here.

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This fall, Torch Literary Arts—a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established to publish and promote creative writing by Black women—will celebrate its 20th Anniversary with A Gathering of Flames, a three-day event that will include Torch Awards Gala, The Gathering (readings, panels, and workshops), and Community Brunch and feature award-winning and noted writers, such as Sharon Bridgforth, Patricia Smith, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, and Crystal Wilkinson. For more information on A Gathering of Flames, see the calendar of events below.

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Mississippi Humanities Council (MHC)—a private nonprofit corporation funded by Congress through the National Endowment for the Humanities to provide public programs in traditional liberal arts disciplines to serve nonprofit groups in Mississippi—has emailed its latest newsletter, which includes is most recent accomplishments and upcoming events. To receive a copy of the newsletter, contact kmolpus@mississippihumanitiescouncil.ccsend.com.

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Poet, emcee, educator, activist, financial aid guru, and Mississippi native Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond has posted a new video, “Are You Leaving Food on the Table,” as part of her Hoodoo: Collect Your Things series, which can be read here. Additionally, Redmond is the author of chop: a collection of kwansabas for fannie lou hamer, which can be purchased here.

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In two months, The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX) will host BET Raised Us: From Mississippi to the World, which will be a red carpet, high-energy, after-hours dance party celebrating Mississippi’s enduring influence on Black entertainment and culture, including Mississippi native and Black Entertainment Television founder Robert L. Johnson. Inspired by the energy and glamour of The BET Awards, BET Raised Us: From Mississippi to the World will be hosted by award-winning comedians Rita Brent (Comedy Central, Late Night with Rita Brent) and Merc B. Williams (Kevin Hart’s Hart of the City, Born Funny Comedy Tour), who will interview eventgoers as they make red-carpet arrivals before introducing live performances by Ariel J. and DJ Sirato in the Citizens National Bank Courtyard. Plus, meet award-winning graphic novelist John Jennings and tour his exhibition, John Jennings: Build Your World, now on view at The MAX. The event will begin with an add-on VIP dinner experience featuring a menu prepared by Chef Enrika Williams of Fauna Foodworks. Then, the red carpet will open to all ticket holders, with Ariel J. taking the stage at 8:00 p.m. and DJ Sirato at 9:00 p.m. BET Raised Us honors Robert L. Johnson, who made history in 1980 with the launch of the first cable television network aimed at Black Americans. BET transformed Black entertainment and storytelling, helped launch the careers of numerous hip-hop and R&B artists through the groundbreaking programs Video Soul and 106 & Park, and became part of the first Black-controlled company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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Next spring, Jackson Live will present The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight, performing the music of Metallica, Guns ‘N Roses, System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine, My Chemical Romance, Evanescence, Linkin Park, AC/DC, and The Cranberries. For more information and to purchase tickets, see the calendar of events below.

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The Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center has posted its latest newsletter, which includes Emmett Till Annual Memorial Service, National Folk Fest Call for Volunteers, Professional Opportunities, and the latest episode of the HBCU Radio Preservation Project that can be read here and here. Additionally, the JSU MWA Center unveiled Margaret Walker & the Power of Words—the first permanent exhibit on campus that examines the life and career of Margaret Walker Alexander. As the first African American to win the Yale Younger Poets Award for her book, For My People, Nikki Giovanni called Dr. Alexander “the most famous person nobody knows” because she, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Richard Wright are the Holy Trinity that formed the literary bridge between the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement. Additionally, her novel, Jubilee, is the first neo-slave novel, creating the blueprint for Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Alex Haley’s Roots. Margaret Walker & the Power of Words documents the extraordinary life and work of a woman whose legacy continues to impact the current generation of writers. The grand opening included a wonderful discussion and reception with the foremost Margaret Walker Alexander scholar, Dr. Maryemma Graham, author of The House Where My Soul Lives: The Life of Margaret Walker, in the JSU Student Center Theater. (Here and here are pics from the lecture.) Dr. Graham’s lecture was followed by exhibit tours in Gallery 1. The exhibit is open to the public and available for tours of all sizes. To schedule a tour, contact Dr. Robert Luckett, Director of the JSU MWA Center, at robert.luckett@jsums.edu. Finally, the JSU MWA Center has started the Jubilee Book Club, which will feature close readings of Margaret Walker Alexander’s essential novel, Jubilee, along with resources, notes from Dr. Alexander’s journals, guest contributions, and more. Rather than read one book over the course of a few weeks, or several over a few months, the JSU MWA Center will spend its time taking a deep dive into Jubilee. Think of it as a low-stakes, slow-paced literature class—Jubilee 101! Each month, The Center will send a newsletter that contains a close reading of a topic or theme in the novel. Y’all will also see further reading suggestions, links to interviews, readings, trivia and polls, materials from our digital archive, and more! Plus, The Center will add page numbers for excerpts from the novels that will be helpful to (re)read, depending on the month’s topic. Here is the link to this month’s edition of the Jubilee Book Club. Finally, here is the link to poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis reading poetry, talking writing, engaging in Q&A, and providing a poetry prompt to those in attendance at the May Jubilee Book Club, and here is a link to the printed version of The Center’s Q&A with C Liegh, including some of the questions that weren’t answered during the live. When y’all get to the page, scroll down to “Bonus Q&A.” For more information about the JSU MWA Center, contact mwa@jsums.edu.

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Dr. Howard Rambsy, inspired by my C Liegh McInnis’ poem “Saturday Serenades aka Watching Bob Ross Paint,” wrote an article on the history of black poets writing about visual arts, tracing 253 years (1773 – 2026), from Phillis Wheatley on Scipio Moorhead to McInnis on Ross, which can be read here. It also comes with a companion checklist of black poets and black visual artists (here). As a reminder, McInnis’ Ross and two other poems along with Doc Rambsy’s tribute to Dr. Jerry W. Ward, Jr., are published in the current issue of African American Review. Here is a copy of the table of contents, and to purchase a copy of the issue, go here and here. Finally, if your academic institution has a Project Muse account, you can view the issue digitally here

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To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Ishmael Reed’s Flight to Canada, Literary Hub has published Reed’s article, “Reinventing the Slave Narrative: Ishmael Reed on Flight to Canada at 50 (here),” which is a wonderful discussion of the work’s place in the American literary canon. The only thing that I’d add is that Margaret Walker Alexander’s Jubilee might be the first neo-slave narrative, setting the stage for Flight to Canada, Octavia Butler’s Kindred, Sherley Anne Williams’ Dessa Rose, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Edward P. Jones’ The Known World, Charles Johnson’s Middle Passage, Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, and others. Yet, they all are seminal to me. And, while it might be more of a forerunner to the genre, thanks to Doc Howard Rambsy for reminding me of Arna Bontemps’ Black Thunder. Now, checkout Reed’s article to understand why Flight to Canada and the entire genre is essential.

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Ishmael Reed is resurrecting the Living Newspaper, a method of addressing the issues of the day used in the 1930s by playwrights. This approach to theater was designed to bring urgent social topics to the stage, giving voice to perspectives that were often overlooked by mainstream media. By organizing performances of two plays, King Ludd and The Amanuensis, one of which is “about mass murder Elon Musk,” Reed hopes to continue this tradition and create a space for dialogue and reflection on current issues. If you appreciate or want to support his efforts, you can contribute to Reed’s Go Fund Me. The funds raised will be used to pay the talented actors and crew who bring these stories to life, rent a venue that welcomes our community, and cover advertising costs to reach a wider audience. Supporting this project means supporting the arts and ensuring that important conversations can happen through theater. Since ancient times, those without access to the mainstream media of the day have chosen theater as a way to provide an outlet for different points-of-view. Your support will help revive this powerful tradition and make these performances possible. Please consider contributing and sharing this fundraiser to help Reed bring the Living Newspaper back to the stage.

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If y’all haven’t seen Josh Johnson’s HBO comedy special, Symphony, it’s worth the watch. Here is the trailer. Johnson—noted stand-up comedian who is also known as a writer, correspondent, and rotating host on The Daily Show—became wildly popular for posting hour-long segments of his politically focused sets on the various topics of the day. However, for Symphony, Johnson uses his set as a metaphor for one’s ability to recognize, understand, and connect the hidden similarities of the various moments of one’s life into ultimate understanding to see life’s innate or organic meaning. It’s an equal amount of heart, human insight, and humor.

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Perfect Sound Forever has just published a special issue, “Sly Stone Tribute: Dancefloor, Style Superfreaks, Simplicity, Revolution, and Ongoing Riots,” edited by Dr. Tamara D. Hill and including an article by iconic Funk scholar Ricky Vincent, which can all be read here.

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Asymptote Journal has a call for poetry, fiction, and literary nonfiction for its special issue, “The Weather Has Changed,” seeking submissions that reckon with the climate crisis at every scale: the planetary and the intimate, the spectacular disaster, and the almost imperceptible alteration. Across the world, the vocabulary of exceptional weather is becoming strangely ordinary: record-breaking, unprecedented, once-in-a-century. Wildfires rage through another summer; cities swelter under extreme heat; elsewhere, floods swallow streets and homes. Climate change, once spoken of principally in the future tense, is increasingly the weather of the present. Who is protected, who is exposed, and what happens to our ideas of home and season as the world around us changes? We are also interested in what climate change does to language, memory, and our sense of time. How do we narrate a crisis whose causes may lie centuries behind us and whose consequences stretch centuries ahead? We especially welcome unexpected approaches, including works in which climate change enters through a side door: through a vanished word, a strange summer. To read the full call and how to submit, see the calendar of events below.

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The Bob Moses Conference will be held in October in Montgomery, AL, to celebrate and study the work of legendary Civil Rights activist Bob Moses who was one of the primary strategists for The Movement, especially for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Freedom Summer, Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), and the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). The Board has taken the conference to Montgomery, the capital of the Confederacy and an Epicenter of major campaigns in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s, including Birmingham, Montgomery, Lowndes County, and Selma, with the theme, “Remaking America: The Work before Us.” In addition to the lecture series and interactive workshops, attendees will tour the Legacy Museum Sites, Montgomery Square, and the Sculpture Arts Park, where art and history, tragedy and triumph are braided into a visceral narrative of the African/African-American/Indigenous experience in America. All activities will be in person. For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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The National Council for Black Studies (NCBS) has its Call for Papers for the 2027 National Council for Black Students Conference with the theme: “A Resilient Life-Affirming Pedagogy: Black Studies as Truth-Telling and Transformative Practice.” NCBS invites scholars, educators, students, artists, activists, and community practitioners to submit proposals for the 51st Annual NCBS Conference. As the NCBS enters its second half-century, they reaffirm and recommit themselves to the foundational principles that gave rise to the discipline of Black Studies: the pursuit of truth, the advancement of liberation, and the unwavering belief that knowledge must serve the people. For more than fifty years, NCBS has championed Black Studies not only as an academic discipline, but also as a transformative intellectual, political, and community-based project dedicated to the study, preservation, and advancement of African-descended peoples worldwide. The theme of the 51st Annual Conference, “Resilient Pedagogy: Black Studies as Truth-Telling,” emerges at a critical moment in the history of education and public discourse. Across the United States, legislative actions, book bans, curricular restrictions, and political pressures have sought to sanitize, suppress, or altogether erase critical histories of race, resistance, and liberation. These efforts challenge not only what can be taught, but also who has the authority to define historical truth and shape public memory. As a result, this moment requires students of Black Studies as well as academicians, practitioners, and activists to engage in deep liberating thinking suitable to producing transformative change and results that sustained Black life. For more information, including the full call and the deadline to submit, see the calendar of events below.

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Tougaloo College grad Dr. Howard Rambsy—the always productive literary theorist, professor, and author of Bad Men: Creative Touchstones of Black Writers—has been interviewed by NPR (here) about his a latest book, Writing Black Panther: Ta-Nehisi Coates and Representation Struggles, “which traces Ta-Nehisi Coates’s presence in comic books from 2015 – 2023, focusing on his contributions as the writer for Black Panther. Coates’ ambitious 50-issue run of the Marvel comic coincided with ongoing and multifaceted debates concerning diversity and inclusion – what we might call representation struggles – at a key moment in the history of comics with respect to Black writers. Rambsy II locates Coates’s contributions at the intersection of African American literary studies and comic book studies, showing a dynamic convergence that redefines both fields and broadens the scope of Black creativity.” For more information and to purchase a copy of Writing Black Panther: Ta-Nehisi Coates and Representation Struggles, go here. Additionally, Doc HR has two more books on the horizon. One Black Writer at a Time (co-written with his younger brother Dr. Kenton Rambsy) “focuses on the recurring pattern in media, scholarly discourse, and publishing to elevate one Black writer at a time, often at the expense of hundreds of others whose works go underrecognized,” and The Convergence: When Collegiate Black Men Meet African American Literary Studies “tells the inside story of a first-semester literature course for Black men at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, taught every fall since 2004. Drawing on twenty-plus years of classroom practice, student voices, and campus data linking the course to higher persistence and graduation rates, the book shows how early, culturally grounded engagement with poetry, speeches, rap, fiction, and visual culture fosters deep reading and intellectual confidence.” Make sure y’all add these to y’all’s personal and gift-giving lists.

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Mississippi native, award-winning visual artist, novelist, illustrator, graphic design artist, and editor John Jennings has a new exhibit, John Jennings: Build Your World, that’s currently at The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX) and will run for a year. The exhibit explores the extraordinary storytelling and world-building of Jennings—NYTimes bestselling graphic novelist, Harvard Fellow, and Hugo- and Eisner Award-winning artist. In Build Your World, Jennings’s groundbreaking work in Afrofuturism, folklore, and comics is brought to life through multiple creative projects, including Silver Surfer: Ghost Light (Marvel), Kenny Dreadful and the Hainted Hoodie, Blue Hand Mojo: Hard Times Road (Rosarium Publishing), and Kindred: A Graphic Novel Adaptation (Abrams ComicArts). For more information, see the calendar of events below.

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Here is an insightful review of California Fever Dream: A Memoir, which chronicles the life of award-winning poet, short story writer, novelist, essayist, playwright, and seminal member of the Black Arts Movement, Judy Juanita. California Fever Dream examines the life of an extraordinary artist who joined fellow student protesters at San Francisco State University to revolutionize American higher education and create the nation’s first Black Studies Department, who then continued to become the editor-in-chief of The Black Panther, the newspaper of the Black Panther Party. Throughout her life, Juanita became one of the most important voices and workers of her time, and California Fever Dreams serves as both a testament and blueprint to a revolutionarily artistic life. For more information and to purchase a copy, go here.

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Starfleet Log Entries: Influence and Interpretations of Star Trek, which is co-edited by Jackson State University Professor and literary scholar Dr. Craig A. Meyer and features chapters from leading scholars, including JSU Professor, novelist, and poet Dr. Candice Love Jackson, is available for order (here). Starfleet Log Entries: Influence and Interpretations of Star Trek presents a sweeping, multidisciplinary examination of one of the most culturally significant franchises of the modern era. Since its 1966 debut, Star Trek has inspired generations with its aspirational vision of a future defined by cooperation, curiosity, and radical inclusivity. This edited collection brings together international scholars from across the humanities and social sciences to explore how the franchise has shaped—and been shaped by—shifting cultural, political, technological, and ethical terrains over the past six decades. For more information and to purchase a copy, go here.

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Cultural critic Jason Thompson has posted his outstanding five-part series analysis, “The Veil Between: On the Musicology of Sinners,” which can be read here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5.

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Here is the link to poet, editor, literary scholar, and arts activist E. Ethelbert Miller’s E Channel, which includes interviews and discussions with creatives and scholars from On the Margins and The Scholars.

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Sabir Abdul-haqq—teach advocate and founder of Extraordinary Business Solutions aka XtraordinaryBiz—has been investigating and working to reduce the burden that Mississippians are paying to fund three massive Amazon Web Services data centers that aren’t even open yet. In short, Mississippians are already paying an additional $10.60 a month. Thanks to a Mississippi law passed in 2024, big tech gets the red carpet while everyday ratepayers get stuck with a 7% bill hike to fund their upfront grid expansions. To hear Brother Abdul-haqq discuss this more, go here. And, to read a thorough report on this, go here. Finally, if you are interested in learning more and joining the fight to keep citizens from funding Amazon’s destruction of the environment, contact Brother Abdul-haqq at sabirabdulhaqq@gmail.com.

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Alternate ROOTS—an organization based in the Southern USA whose mission is to support the creation and presentation of original art, in all its forms, which is rooted in a particular community of place, tradition or spirit—has published its latest newsletter, which can be read here.

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Muntu Dance Theatre hosts dance workshops on various Saturdays throughout the month. For the next workshop, see the calendar of events below.

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Left of Black is the Webby Awards-nominated web series featuring interviews with Black Studies scholars created and hosted by James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of African and African American Studies Dr. Mark Anthony Neal. From 2010 – 2020, it was produced by the John Hope Franklin Center for International and Global Studies. In 2020, the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute took over production, with funding support from Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. Ceckout all of the previous episodes of Left of Black here. And, be sure to purchase a copy of Derbew’s Untangling Blackness in Greek Antiquity here.

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The Emmett Till Interpretive Center has sent its latest newsletter. To read more about the ETIC, go here, and to receive the ETIC newsletter, go here.

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Monument Labs—a collaborative platform for critically understanding and reimagining monuments—works to highlight artists who are deeply committed to changing the way we study, build, and interpret monuments. To view their latest newsletter, go here, and for more information about Monument Labs, go here and here. Next, Monument Lab – Re:Generation, edited by Paul M. Farber and Sue Mobley, addresses the question, “Which stories belong in public?,” through impactful, local reclamation projects that provide a deeper understanding of how monuments live and function in communities. The book presents case studies that travel across the country, highlighting local commemorative campaigns dedicated to advancing public memory. Featuring essays and artwork from the country’s leading monument makers plus a foreword from New York Times bestselling author Clint Smith. For more information and to purchase a copy, go here. Additionally, Monument Lab’s special issue of Bulletin celebrates the life and legacy of Mamie and Emmett Till. To purchase a copy of that issue, which features some of the major names in African-American literature, go here. Finally, Monument Lab has announced its 2026 Monument Lab Summit, which is a biennial gathering of kindred spirits in the monument world. The Summit invites artists, organizers, scholars, and civic and cultural workers from across the country for three days of learning, dialogue, and play guided by the theme “School of Monumaking.” The Summit will offer inspiration, ideas, tools, and practice to deepen the monument-making approaches of attendees toward the cultivation and expansion of kinship and belonging in their communities. For more information and a detailed list of presenters, see the calendar of events below.

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Dr. Sarah L. Webb launched the global initiative Colorism Healing in 2013 to raise awareness and foster individual and collective healing through creative and critical work. Her myriad efforts to address colorism include designing college courses, hosting an international writing contest, publishing books, teaching workshops, and mentoring students across the world from Sacramento, California, to Sydney, Australia. Here is the link to Dr. Webb’s latest newsletter. Additionally, here is a link to Dr. Sarah L. Webb’s YouTube page, Colorism Healing, and here are the links to her website and Instagram page.

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On his platform, A Native Son, Moss Point, Mississippi, native and Princeton Professor Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr., has posted W.E.B. Du Bois’ “The Souls of White Folks (here),” which speaks to the myth of whiteness and the continued desire of those to hold faithfully to this myth at all costs. Finally, Glaude’s latest book, America, U.S.A.: How Race Shadows the Nation’s Anniversaries, can be purchased here, and y’all can go here for the latest dates of his book tour.

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The Jackson Advocate, one of the oldest African-American newspapers, has more insightful articles, including this week’s news blast that can be read (here).” And for more articles from JA, go here. To watch archived episodes of JA’s podcast, go here and here, and to subscribe to JA, contact janews@thejacksonadvocate.com.

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First of the Month.org, edited by the always-on-point Benj DeMott, has published an updated version of poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis’ article, “RIP The Snake (here).” Along with this issue, First of the Month publishes some of the most insightful essays, poetry, and fiction, which can be read here.

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So, I don’t have a favorite Prince song as I prefer to listen to Prince albums rather than just one song. However, I’m not opposed to lists, especially when the goal is to explore Prince’s artistry rather than just rank his output. That being said, Roots drummer and award-winning filmmaker Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson has compiled “The Prince 100,” which y’all can read here.

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Noted Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angela Duff has posted her monthly newsletter, Polished Solid, with the full review of this year’s annual Polished Solid/NYU Prince Symposium, #IWonderU40, with links to all of the presentations, and a preview of the upcoming November and April Symposiums, which y’all can read it here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis had the honor and pleasure of reading his poem, “SNCC’s Southern Echo (for Mike Sayer),” during the Homegoing Celebration of legendary national and Mississippi Civil Rights Attorney Michael “Mike” Sayer in the Tougaloo College Congressman Bennie G. Thompson Building, which y’all can watch here. Along with C Liegh’s reverence for Mike’s Movement work, Mike and he connected over sports and their love of creative writing. Along with being a brilliant legal researcher and writer, authoring countless briefs and co-authoring manuals for Southern Echo, one of which has become known as the bible of redistricting, Mike loved writing poems and very short stories. They not only talked about creative writing a great deal, C Liegh had the honor and pleasure to publish a couple of Mike’s works in Black Magnolias. He discussed his relationship with Mike before reading his poem. Here is the link to the video of the full memorial service, and here are pics from it. (Major thanks to longtime activists Mac Epps, Sabir Abdul-Haqq, and Al White for coordinating the service and livestreaming it on such short notice. It’s a fitting testimonial to Mike’s work and includes Leroy Johnson (co-founder of Southern Echo and last survivor of the three—Hollis Watkins, Mike Sayer, and he) as the emcee, NAACP President Derrick Johnson who started his organizing work as a staff member of Southern Echo, and some of the folks from around Mississippi who were trained by Hollis, Mike, and Leroy to do Movement work. Finally, First of the Month.org, edited by the always-on-point Benj DeMott, published a feature on Mike’s work that includes links to part one of an extensive interview with Mike and a printed copy of C Liegh’s updated poem, which can be accessed here. For more information about the strategic brilliance and contribution of Attorney Sayer to the national and Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, watch these two thorough interviews with him: here and here.

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Along with publishing a feature on Attorney Mike Sayer, First of the Month.org published an updated version of C Liegh McInnis’ commentary, “Seeing Prince Open for Rick James,” which can be read here. Additionally, First of the Month publishes some of the most insightful essays, poetry, and fiction, which can be read here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis and poet and literary theorist Dr. Shanna Smith had the honor of writing poems as part of the Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center’s 56th Gibbs-Green Commemoration to memorialize the 1970 attack on JSU by the Jackson Police Department, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, and the Mississippi National Guard, which took the lives of Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, a twenty-one-year-old JSU student, and James Earl Green, a seventeen-year-old Jim Hill High School Student along with wounding eighteen others as law enforcement fired over four hundred rounds into Alexander Hall, a female Dorm. The commemoration included the unveiling of the Ben Brown Freedom Trail Marker and a special memorial tribute to James “Lap” Baker. Dr. Smith and C Liegh wrote poems in tribute to Lap Baker, and y’all can read C Liegh’s poem here. (And, shout out to poet, fiction writer, and literary theorist Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears for giving such a wonderful reading of Doc Smith’s poem in her absence.) Ben Brown, a student volunteer at the COFO Office, was murdered in 1967 by Jackson Police Officer Lloyd “Goon” Jones because of his work in the Mississippi Movement in front of JSU. Brown is another of the countless lives that were taken in the struggle to end Jim Crow. Baker was a member of the JSU Class of 1970 and a dauntless advocate for commemorating the Gibbs-Green Tragedy, often speaking to JSU classes about the attack throughout the year. Here and here are pics from the commemoration.

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The Mississippi Conference NAACP held its annual Celebration Committee Program to honor the lives and legacies of Medgar Evers, Aaron Henry, and Anger Winston Hudson, and Monica McInnis received the Medgar Evers Award in recognition of her leadership and contributions to advancing justice and equity in our communities. Y’all can watch the video of Monica receiving her award here, and here are pics from the event. The Medgar Evers Award is a premier honor, highlighting service in the spirit of the slain civil rights leader. Through her work of increasing state-wide Census data of Afro-Mississippians, through creating maps that led to the creation of three new voting districts that enabled Afro-Mississippians to elect the candidate of their choice, through conducting redistricting training sessions across Mississippi, through her voter registration, voter education, and voter protection work, and through her work as a liaison to the Red Cross to ensure that black communities are not forgotten or neglected during natural disasters, Monica McInnis exemplifies the spirit, work, and legacy of Medgar Evers as a worker and fighter to make democracy accessible and real to all people, which is a struggle that continues today.

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It’s been a productive two months for C Liegh, and here is a recap.

I had the honor and pleasure to discuss Ryan Coogler’s Sinners via Zoom with Dr. Felicia Cosey’s Western Washington University ENG 367: Equity & Representation in Film & Media (Topic—Contemporary Representations of Black America), which y’all can watch here. During my talk, I provided a brief historical overview to situate the film, a very brief discussion of the two types of Blues films that are typically made by Hollywood, four themes of Sinners, and answered the wonderful questions provided by the students who had seen the film and read my analysis, “Facing the Hellhounds on Our Trail: The Metatextual Duality of the Blues in Ryan Coogler’s Sinners,” which can be read here. Additionally, because time didn’t allow me to answer all of the students’ questions during the class, here is the link to the printed discussion with all of my answers to the students’ questions. Thanks so much to Doc Cosey and her class for an awesome discussion.

Next, here is the link to me reading poetry, discussing writing, engaging in Q&A, and providing a poetry prompt to those in attendance at the Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center’s May Jubilee Book Club. Additionally, here is a link to the printed version of The Center’s Q&A with me, including some of the questions that weren’t answered during the live. When y’all get to the page, scroll down to “Bonus Q&A.” Big thanks to Ms. Patricia Syner, Communication Director for The JSU MWA Center, for organizing and facilitating this event.

Third, here is the link to my presentation, “Under the Cherry Moon as the Manifesto of the Hope(ful) Romantic,” at this year’s Polished Solid Prince Symposium #IWonderU40, curated by Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angela L. Duff. (Y’all can also read my full paper here.) Additionally, here is the link to the Q&A Presenters Panel discussion in which I participated after presenting my paper. Also, here is the link to me participating on the Under the Cherry Moon Film Talkback Panel. Additionally, immediately following the “Four You Crew + One Music Snob Roundtable,” which was excellent as always, there was a Tribute to Prof Duff for her ten years of curating the Prince Symposiums and so many other events to illuminate the artistry and legacy of Prince, which includes a poetic tribute by me and a wonderful video that contains love offerings from a few Prince scholars from across the planet that y’all can watch here. We’ve also added more pics from the symposium that y’all can view here. To view all of the #IWonderU40 presentations that have been uploaded to this point, go here.

Finally, here is the link to me being in conversation with award-winning author, filmmaker, and Indiana University Professor of African-American and African Diaspora Studies, Dr. Randal Maurice Jelks, about his latest book, My America: Langston Hughes on Democracy, at Central United Methodist Church. Additionally, here are some pictures of the talk and the signing. This was a great conversation, and props to the work of Sister Helena Brantley and Red Pencil Publicity, Sister Maati Joan Prim, owner of Marshall’s Bookstore, and Reverend Domini S. Henry for working to provide the local community the opportunity to engage this discourse. For more information about Dr. Jelks, go here, and to purchase a copy of My America: Langston Hughes on Democracy, go here.

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To continue our commemoration of the ten years since Prince’s passing, here are two nice videos.

First, here is a very brief clip of D’Angelo playing and singing Prince’s “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker.” I’m only sad that it’s so short. On an additional note, Roy Ayers is considered the Godfather of Neo-Soul. Yet, I’ve always seen “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker (here)” is its blueprint. When I think of all the artists who became associated with Neo-Soul, especially the Soulquarians, that sound seems to trace directly to this song. To be clear, I’m not saying that “The Ballad of Dorothy Parker” is the be all and end all of the origins of Neo-soul, but a major mark in its evolution. Even if the name, or the coining of it, was just another marketing ploy, the sound was organic.

Next, during Guitar World Magazine’s celebration of the Telecaster Guitar, the great Mississippi native and bluesmane Kingfish Ingram covered Prince’s “Cream” to show how Prince inspired him to use the Telecaster. “Cream” is one of my apex blues moments with Prince, along with Prince’s cover of BB King’s “I Got Some Help I Don’t Need (here),” during the Purple Rain Tour, Prince’s performance of “Blues in C (here),” during the Lovesexy Tour, and damn near any of his versions of “The Ride (here, here, here, and here).” Prince’s performance of “Cream (here)” on the Arsenio Hall Show is my favorite performance of that song because that is the bluesist version. Though, I will add that the extended jam of it during the Diamonds & Pearls Tour comes close. That’s why Kingfish’s cover of it is so important. I’ve long asserted that blues is an integral part of Prince’s sound. So, to have Kingfish cover what I consider one of Prince’s true blues songs is apropos and another document that Prince had more slices in his pie chart than most folks recognize.

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In case y’all missed it, here is the link to a wonderful panel on Dr. Lelia G. Rhodes and her book, Jackson State University: The First Hundred Years, 1877 – 1977. The panelists discussed Dr. Rhodes and her service, writing JSU’s first official history. The panel included JSU historians and trailblazers Dr. Robert Luckett—Director of the JSU Margaret Walker Alexander Center, Ms. Angela Stewart—Archivist for the JSU MWA Center, Dr. Hilliard Lackey—JSU Professor Emeritus, and Ms. Gailya Porter—CEO Porter Insurance and former JSU Cheerleader who was on the campus the night JSU was attacked by MS law enforcement, killing two and injuring eighteen. They reflect on the university’s journey from Natchez to Jackson—and how that history continues to shape our present and inform our future. Now available in hardback, paperback, and eBook, Dr. Rhodes’ Jackson State University: The First Hundred Years, 1877 – 1977, can be purchased here. Before it was Jackson State University, it was Natchez Seminary, a school built on a vision of education and empowerment. In 1877, H. P. Jacobs and Black ministers from the Mississippi Baptist Missionary Convention, in partnership with the American Baptist Home Mission Society, founded Natchez Seminary to educate newly freed Black students. That institution grew into Jackson State University, a powerhouse of education, culture, and progress and one of the first HBCUs to achieve R2 status. For more information and to purchase a copy, go here. And, to watch two brief news reports about the republishing of Jackson State University: The First Hundred Years, 1877 – 1977, go here and here.

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Third World Press, one of the largest black-owned publishers on the planet, has copies of Margaret Walker Alexander’s How I Wrote Jubilee, which can be purchased here. TWP has wonderful collections of poetry, fiction, and prose by award-winning and historic writers. To browse their entire catalog, go here.

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Chicago-area musician, composer, and performer Christopher Fisher performed a one-man band tribute to Prince on April 24, 2026, at Ashbury’s at Boughton Ridge in Bolingbrook, IL. The set included “The Cross,” “Cream,” “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World,” “Raspberry Beret,” and “Diamonds & Pearls.” For more information on Fisher, go here, here, and here.

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The Mississippi Book Festival has uploaded last year’s panels. So, here is the link to poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis reading his poem, “Remembering Emmett Till (in Five Haiku Movements),” and y’all can watch the entire panel, which features Patrick Weems (Director of the Emmett Till Interpretative Center), Gloria Dickerson (Director of the Mae Bertha Carter Learning Center), W. Ralph Eubanks (noted historian/scholar and author of Ever Is a Long Time), and Yolanda Wisher (poet/musician and author of Monk Eats an Afro), and myself here. After each reads their work from Monument Lab’s special issue of Bulletin on the “Life and Legacy of Mamie and Emmett Till,” they have a cool discussion about how they use their work to teach this history and implement this history in their current struggle. Finally, here is the link to C Liegh reading the 12-inch version of the poem at the 70th Commemoration of the Lynching of Emmett Till.

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To commemorate the tenth anniversary of Prince’s passing, The Estate has released the remastered demo of Prince’s song, “With This Tear,” which was written for Celine Dion and released on her 1992 album, Celine Dion. Y’all can watch the video for it here.

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The always busy fiction writer, music journalist, and cultural critic, Michael Gonzales, has a great new article, “Ten Years Gone: On Prince (here),” showing that Prince was a beloved figure in the black community well before the mega success, and contrary to the misconceptions, he remained anchored in the community while he conquered the world.

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Here is an insightful article, “When It Comes to Prince, 10 Songs Isn’t Enough,” by John McKie, in which McKie provides a list of 10 hit singles, 10 dance songs, 10 songs everyone should hear, 10 love songs, 10 songs written for other people, 10 great live songs, and 10 songs recommend by BBC personality Craig Charles. Additionally, McKie is the author of Prince: A Sign O’ the Times, which examines the remarkable life and career of one of the most mysterious figures in music through the prism of the record considered by many as his masterpiece, 1987’s Sign “O” the Times. McKie’s book can be purchased here.

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The expanded version of poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis’ commentary, “Prince, New Edition, Tevin Campbell, and the Transition from Respectable Love Songs to Disrespectful Sex Songs,” has been published by First of the Month and can be read here. First of the Month.org, edited by the always-on-point Benj DeMott, publishes some of the most insightful essays, poetry, and fiction, which can be read here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis had the honor and the pleasure to read poetry during Fahrenheit Creative Group’s 15th Anniversary Celebration during its third “Freedom House” (Freedom School + Open House) with a Teach-in on the lawn across the street from the Mississippi Capitol Building. The event began at the offices of FCG with Freedom Songs, sign-making, and a poetry reading and culminated with a brief lecture by longtime political strategist Pamela Shaw. Thanks to Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center staffers Patricia Syner and Anastasia Taylor for capturing pics and video of C Liegh’s reading. Y’all can watch him reading “For Hollis (Slight Return)” and “For Emmett Till (12-inch Version)” here. C Liegh also got a few pics, including his two pitiful signs that paled in comparison to some of the more creative signs that y’all can see here. Ultimately, it was a great day of celebrating Fahrenheit CEO, founder, and still noteworthy emcee Jason Thompson for the great work that Fahrenheit has done as a “Black-owned, full-service marketing agency that works primarily with nonprofit organizations, foundations, and government agencies,” helping them effectively communicate and connect their messages and work with the citizens they serve. To learn more about Fahrenheit Creative Group, go here

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Internationally noted bass player Ted Gould, III, of Ted Talks Bass, has posted an extremely insightful analysis of Prince’s song, “The War,” explaining just how creative, innovative, and visionary he was as the song rings precisely true today. Y’all can watch it here. If y’all are unfamiliar with the song, y’all can listen to it here. Along with being the band director at Cova Conservatory, Gould has “held the bass chair with funk legend Zigaboo Modeliste, toured with pop icon Jody Watley, worked with members of Prince’s Revolution and NPG, served as a musical director on two continents, and spent 11 years as a K12 music educator.” To watch Gould’s great online bass tutorials and history lessons, go here, and to learn more about Gould, go here.

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Poetry Magazine—the oldest poetry journal in America—curated a reading of award-winning heavy hitters that included Nikky Finney (National Book Award for Head Off & Split), Frank X Walker (founder of the Affrilachian Poets and NAACP Image Award for Turn Me Loose: The Unghosting of Medgar Evers), Parneishia Jones (Midwest Book Award for Vessel), and Kelly Norman Ellis (Jackson, Mississippi, native, Chair of the Chicago State University English Department, current Visiting Professor of English at Jackson State University, and author of Tougaloo Blues.) Y’all can watch this riveting reading here.

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Award-winning fiction writer, editor, and poet Sheree Renée Thomas has had the career and productivity of which most writers dream. Along with editing the groundbreaking black speculative fiction anthologies, Dark Matter (2000 and 2004), which were the first to introduce W.E.B. Du Bois’ science fiction short stories, Thomas gained even more acclaim authoring the Marvel novel adaptation of the legendary comics, Black Panther: Panther’s Rage (2022). If that wasn’t enough, her collection Shotgun Lullabies: Stories & Poems was described by novelist Arthur Flowers as “a wondrous work like Jean Toomer’s Cane.” Moreover, she’s been published by just about every major literary journal and popular trade magazine. And, yet, her two latest releases show that she doesn’t seem to be stopping anything soon. The Tongue I Dream In, a multi-genre volume, has been hailed as “poems, stories, and essays draws together examples illustrating a mind immersed in Black legends and white myths, and in the growing realization of our place in the world and time, and in irresistible pull of the future: starships, floods, dancers twinned by crystal-filled caverns, and iridescent crops of living retribution.” For more information and to purchase a copy of The Tongue I Dream In, go here. And, Ring Shout Saturn is book two of the three-book The Root and Sky Series of short stories. “Thomas’ electrifying collection transports readers on a cosmic journey where ancient African Diasporic wisdom meets expansive Afrofuturist visions. From a prophet building a starship from salvaged dreams on a Martian farm to children breaking generational curses through powerful moonsongs, these tales explore themes of transformation, survival, and the enduring quest for liberation.” For more information and to purchase a copy of Ring Shout Saturn, go here.

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Jackson State University alum and Severance star Tramell Tillman—who became the first Black actor to win an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama series—is among the star-studded cast for Marvel’s Spider-Man: A Brand New Day. To learn more about Tillman appearing in Spider-Man: A Brand New Day, go here, here, here, and here. As always, Thee I Love because I only Love Thee!!!

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When Doves Podcast: Prince—Album by Album & Song by Song has posted Part Two of its great new interview with internationally recognized Prince scholar De Angela Duff, Associate Vice Provost at New York University and professor at NYU Tandon School of Engineering, and she discusses the origins of the Prince Symposia, What Did Prince Do This Week?, Prince and politics, D’Angelo, Bilal, Andre 3000, Cory Henry, Janelle Monae, Alice Smith, Prince’s album artwork, Prince’s philanthropy, Marva Collins, the We Are The World documentary, Live Aid, Luke Vibert, Arthur Turnbull and The Music Snobs, more on C Liegh McInnis and The Lyrics of Prince, and much more. To listen to part one, go here.

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In celebration of Black History Month, poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis had the honor and pleasure to read poetry with cellist Bridgette Olugbala as part of the Margaret Walker Alexander Library’s month-long series of events. Y’all can watch the video here, which includes their presentation and a brief Q&A that followed. And, here’s a picture from the event.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis joined Brother Ken Clark on KC 1400 Media and ended their discussion explaining how every vote matters by giving props to his wife, Monica McInnis, and others who worked to reduce the Neo-Confederate stronghold over the Mississippi Legislature from a supermajority to a majority, which enabled Democrats to kill a bill that was designed to gut funding severely to public education. Y’all can watch those brief comments here. However, he was remiss in not mentioning legendary civil rights Attorney Carol Rhodes, who has been a primary architect for the legal battles that have enabled Afro-Mississippians to create more districts that enable Afro-Mississippians to choose the representatives of their choice.

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As most of y’all know, I’m probably the least hip-hop person on the planet, but LL Cool J’s discussion of what it means to be an artist and why artists are important (here) is one of the best explications of the topic. This excerpt is taken from LL Cool J’s September 6, 2024, Breakfast Club Interview, which can be seen in full here.

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Here is the Schomburg Centennial Book List: 100 Black Voices, which is a wonderful resource, especially in a time when everything related to blackness and black history is being attacked and erased. Moreover, this list reminds me of the reading list I created for my comp lit classes. (See here.) Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste was the last book that I added as I retired in the same year it was published. During the semester, my students had to read four of the books from my list, one every 30 days, and produce a five-paragraph critical analysis on each. Well, two of the books were chosen for them. They had to read one book by Richard Wright and one book by Margaret Walker Alexander. Then, they could choose two books by two other writers on the list. (My Mississippi and Jackson State University bias wouldn’t allow me not to assign a Wright and Alexander book.) Yet, over the years, I was happy to see how much the students liked having the list for their own further reading. Although I’m no longer teaching, former students still email and ask me to re-share my list with them. Thus, this Schomburg list will allow me to update my list. Or, I could just be lazy and send them the Schomburg list.

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Best-selling author James Patterson chose Jackson State University Creative Writing Students to be recipients of $75,000 scholarships as part of his investment in HBCUs. Y’all can read more here. The Jackson State University Creative Writing website be accessed here. Also, to give to this program, go here. Once you are at the page, complete the amount and contact information, type “Department of English, Creative Writing,” in the “or other” box at the bottom of the form, and submit payment. And, here is a link to poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis discussing the JSU Creative Writing Concentration and Minor.

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Poet, editor, literary scholar, and arts activist E. Ethelbert Miller interviews Mississippi native and internationally noted historian Dr. W. Ralph Eubanks about his latest book, When It’s Darkness on the Delta: How America’s Richest Soil Became Its Poorest Land, for the latest episode of On the Margins, which y’all can see here. Finally, y’all can read a chapter from Doc Eubanks’ When It’s Darkness on the Delta here at Rooted Magazine.

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Political commentator Joy Reid provides an insightful commentary on “The Three Types of Black People in the African Diaspora (here).”

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Here is a great discussion, “Michael Jackson and Prince: Why Comparison Misses the Point,” between Prince scholar and Podcast Juice: Prince Podcast host Michael Dean and Prince scholar and entertainment lawyer Marc Wiggins. Rather than the usual “Who’s better?” debate, Dean and Wiggins seek to study and celebrate both artists as generational talents through the following topics: How Joe Jackson and John L. Nelson’s discipline became the foundation of genius; The blueprint they inherited from Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, James Brown, and Jimi Hendrix; Why they HAD to be undeniable—the 10x rule; How they redefined creative control and Black masculinity; Why MJ and Prince answered different questions about greatness; and The real legacy: collective triumph, not competition.

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In celebration of Black History Month and in anticipation of the Lionsgate release of Michael, the cinematic portrayal of the life and legacy of Michael Jackson, the Jackson State University Marching Band, The Sonic Boom of the South, has joined the national campaign to promote the film and the artistry of MJ with their performance of “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough (here).” Additionally, when chosen to be this year’s featured band for the HBCU Legacy Bowl, the all-star football game that highlights senior HBCU players, The Boom’s entire halftime show was dedicated to MJ, which can be viewed here. Finally, to learn more about The Boom’s participation in the Michael promotion campaign, go here.

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Here, here, and here are three very cool music videos celebrating the beauty and brilliance of Jackson, Mississippi, the City with Soul.

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Here is the link to an excellent discussion at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture about Prince’s place in American and African-American music by three brilliant black women: Prince scholar, host of What Did Prince Do This Week?, and NYU Professor De Angela Duff, ethnomusicologist and Juilliard Professor Dr. Fredara Mareuva Hadley, and Schomburg Curatorial Specialist Daniella Brito.

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“Kiss” is one of Prince’s most noted and popular songs. Many consider it an essential song to know Prince’s aesthetic, genius, and popularity. However, since its release in 1986, there’s been a great and ongoing discussion of whether or not “Kiss” fits and, for that matter, helps the album, Parade, and the film, Under the Cherry Moon. Specifically, many fans and scholars of Prince’s work assert that “Kiss” does not fit sonically with either the album or film and that it mostly disrupts, if not distracts, from the sound, flow, and meaning of both works. To this point, during the January 17, 2026, episode of What Did Prince Do This Week?, graphic designer, Prince scholar, and NYU Professor—De Angela Duff (who also coordinates the NYU Prince Symposiums), Prince scholar and host of Podcast Juice: A Prince Podcast—Michael Dean, Prince scholar and host of The Music Snobs—Arthur Turnbull, noted bass player, music teacher, and host of Ted Talks Bass—Ted Gould, and poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar—C Liegh McInnis discuss if Prince’s song, “Kiss,” should be in the film, Under the Cherry Moon, and on the Parade album, or should it have been replaced by “Neon Telephone” or “🧡 or $.” Y’all can watch their discussion here.

What makes this discussion great is that it’s not a group of people arguing to see who’s right. It’s a serious discussion about how the sound and lyrics of a song determine if it fits within a particular collection or project and how presenting a cohesive collection of works aids in the effectiveness and popularity of a work. Moreover, the discussion provides even more insight to Prince as a master songwriter (musician and lyricist), poet, storyteller, and producer. With that, please enjoy this discussion highlighting Prince’s overall genius and be sure to like and comment in the chat. Let them know what y’all think!

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Mississippi native and internationally noted historian Dr. W. Ralph Eubanks has another great discussion about his book, When It’s Darkness on the Delta: How America’s Richest Soil Became Its Poorest Land, with Mississippi native and Princeton University Professor Dr. Eddie Glaude that y’all can watch here. After that, check out Doc Eubanks’ great interview on The Eddrick Show! Finally, y’all can read a chapter from Doc Eubanks’ When It’s Darkness on the Delta here at Rooted Magazine.

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REAL Learning Institute and Afrikan Art Gallery have shared a cool video celebrating African and African-American history that y’all can watch here. For more information of the work they are doing, contact Baba Asinia Lukata Chikuyu at realsoulutions@yahoo.com.

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Afrikan Art Gallery has a new home at 1036 Charles Evers Blvd, Jackson, MS. For more information, go here and contact Asinia Lukata Chikuyu at afrikan_tbt@yahoo.com.

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Mississippi-based scholar, editor, and community activist Vijay Shah has compiled a wonderful list of historical and literary resources that can be viewed here.

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Let’s highlight the great work that the Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center is doing in all of its endeavors. As such, if y’all would like to donate to one or all of them, here is the link to donate to the JSU MWA Center’s Catherine Coleman Literary Arts, Food, and Justice Initiative, which provides avenues for emerging writers across the state of Mississippi and in the City of Jackson to engage the rich legacy of creative writing in Mississippi, the tradition of southern foodways, and the history of social justice movements in their communities, here is the link to donate to the JSU MWA Center’s Endowment, and here is the link to purchase tickets for the JSU MWA Center’s For My People Award Luncheon. And, if you have any extra funds and really want to get in good with the spirit of my Pops, you can also donate to JSU Athletics through the KC 1400 Collective (here) and the JSU by 40 Campaign (here). Always remember that a mind and a great football program are terrible things to waste. That is all. Oh, yeah, I almost forgot: Thee I Love because I only Love Thee!!!

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Dance / Music / Sex / Romance aka Princesong.org is a song-by-song blog examining the music of Prince in chronological order by noted Prince scholar Zachary Hoskins. The latest entry can be read here and here, and all of the entries can be found here. His essay, “Rude Boy: Prince as Black New Waver,” was published in a special issue of Spectrum, A Journal on Black Men (2020), and his presentation from the Prince #1plus1plus1is3 virtual symposium (2021), “I Wish We All Were Nude: Controversy ‘Shower Poster’ as Aesthetic Linchpin and Artifact,” was published in the Journal of Popular Music Studies. He has also presented and appeared on roundtables at other @polishedsolid symposia, #TripleThreat40 (2023), #SexyMF30 (2022), and #DM40GB30 (2020), as well as the University of Minnesota’s Prince from Minneapolis symposium (2018). He holds an M.A. in Media Arts from the University of Arizona and B.A.’s in Film & Video Studies and Creative Writing & Literature from the University of Michigan. Go enjoy Zach’s wonderful insights on Prince’s songs.

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I struggled with sharing the video of my lecture, “Faith over Fear,” in the newsletter because I wondered if I was the proper messenger to provide this message, especially with it being rooted in a religious or spiritual context. However, after sharing it with a very few folks on the listserv, many of them provided positive feedback. Although I’ve never been afraid to pursue my dreams, I know that so many amazingly intelligent and creative folks are kept from pursuing their dreams simply because of fear. As such, I hope that this lecture can give them the push they need to become the person they truly are. Last Saturday morning, before the Jackson State University Football Game, I was asked to give a presentation on “Faith over Fear” for the Central United Methodist Church Community Prayer Breakfast, which y’all can watch here. It’s currently unlisted on my YouTube channel, and I haven’t decided if I’ll make it public. My wife, Monica, does a great deal of community work with Central because of their history within the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement and their current work as community servants and advocates. Additionally, one of my former JSU professors is an active member in Central’s work, and it’s difficult to say no to your former teachers who poured so much into you. However, although I admire Central’s work, I initially declined their invitation to speak for artistic and personal reasons. One, I retired from teaching to dedicate more time and energy to writing. That’s my life. That’s my love. That’s what I am. For better or worse, I’m a writer. Yet, I got to a point where too many other things were making it difficult to write. As such, since 2020, I’ve narrowly defined myself as a poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar, taking steps to ensure that nothing else interferes with writing, which includes declining several lucrative opportunities to remain a broke but focused writer. Yet, I agreed to give the talk, primarily because of my admiration for Central’s work and because of what it means to be with the same women since 1991, which has taught me that I’m not really the boss of anything. That being said, I didn’t know that my wife would record the lecture. It went well, and Monica promised to share the video with the Central congregation. Thus, even though it’s “unlisted” on the channel, some will have access to it. Since I haven’t decided if I’ll make it public, I’m sharing it with a very few of y’all on the listserv, mostly because y’all specifically manage to overcome the daily hurdles of life to do the work. But, since I no longer see myself as a religious person, I’m hesitant to make a lecture public that is rooted in religious (Christian) ideology, even though I think it can be of comfort or inspiration to some. That being said, check it out in your leisure as I know that y’all, who are receiving this email, overcome fear, doubt, oppression, and other hurdles daily to get the work done. (Y’all can also read the text here.) Now, let’s checkout the upcoming events.

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Here’s a great video, “Twenty Black Writers Who Changed America Forever.” Although it’s a very good list, I would replace Percival Everett with Margaret Walker Alexander—the first African-American to win the Yale Younger Poet Award for her poetry collection, For My People, and her novel, Jubilee, is the first credited neo-slave novel that inspired Toni Morrison’s Beloved and from which Alex Haley’s Roots borrows greatly. Additionally, in 1973, she curated the Phillis Wheatley Conference at Jackson State University, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, which gathered every major black female writer at the time, including Morrison, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, and others. If the definition of greatness is that life after you is different and better than life before you, then Dr. Alexander is one of the seminal writers of American history. Finally, here is a link to an excellent presentation, “The Life of Margaret Walker,” by noted literary scholar Dr. Maryemma Graham, author of The House Where My Soul Lives: The Life of Margaret Walker (here), during the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s “History is Lunch” monthly session.

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If y’all missed poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis’ commentary, “Keep Wokeness from Purple Rain!!!, Pt. 2,” about Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins using somebody else’s art as a Trojan horse for his own politics, thereby soiling the original vision of the film, y’all can read it here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis had the honor and pleasure to participate in “Trouble the Water: Remembering the Life and Work of Dr. Jerry W. Ward,” which can be seen here. The tribute included poet, scholar, and arts activist Kelly Harris-DeBerry, poet, fiction writer, and scholar Dr. Candice Love Jackson, literary theorist and editor Dr. Howard Rambsy, II, legendary poet, playwright, fiction writer, scholar, and activist Kalamu ya Salaam, and C Liegh. The tribute to Doc Ward was also the opening event of the Words and Music Literary Festival, curated by One Book One New Orleans. The Festival had its usual great lineup of musical and literary masters, and to view some of the presentations, go here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis also had the honor and pleasure to be on the second installment of Favorite Poem Podcast, which is a monthly segment on MPB’s The Mississippi Arts Hour/Arts Hour Extra, hosted by Mississippi Poet Laureate Ann Fisher-Wirth. Each episode is ten to fifteen minutes and features poets reading and analyzing their favorite poem. Y’all can listen to C Liegh here as he reads and analyzes Margaret Walker Alexander’s “Jackson State, May 15, 1970.” Because they were limited in time, he wasn’t able to analyze the poem in its entirety. As such, y’all can read the entire analysis of the poem here. Additionally, Fisher-Wirth has completed three other episodes: Fisher-Wirth discusses Emily Dickinson’s “A Bird Came Down the Walk— (here),” Former MS Poet Laureate Beth Ann Fennelly reads and discusses Shakespeare’s Sonnet 29, “When, in Disgrace with Fortune and Men’s Eyes (here),” and poet, editor, and Professor Melissa Ginsburg reads and discusses H. D.’s “Oread (here).” As soon as more episodes are released, we’ll provide the links. We hope y’all enjoy C Liegh’s discussion of Dr. Alexander’s seminal poem on the night that African-American youth and intelligence were attacked by Jim Crow (here).

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Clarksdale and Bentonia, Mississippi, Blues establishments were featured on Good Morning America’s “50 States in 50 Weeks,” which y’all can see here and here.

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Everyday Tech is MPB Think Radio’s weekly program about consumer technology. Co-hosted by MPB’s own Abram Nanney and local community tech advocate Sabir Abdul-Haqq, you can listen to the show in real time, every Monday at 10:00 a.m. CST or previous episodes here. They invite you to enjoy the conversation: dial 877-MPB-RING to add to the subject at hand, ask a tech question that’s bugging you, or you can email the show at: everydaytech@mpbonline.org. Each episode explores the latest news talk, issues, and products in consumer technology, and they troubleshoot problems posed by the show’s callers and introduce listeners to preventive measures in a manner that’s easy-to-understand, cordial and not “tech-heavy.” Check it out everywhere you get your podcasts and on demand on the MPB PublicMedia App! For more information, contact Sabir Abdul-Haqq at sabir@yourebs.biz.

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Monica McInnis—through her efforts as a Census specialist, grassroots organizer, voter education specialist, and political mapmaker—was instrumental in the work across Mississippi that helped to create three new districts that were won by African-American Democrats, flipping them from Republican control. Senate District 2 was won by Theresa Isom (here), Senate District 44 was won by Johnny Dupree (here), and House District 22 was won by Justin Crosby (here). With more than two years of research and community engagement, Monica partnered with various organizations and community folks to enable Afro-Mississippians to increase their voice while ensuring better checks and balances in the Mississippi legislative process. “After six years, Mississippi Democrats have broken the Republican Party’s supermajority in the Mississippi Senate. Voters elected Democrats to two seats previously held by Republicans, reducing the number of Republican senators in the upper chamber from 36 to 34—one fewer than necessary to constitute a supermajority” (Pittman). Although Mississippi Republicans still hold a majority, not having a supermajority makes it difficult for them to “override a governor’s veto, propose constitutional amendments and execute certain procedural actions, like reviving dead legislation,” forcing them to develop some sort of a working relationship with Democrats in constructing legislative agenda (Pittman). Working directly with redistricting icon Attorney Carroll Rhodes and others, Monica has traveled tirelessly from the Delta, through Jackson and the Pine Belt to the Gulf Coast, helping communities organize and realize that they can craft their own maps to give voice to their political power. This past Tuesday night was a reminder and affirmation that we have the power to protect ourselves from President Agent Orange if we simply use what we have to get what we need. In this regard, Monica embodies Prince’s song “The Work, Pt. 1,” as she went from community to community and door to door teaching liberation gospel.

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Here is an interesting YouTube post, “Prince’s Legacy Is Over…AI Ruined It,” which discusses how many content creators are making a mockery of Prince’s artistry and legacy through the use of AI.

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In 2025, poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis read his poem, “Remembering Emmett Till (in Five Haiku Movements),” as part of the Mississippi Book Festival’s Monument Lab’s Bulletin Panel, which y’all can watch here. C Liegh joined Patrick Weems (Director of the Emmett Till Interpretative Center), Gloria Dickerson (Director of the Mae Bertha Carter Learning Center), W. Ralph Eubanks (noted historian/scholar and author of Ever Is a Long Time), and Yolanda Wisher (poet/musician and author of Monk Eats an Afro), and y’all can watch the entire panel here. After each reads their work from Monument Lab’s special issue of Bulletin on “The Life and Legacy of Mamie and Emmett Till,” they have a cool discussion about how they use their work to teach this history and implement this history in our current struggle. Once again, the MBF was fantastic, and each of the writers on our panel has work in Bulletin’s special issue that commemorates the 70th anniversary of Emmett Till’s murder by celebrating the reverence for him and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. The collection includes several great poets, visual artists, and scholars, such as The Alluvial Collective, Tony Bolden, Adrienne Brown-David, Daphne R. Chamberlain, Gloria Dickerson, W. Ralph Eubanks, Paul M. Farber, Justin Hardiman, Jerome G. Little, Dick Lourie, Yannick Lowery, Airea D. Matthews, January Gill O’Neil, Mark Palacio, Theo Palacio, Aubree Penney, Olivia C. Riley, Sonia Sanchez, Sabrina Santiago, Omar Tate, Wright Thompson, Natasha Trethewey, The Tyler Twins, Ashley Tyner, Elliot Waters-Fleming, Patrick Weems, Steve Weinik, Reverend Willie Williams, Yolanda Wisher, and C Liegh McInnis. Y’all can purchase a copy of this Bulletin’s special issue on “The Life and Legacy of Mamie and Emmet Till” here.

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If anyone missed the video of poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis reading the 12-inch version of his poem, “Remembering Emmett Till (in Five Haiku Movements),” during the Opening Plenary of the 70th Emmett Till Commemoration at Mississippi Valley State University, facilitated by the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, y’all can watch here. This is an extended version of the poem published in the special issue of Monument Lab’s Bulletin, which celebrates the life and legacy of Mamie and Emmett Till. (To purchase a copy of that issue, which features some of the major names in African-American literature, go here.) The 70th Emmett Till Commemoration was a wonderful four-day event that featured panels with many of the national and local Civil Rights workers in Mississippi between 1955 and 1968. Thursday night featured a performance of Jackson State University MADDRAMA’s Take Me Back: Unsettling Memories, which y’all can watch here. And, to watch the full Opening Plenary and all three panels that occurred on Friday, go here. Props to MVSU, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, Monument Lab, and everyone involved in facilitating this great event.

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Here is a link to an excellent presentation, “The Life of Margaret Walker,” by noted literary scholar Dr. Maryemma Graham, author of The House Where My Soul Lives: The Life of Margaret Walker (here), during the Mississippi Department of Archives and History’s “History is Lunch” monthly session. Additionally, here are two more great presentations at “History is Lunch.” Longtime activist and former Dean of the Jackson State University College of Education Dr. Ivory Phillips, author of The Ayers vs. Waller Case: The Promise and the Disappointment (here), presented “The Ayers Case: A Fight for Equity in Higher Education (here),” and JSU Political Science Professor Dr. Byron D’Andra Orey and Dr. Jeanne Middleton Hairston, co-author of the original Mississippi: Conflict and Change, discussed the updated textbook Mississippi: Conflict and Change: A New Edition (here). To watch more of these great “History is Lunch” sessions, go here.

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Here is a two-minute excerpt from an awesome Prince discussion with poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis, author of The Lyrics of Prince: A Literary Look at a Creative, Music Poet, Philosopher, and Storyteller, and the wonderful Dr. Megan Holt, Director of the New Orleans Words and Music Festival. If you enjoy those two minutes, here is the link to the entire conversation that was part of a week-long masterclass on Prince that was taught by C Liegh at 100 Men Hall in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, which is a perfect place to conduct a masterclass on Prince, especially one in which Prince is rooted firmly in the tradition of black music. From 1922 to the late 60s, 100 Men Hall was one of the major stops on the Chitlin’ Circuit between New Orleans and Natchez, Mississippi, and up to Jackson, Clarksdale, and then, of course, Memphis. In short, if you were a famous black performer between 1922 and the late 60s, you played the 100 Men Hall, including Ray Charles, James Brown, Etta James, Big Joe Turner, Guitar Slim, Irma Thomas, Professor Longhair, Ernie K-Doe, James Booker, Deacon John, Earl King, and numerous others. Doc Holt and C Liegh talk all things Prince from race to gender to lyrics to music to the importance of b-sides and more. We hope y’all enjoy the talk as much as those in attendance did and feel free to share it with anyone y’all think will enjoy it. Also, here is the link to the 3-minute video of testimonials from some of the students who attended the week-long Prince Masterclass. Next, thanks to Racheal Dangermond, Director of 100 Men Hall, for moving mountains to make the class possible. (Here is a link to Dangermond appearing on a local Bay St. Louis station to promote the class.)

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis has two poems, “Free-the-Land Man [for Chokwe Lumumba] (here)” and “Yes He Did [for Obama] (here),” and an essay, “My Pop’s Retirement [for Work Well Done] (here),” in Merge Literary Magazine’s special issue “Celebrating Black Men: 2025 Special Edition,” Summer 2025. Kudos to the editors, Mari Rice and Malkia M’Buzi Moore, for compiling so many well-crafted writers for this issue, including Opal Moore, Alice Lovelace, RaShell Smith-Spears, Jacquese Armstrong, Tamara J. Madison, Tony Medina, Charlie R. Braxton, and many more. To see the cover, go here, to read the poetry, go here, to read the short stories and essays, go here, and to read the writer bios, go here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis joined noted sociologist and African-American history professor Dr. Charity Clay aka Professor Fresh on African World Order, which is hosted by emcee and Jackson, Mississippi, community organizer, Skipp Coon aka Joecephus Martin, to discuss NBA players’ slander of Memphis and Sinners. Their discussion of the slander of Memphis involved a discussion of the anti-political black athlete and is at the beginning of their discussion, which can be seen here. Their discussion of Sinners included Brother Skipp citing various points in C Liegh’s analysis of film and them discussing Sinners, point by point and scene by scene to provide an artistic and sociopolitical analysis of the film, which y’all can watch here.

To learn more about emcee and community organizer Skipp, here is a link to a great interview with him on Black Liberation Media. Here is a link Skipp’s song, “Color Complex,” and here is the link to “Women, Revolution, and Tennis Shoes,” both from his first album Women, Revolution, and Tennis Shoes. His work with various community organizing agencies, such as Fahrenheit Creative Group and being an Ashe Leaders Fellow (here), shows that his artistry is a reflection of the real life he’s living. To learn more about Skipp and his work, go here and here, and to watch more great discussions on African World Order, go here.

Dr. Clay is an emcee and Former D1 basketball player who, after an injury, pivoted to teach financial literacy and the lingering effects of racial trauma and healing. She’s currently a Professor at Rhodes College, and y’all can learn more about her research and teaching here and here. And, here’s a great brief documentary about Doc Clay titled Who Is Professor Fresh?

Finally, to remind folks why we should see, discuss, and celebrate Sinners as much as possible, here is the link to C Liegh’ analysis of the film. And, to celebrate Coogler’s love letter to the blues as a primary carrier and protector of African-American culture, here is a link to Playing for Change’s cover of Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads,” featuring many of the Mississippi blues masters keeping the blues alive today with musicians and singers across the globe whose art has been greatly impacted by the blues.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis has a poem and two essays (“Eshu’s Post-Dated Poem,” “The Mythological People of Color Coalition,” and “‘This or That?’: Voting for Vice President Kamala Harris Despite Democratic Debacle and Cowardice”) published in a newly released anthology, Donald Trump’s Second Coming—Is Democracy Dead, Dying or Alive: An Anthology of North American Writers and African Writers, Vol 4., edited by Tendai Mwanaka. The collection features stories, poetry, essays, plays, fiction, mixed genres, songs, and visual art of writers from Africa and North America, discussing President Agent Orange’s impact on American democracy, global democracy, and the reaction and resistance to it. Other noted American writers included in the collection are Mississippi native, poet, playwright, editor, and cultural critic Charlie R. Braxton, who has two essays in the collection, and New York native, poet, editor, and arts activist Bob McNeal, who has four poems included. In total, the collection has seven essays, two short stories, ten artworks, and twenty-eight poems from writers and artists from Africa and North America. For more information or to purchase a copy, go here.

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Dr. John Zheng’s interview of poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis has been published in African American Review (57.2), which is cited and archived online here by Project Muse. And, here is the link to purchase the issue. To subscribe to ARR, go here. To order a copy of this issue (57.2) by phone, contact (800) 548-1784 or jrnlcirc@press.jhu.edu. AAR has featured renowned writers and cultural critics, including Trudier Harris, Arnold Rampersad, Hortense Spillers, Amiri Baraka, Cyrus Cassells, Rita Dove, Charles Johnson, Cheryl Wall, Toni Morrison, and many more. The official publication of the Modern Language Association’s Division on Black American Literature and Culture, AAR fosters a vigorous conversation among writers and scholars in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.

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Here, here, and here are pictures and video from the 55th Gibbs-Green Commemoration to memorialize the 1970 attack on Jackson State University by the Jackson Police Department, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, and the Mississippi National Guard, which took the lives of Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, a twenty-one-year-old JSU student, and James Earl Green, a seventeen-year-old Jim Hill High School Student along with wounding eighteen others as law enforcement fired over four hundred rounds into Alexander Hall, a female Dorm. The photos include many of the speakers, including Mrs. Dale Gibbs—the wife of Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, Ms. Gloria Green McCray—the sister of James Earl Green, JSU Interim President Dr. Denise Jones Gregory, State Representative Zakiya Summers, James “Lap” Baker—JSU Class of 1970, Nadia Wright—Award-winning youth poet, C Liegh McInnis—poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar, and Dr. Robert Luckett—Director of the JSU Margaret Walker Alexander Center. Finally, props to Doc Luckett for accepting the baton from Dr. Jean “Jughead” Young and never wavering from his promise to keep this essential moment in Mississippi and American history ever-present so that all will know what happened, why it happened, and how Jackson State University and its community survived and thrived through the worst that Jim Crow and the neo-Confederates could muster. Additionally, BVC Films has an agreement with the Gibbs family to produce a six-part limited TV series, Blood on the Books, based on Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, which will also feature James Earl Green and others associated with the event. It’s great to know that BVC Films has been in talks with Doc Luckett through JSU Communications about getting story right, the possibility of filming on campus, and speaking with others who lived this event for even more research. For more about this, go here.

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Valley Voices, vol. 25, No. 1 (Spring 2025), “River and Land: The Mississippi Delta,” issue, edited by Dr. John Zheng—Chair of the Mississippi Valley State University English Department, is available, and it is a fantastic issue. The poetry contains contributions from Claude Wilkinson, Sterling D. Plumpp, Larry D. Thomas, George Drew, Philip C. Kolin, C. T. Salazar, Michelle McMillan-Holifield, and two new works celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Jerry W. Ward by Charlie R. Braxton and C Liegh McInnis. There are also vivid essays on the land of Mississippi by Hermine Pinson and John Zheng, insightful criticism by John J. Han and Allison Wiltshire, beautiful photography by Claude Wilkinson and J. Guaner, and intriguing fiction by Jack Crocker and Dick Daniels. To purchase a copy of Abrasion & Erasing: Essays, Interviews, and Poems of Jerry W. Ward, Jr., send $10 to Valley Voices at MVSU 7242, 14000 Highway 82 West, Itta Bena, MS 38941 or valley_voices@yahoo.com.

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If y’all missed poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis’ analysis of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, y’all can read it here. Also, we’d like to share two more insightful discussions of Sinners that approach the film from different positions but are seeking the same end. Poet, literary theorist, librarian, arts activist, and Prince scholar Scott Woods’ essay, “Sinners Soars, But Act Like You Been Here Before (here),” asks that viewers, especially black viewers, engage the film with a more critical eye to understand what is and isn’t there to have a full appreciation of Coogler’s work and why black folks still need the blues. SIUE Professor and literary theorist Dr. Howard Rambsy’s brief essay, “Ryan Coogler, C Liegh McInnis, and Black Convergences (here),” asks viewers to understand Sinners as “cultural cataloging” in the most dense way to teach and celebrate black history and black genius within the limited timeframe a film allows. Finally, here is a link to “Sinners: A Reading and Resource List,” which provides a syllabus of materials to aid in the understanding and enjoyment of the film. Together, the two commentaries and the syllabus can aid in how we approach, discuss, share, and celebrate black art.

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Over the past three years, filmmaker Mark Brockway has been working on a new documentary, Where We Daily Tread, which tells the story of white supremacy, the Black Power Movement, and the May 1970 attack on Jackson State by Mississippi law enforcement. He has begun uploading very brief clips of interviews for the doc, and here is the link to give y’all a “taste” of what the doc will be. Two of the clips include insights from poet, short story writer, Prince scholar, and JSU graduate C Liegh McInnis.

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If you missed the Polished Solid #PopLife40 Prince Symposium, which celebrated 40 years of Prince’s Around the World in a Day, The Family’s self-titled album, and Sheila E.’s Romance 1600, you missed another great three days of Prince scholarship and community. Symposium curator and NYU Professor De Angela Duff has started uploading the videos of all the panels and roundtables, which y’all can watch here. These include the brilliant Prince scholar Edgar Kruize’s presentation, “Love Is the Color This Place Imparts,” which deconstructs how the album cover artwork of Around the World in a Day tells a cohesive story to reflect the message(s) of the songs, the first keynote, featuring The Family, the second keynote with saxophonist Eddie M, who is C Liegh’s favorite horn player to play with Prince, Maceo Parker notwithstanding, and more.

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The Spring 2025 edition of Ishmael Reed’s Konch Magazine has been published with its usual excellent poetry, fiction, and essays, including two tribute commentaries to poet and literary theorist Dr. Jerry W. Ward by poet and activist Julia Wright and poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis, which y’all can read here.

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Abrasion & Erasing: Essays, Interviews, and Poems of Jerry W. Ward, Jr., edited by poet, scholar, and Mississippi Valley State University English Chair Dr. John Zheng, is available and beautiful—physically and literarily. Abrasion & Erasing is a collection of essays, interviews, and poems by Doc Ward published over the years in Valley Voices: A Literary Review and the Journal of Ethnic American Literature. Through this collection, Dr. Zheng has captured and illuminated the beauty, power, and significance of Doc Ward as one of the most important literary voices of Mississippi, the South, and America. We are extremely proud to share that poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis’ interview with Doc Ward is included, along with interviews of Doc Ward by storyteller, visual artist, and arts activist Diane Williams and Dr. Tian Zhang—Professor of English at Central China Normal University. This collection is a testament and call to action to continue the work of Doc Ward as he served skillfully as a steward of black literature, leaving a brilliant blueprint for us to follow. As an artist, scholar, and Afro-Mississippian, I thank you for this work! To purchase a copy of Abrasion & Erasing: Essays, Interviews, and Poems of Jerry W. Ward, Jr., send $10 to Valley Voices at MVSU 7242, 14000 Highway 82 West, Itta Bena, MS 38941 or valley_voices@yahoo.com.

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Here and here are links to a fantastic new funk documentary, We Want the Funk, which was just released on PBS this week. It has a host of funk legends and scholars interviewed, including noted Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angela Duff, music archivist, DJ, and Loyola and Tulane Professor Melissa A. Weber aka DJ Soul Sister, and noted cultural critic and Duke University Professor Mark Anthony Neal. This is one of the best documentaries on Funk!

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Magnitude and Bond: A Field Study on Black Literary Arts Organizations is now LIVE! This first-of-its-kind field study focuses on Black literary arts service organizations that provide essential programming, services, and networks of support to the literary community. These organizations have modeled resilience in the face of concentric disparities often in the absence of institutional support and recognition. To produce this research, Cave Canem and Ithaka S+R collaborated closely with a working group, composed of directors from Getting Word: Black Literature for Black Liberation, as well as two literary experts in the field, to hone the research questions and instruments that would become this study. Click here to explore the Magnitude and Bond webpage, read the full study, flip through our executive summary e-zine, and learn more about upcoming programs.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis appeared on long-time media veteran and Prince scholar Tonya Pendleton’s WURD radio show Reality Check to read his poem, “Black Man,” and discuss the continued significance of observing and celebrating Black History Month. To watch the recording, go here and then go to the 1:41:38 mark. Feel free to leave a like or comment so that Sister P knows that y’all were there. Also, if y’all would like to read “Black Man,” go here.

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On November 21, 2024, in New Orleans, poet, fiction writer, playwright, and editor Kalamu ya Salaam was joined by poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis to discuss Salaam’s new novel, Walkin’ Blues, and their discussion was recently uploaded here.

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Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters has released its special issue documenting and celebrating the Jackson State University Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival. In 2023, the Jackson State University Margaret Walker Alexander Center curated the Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the original 1973 festival, which hosted most of the major black women writers of the day. In the same vein, the 2023 festival hosted many of the major black women writers of today. Callaloo: A Journal of African Diaspora Arts and Letters, one of the three major African-American literary journals, has published a special proceedings issue of the 2023 JSU MWA Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival that includes scholarly essays, poetry, fiction, and artwork presented during the festival along with interviews, reflections, and photography from the festival. The Callaloo special proceedings issue documents this historic gathering of scholars and artists, including noted writers Jesmyn Ward, Alice Walker, Paula Giddings, Maryemma Graham, Imani Perry, Tiffany Caesar, Barbara Lewis, and a host of JSU professors and products—Tonea Stewart, Shanna L. Smith, Iely Mohamed, Roy Lewis, RaShell R. Smith-Spears, LaWanda Dickens, Ebony Lumumba, Kaitlyn Taylor, and C Liegh McInnis. To view the full table of contents, go here. For more information about the Callaloo Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival Special Issue, go here, and to purchase a single print or electronic issue, go here. Once y’all get to the page, scroll down to the print section or the electronic section and choose The Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival 50th Anniversary: A Special Issue Vol. 42, No. 3, Summer Issue 2024. Finally, to give y’all an idea of the type of scholarship presented during the festival and included in the special issue, here is a link to C Liegh McInnis’ edited video presentation of his paper, “‘You Will Be Moved’: Exploring Black Liberation Theology in the Work of Margaret Walker Alexander and Prince.” The complete version of his paper is in the Callaloo special issue along with his poem, “My People.” Other amazing sessions at the festival include the Opening Session, which was a Tribute to the Original Participants hosted my award-winning actress and JSU graduate Tonea Stewart (here), Dr. Maryemma Graham’s keynote, Nikki Giovanni’s talk, and Sonia Sanchez’s talk. For more about Callaloo, go here.

Additionally, Jackson State University’s The Researcher: An Interdisciplinary Journal published a special issue (In Our Own Words: The Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival 50th Anniversary Commemorative Issue) that y’all can read here. Y’all can also purchase a print copy of the issue here. C Liegh McInnis has a poem, “For Sappho, Margaret, Marie, and Iley (After Catherine Pierce’s Message to POL),” and an essay, “The Phillis Wheatley Poetry Festival as Performative Manifestation of Margaret Walker Alexander’s Literary Manifesto and Genius,” included in the issue, along with great works by scholars and poets, such as Dr. Tiffany Caesar, Alissa Rae Funderburk, Angela Stewart, Dr. Craig Meyer, Dr. Shanna Smith, Patricia Jones, Ming Joi, Barbara Brewster Lewis, and Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears. Special thanks to Dr. Candis Pizzetta, editor of The Researcher, for compiling this wonderful special issue. This commemorative issue was crafted before the actual festival as a way to promote and highlight the festival as it was occurring.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis appeared on The Eddrick Show, which is hosted by Eddrick Jerome, a talented writer and award-winning short film producer from Northern California. Jerome is also the former host of The Globe Newspaper Hour on KECG 88.1 FM - More Public Radio in Oakland, CA. (Shoutout to Alice Tisdale, Editor Emeritus of the Jackson Advocate, for McInnis and Jerome.) Brother Jerome asked if C Liegh would discuss songs in which Prince is directly addressing issues specific to the African-American community. Here and here are the YouTube and audio only versions of their discussion. We hope y’all enjoy the discussion, and, of course, feel free to let us know what y’all think.

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Here, here, and here are three very cool music videos celebrating the beauty and brilliance of Jackson, Mississippi, the City with Soul.

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Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angelia Duff has uploaded all of the presentations, panels, and roundtables for the #Come30 Virtual Prince Symposium. To watch all of the events, including C Liegh McInnis’ presentation, “Part I: Come as the Introduction/EP to The Gold Experience or When Life Imitates Art and/or Art Imitates Life in the Artistic Production of Prince,” go here.

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Tougaloo College grad Dr. Howard Rambsy II aka Doc HR is the author of two excellent books, Bad Men: Creative Touchstones of Black Writers and The Black Arts Enterprise and the Production of African American Poetry. He has dedicated time over the years to chronicling the work of C Liegh McInnis at his wonderful website Cultural Front, which can be read here. His latest commentary on McInnis’ work, “A Local Conscious Poet Who Knows a Lot about Prince,” can be read here.

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Poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis was interviewed by the brilliant Scott Woods, editor of Rock Critics.com, which features interviews with some of the most noted music journalists of the past sixty years. (This Scott Woods is not to be confused with the other brilliant Scott Woods who is a noted Prince scholar.) The title of the interview is “The Aesthetics of Prince: An Interview with C Liegh McInnis” and can be read here. It’s a very lengthy interview of C Liegh’s work as a Prince scholar and engages a few things that he hasn’t discussed regarding his work on Prince. One of the coolest parts of the interview is that C Liegh got to shout out Prince scholar Harold Pride about midway through the interview and that he got to shout out the Polished Solid Prince Symposium and What Did Prince Do This Week? at the end of the interview. RockCritics.com is also on Twitter. So, if y’all feel so inclined, locate and checkout his tweet about the interview as well. We hope y’all enjoy the interview and, as always, feel free to respond with your thoughts or feedback.

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The Jackson State University Creative Writing website is live and can be accessed here. Also, to give to this new program, go here. Once you are at the page, complete the amount and contact information, type “Department of English, Creative Writing,” in the “or other” box at the bottom of the form, and submit payment. And, here is a link to poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis discussing the newly established JSU Creative Writing Concentration and Minor.

The JSU Creative Program Writing offers a concentration and minor for its Bachelor of Arts program. Unlike many creative writing programs across the country, JSU’s creative writing concentration and minor will allow students to specialize in multiple genres if they desire. Additionally, unlike most creative writing programs across the country, JSU’s creative writing concentration and minor will encourage and prepare students to use their writing to engage social justice and socio-political issues by offering a capstone class that will match a student with an organization or institution that is doing the type of social justice work that the young writer desires to engage with one’s writing. This new concentration and minor were developed as a collaborative effort between Dr. Ebony Lumumba—Chair, Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears—Graduate Coordinator, and C Liegh McInnis. For more information, contact Dr. Lumumba at ebony.o.lumumba@jsums.edu or Dr. Smith-Spears at rashell.smith-spears@jsums.edu.

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Every Monday at 6:30 p.m., Afrikan Art Gallery & Bookstore (1036 Charles Evers Blvd, Jackson, MS) will hold weekly meetings to discuss and organize around the newly published Long Term Strategic Plan for Black America. For more information, contact Asinia Lukata Chikuyu at afrikan_tbt@yahoo.com.

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The first Tuesday of each month, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., at the Capital Club, Women for Progress of Mississippi, Inc., will host its monthly Lunch and Learn, featuring various women in impactful leadership in the city and around the country. For more information, contact mail@womenforprogress.net.

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Every Wednesday from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m., Dependable Source Corp. Center for Community & Workforce Development, which is a black woman-owned business, hosts The Working Woman Report, which is a live podcast that curates conversations on a variety of topics with professional women. Y’all can join the conversation here, and for more information, contact Willie Jones, owner and CEO of Dependable Source Corp at williejones@drivingyourfuturems.com.

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Every Friday from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m., Refill Jackson—a nonprofit designed to equip young adults ages 18 – 24 with the skills needed to enter the workforce and be self-sufficient—holds its Friday Forums, which are at 136 S. Adams Street Jackson, MS 39203. For more information, contact Nicole McNamee at nmcnamee72@gmail.com or visit their website here.

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The first Friday of each month, at 8:00 p.m. at The Event Center (716 S Gallatin Street), Spoken Soul Open Mic holds its monthly open mic readings and performances. Hosted by Queen Speaks, the cost is $10. All poets and performers welcomed. For more information, contact Erica Garrett at ericamvsu03@gmail.com or (601) 500-3502.

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Each Saturday, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m., at Kennedy King College, Muntu Dance Theatre will facilitate a Community Class with a certified dance instructor. To register, go here, and for more information, contact info-muntu.com@shared1.ccsend.com and go here.

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The first Saturday of each month, the Mississippi Museum of Art will begin its Access for All: Free First Saturdays. For more information, go here.

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The first Saturday of each month, from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX) will host, Earth’s Bounty at the Max, which is held the first Saturday of every month and features:

8:00 – noon: Earth’s Bounty Farmers Market + Live Music

9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Free admission to The MAX

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.: Art activities in upstairs classroom

To register and to learn about vending opportunities, go here.

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The second and fourth Saturday of each month, Dr. RaShell Smith-Spears (rashell.spears@jsums.edu) and Dr. Shanna Smith (shanna.l.smith@jsums.edu) coordinate a creative writing workshop that meets via Zoom. That group has been meeting for almost ten years now, and many of the works developed in that workshop have been published. In fact, I’ve had at least four works that I had workshopped by the group to be published later.

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Two Saturdays a month, Afrikan Art Gallery will host a program, Freedom School Saturdays, for middle and high school students that is modeled after the 1964 Freedom Summer/School Project. The mission is to will help with the intellectual empowerment of our children with course in Civics 101, A Meeting with the Elders: What to Expect in Life, Spiritual Pilgrimage to the Mississippi Delta, Spiritual Pilgrimage to Africatown, AL, photo-journalism exercises, cultural expressions and performances for Black-centered events through their Speech - Choir and Afrikan Cultural Pride Dance Troupe, financial literacy workshops, and so much more. For more information, contact Asinia Lukata Chikuyu at afrikan_tbt@yahoo.com.

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Every Saturday, noted Prince scholar and NYU Professor De Angela Duff hosts, What Did Prince Do This Week?, a very, very, very slow read of Duane Tudahl’s entire Prince Studio Sessions book series through an interactive, online, weekly book club web series. Professor Duff will be live via Streamyard video every Saturday at noon ET on YouTube and Facebook to discuss the parallel week, beginning in 1983. The weekly discussion will be recorded if y’all cannot attend the livestream. The first Saturday of the series, Duff was joined by Tudahl, and y’all can watch the recording of the first session here. To get notifications or to join Duff’s listserv, go to

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The last Saturday of every month, from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., Mississippi Writer’s Guild and Mississippi Songwriter’s Alliance partner for writer’s meeting and workshop at The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX). Whether songwriter, poet, author, all writers are welcome. This is a time for writers to network and write together and have breakout sessions. Every writer is welcome to participate because we inspire each other. For more information, go here.

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Every Sunday from 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Afrikan Art Gallery & Bookstore (800 North Farish Street) will hold stimulating conversations, robust debates, and strategic action-step planning for an improved lifestyle for Afrikans. These meetings will be facilitated by the Coalition for Economic Empowerment, and for more information contact Jean at (769) 572-7441 and Asinia Lukata Chikuyu at afrikan_tbt@yahoo.com.

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Each Sunday at 5:00 p.m. CST, award-winning novelist Ellen Morris Prewitt, author of In the Name of Mississippi, and Alisha Johnson Perry, children’s book author, social justice advocate, and certified fundraising executive, have joined forces to establish Contemplative Writing Group. Each week is led by a member of the group. They catch up on their writing week, then the leader offers a contemplative writing prompt. They write for 30 - 40 minutes and share if anyone want. It’s come-and-go/participate when you can and of indefinite duration—as long as folks are getting something from it, the workshop will be offered. To join the group, folks can email the School of Contemplative Living at livingschool12@gmail.com or go here.

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Mississippi-based funnymen Merc B. Williams and Cocky McFly...real-life brothers…have joined forces to create The Vibe Controllers, which is a podcast that shows the two of them in their natural element discussing various topics, with a little humor and lots of sibling banter! Y’all can checkout the podcast via Soundcloud or YouTube at soundcloud.com/thevibecontrollers and The Vibe Controllers Podcast - YouTube.

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Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA) has posted its exhibits and events for August. To see all exhibits and events go here.

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August 28 – 29, 2026, at 9:00 a.m., both days, at Refill Jackson, will feature Dr. LuFunya Porter, Coordinator of the Jackson State University Continuing Education Learning Center, who will discuss “JSU Continuing Education Learning Center: Changing Lives, One Student at a Time.” Then, join the Refill Group for the Saturday Breakfast Club, which is an informal dialogue on various topics. For more information about both events, contact Nicole McNamee at nmcnamee72@gmail.com.

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August 28, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., at the Waller Crafts Center in Ridgeland, Mississippi, storyteller, visual artist, and longtime arts activist Diane Williams—author of The Life and Legacy of B.B. King: A Mississippi Blues Icon and co-author of A Guide to Mississippi Museums—will give a book talk, reading, and signing at The Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi to promote her new book, Fostering Love: Resilience, Growth, and Triumph, which is a memoir based on the author’s early life. Williams was born to an incarcerated mother in Union Township, New Jersey. She was placed in the foster care system at birth; she spent the first 10 years of her life with her maternal great-grandmother and her step-great-grandfather until she was removed from her household when her great grandmother died. Williams’ life turned 360 degrees afterward from stability to a story like the Land of Oz – wild and untamed. In Fostering Love, she describes the snow blizzards and beastly winds she endured and how surviving the scars and setting goals gave Williams direction and new life. To purchase a copy of Fostering Love: Resilience, Growth, and Triumph, go here. For more information Williams’ talk and the festival, go here.

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August 28, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. at the Jackson Convention Complex, Jackson, Mississippi, native, comedian, emcee, musician (wonderful drummer), singer, and Emmy Award winner Rita Brent will host her variety show, Late Night with Rita Brent, with special guest Lil Rel Howery and others. Here is an excerpt from the opening monologue of a previous episode. It’s not just funny. It’s Dick Gregory, George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Paul Mooney level of artistry. She takes Mississippi Governor Tater Tot’s flippant comments on the Nolan Wells case and deconstructs them to the marrow of their racism and ignorance. More than an entertainer, Brent strives to be an artist whose work makes us think and laugh. To be clear, she’s all about the good time and the party. But, she is also the epitome of partying with a purpose, and her purpose is to use her art to comfort, heal, educate, and inspire. For more information about the next Late Night with Rita Brent, see the calendar of events below. Along with being a nationally noted comedian who appears weekly on the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, her hit single, “Raised in the ‘Sipp” made waves all around the country, and y’all can watch it here. I’m digging this, and I’m not even a hip-hop head. Her previous single, “Kamala,” was all over YouTube, CNN, and just about everywhere. Y’all can vibe to “Kamala” here and the 2024 remix here. As a multitalented artist, I’ve long proclaimed that Rita B is as equally talented as a triple threat like Jamie Foxx. (Of course, no one touches Sammy Davis, Jr., as a multitalented artist, but that’s a debate for another time.) Jacktown aka Jackfrica is extremely proud of our hometown girl who always keeps us laughing and dancing while thinking. Rita B will tickle your funny bone while stimulating your mind. For those not familiar with the artistry of Rita B, I’ll leave y’all with two of my favorite works by her. The first is her song, “Can You Rock Me Like a Pothole?” The second is her routine about substitute teachers. Checkout both and go to her Website, YouTube, and Facebook page and follow her to remain current with what she’ll be doing. For more information about the upcoming show, go here and here.

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August 28 – 30, 2026, the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation will host a three-day Emmett Till 71st Anniversary Commemoration Weekend in Jackson, Mississippi, to honor Emmett Till’s life and legacy with a weekend of reflection, education, empowerment, and engagement.

Day One will include a press conference at the Mississippi State Capitol followed by A Time For Unity in Black and White (wear black and white attire), which will be a moment of silence at Myrlie’s Garden, a community green space and memorial, near the Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument. Next, folks are invited to visit the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum for free admission. That will be followed by a free TILL movie screening and talk back, concluding with a candlelight vigil and unity prayer all at the Jackson State University Rose E. McCoy Auditorium.

Day Two will begin with the departure of the Till Trail of Tears and Terror Bus Tour, which will travel to locations and sites through the Delta, along Emmett’s final journey and more. There will be opportunities to connect with others who are passionate about legacy, civil rights, history, voting, and the wellbeing of our future generations.

Day Three will conclude the weekend with Worship Together in White at Farish Street Baptist Church, providing an opportunity for participants to break bread together with a meal, a call to action, and a sendoff for safe travels back to our various destinations. For more information and the full itinerary, go here and here.

And, to get y’all ready for the festivities, here is the link to poet, short story writer, and Prince scholar C Liegh McInnis reading his poem, “Remembering Emmett Till (in Five Haiku Movements),” which was written for the 70th Commemoration of the Lynching of Emmett Till and published in Monument Lab’s special issue of Bulletin on the “Life and Legacy of Mamie and Emmett Till,” that can be purchased here, and, next, here is the link to C Liegh reading the 12-inch version of the poem at the 70th Commemoration of the Lynching of Emmett Till, which was held on the campus of Mississippi Valley State University. Finally, to watch the award-willing film, Till, go here.

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August 29, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., the Emmett Till Interpretative Center will gather in the Mississippi Delta at the Mound Bayou Museum of African American Culture & History for the 71st Anniversary Memorial Service and Wreath Laying Ceremony, to remember Emmett Till and pay tribute to his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, for her courage and unwavering fight for justice in his name. This will be a one-day commemoration that will feature a host of Civil Rights luminaries, scholars, and artists to remember, study, and commemorate the beautiful soul and tragic murder of Emmett Till and the power and grace of Mamie Till-Mobley. For a list of the participants, go here. To learn more about the commemoration, including the day’s full agenda, go here and here. Finally, to watch the award-willing film, Till, go here.

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August 29, 2026, at 1:00 p.m., at The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience (The MAX), storyteller, visual artist, and longtime arts activist Diane Williams—author of The Life and Legacy of B.B. King: A Mississippi Blues Icon and co-author of A Guide to Mississippi Museums—will be the featured guest speaker for the monthly Writer’s Meeting and Workshop, sponsored jointly by The Mississippi Writer’s Guild and Mississippi Songwriter’s Alliance, to promote her new book, Fostering Love: Resilience, Growth, and Triumph, which is a memoir based on the author’s early life. Williams was born to an incarcerated mother in Union Township, New Jersey. She was placed in the foster care system at birth; she spent the first 10 years of her life with her maternal great-grandmother and her step-great-grandfather until she was removed from her household when her great grandmother died. Williams’ life turned 360 degrees afterward from stability to a story like the Land of Oz – wild and untamed. In Fostering Love, she describes the snow blizzards and beastly winds she endured and how surviving the scars and setting goals gave Williams direction and new life. To purchase a copy of Fostering Love: Resilience, Growth, and Triumph, go here. For more information Williams’ talk, go here and here.

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Through August 31, 2026, at the Arts Center of Mississippi, Jackson State University Creative Writing major Grace Elinski’s Roadside! will be on exhibit. Roadside! is a collection of black and white photography that captures the imagery of familiar but often abandoned road signs and buildings around Mississippi. To learn more about and connect with Elinski, go here, here, and here. And, to learn more about the Artist Talk and Roadside!, go here and here.

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September 2, 2026, at noon, the Mississippi Department of Archives and History will present its weekly History Is Lunch, featuring Jackson, MS, native, noted poet, editor and Jackson State University Visiting Associated Professor of English, Dr. Kelly Ellis to discuss her poetry collection, Solum. Centered on the life of her great-grandfather, George Asbury Kelley, a shoemaker at the Jackson Shoe Hospital, Solum explores family history through poetry. Ellis will discuss how she constructs narratives using government documents, archival information, family photos, oral histories, and family lore. This free event will take place in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Two Mississippi Museums and will stream live on the MDAH Facebook page and YouTube channel. For more information on History Is Lunch: Kelly Ellis, “Informed Imagination: Hard Research and Poetic Narratives,” go here, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.

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September 2, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., at Millsaps College, Tougaloo College’s School of Humanities in partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council, Millsaps College, and St. Andrews Episcopal School will host a month-long, free Community Reading Series, exploring Dr. B. Brian Foster’s compelling work, I Don’t Like the Blues: Race, Place, & the Backbeat of Black Life. Whether you’re a student, faculty member, staff, or community member, this is a timely opportunity to engage with Foster’s powerful exploration of music, culture, and Black life in America. Dr. Foster will attend the first session, and the month-long discussion will culminate in October with free admission to Blue Monday, a weekly blues jam session featuring some of Mississippi’s most noted musicians and singers, at Hal and Mal’s (an evening of celebration with our reading cohort!). If you’d like to participate, contact Dr. Miranda Freeman—Dean of the School of Humanities—at mfreeman@tougaloo.edu. We hope you’ll join us for this enriching series and help support a vital conversation about race, place, and culture in our community. For more information, go here and here.

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September 9, 2026, at 5:30 p.m., at Millsaps College, Tougaloo College’s School of Humanities in partnership with the Mississippi Humanities Council, Millsaps College, and St. Andrews Episcopal School will host a month-long, free Community Reading Series, exploring Dr. B. Brian Foster’s compelling work, I Don’t Like the Blues: Race, Place, & the Backbeat of Black Life. Whether you’re a student, faculty member, staff, or community member, this is a timely opportunity to engage with Foster’s powerful exploration of music, culture, and Black life in America. Dr. Foster will attend the first session, and the month-long discussion will culminate in October with free admission to Blue Monday, a weekly blues jam session featuring some of Mississippi’s most noted musicians and singers, at Hal and Mal’s (an evening of celebration with our reading cohort!). If you’d like to participate, contact Dr. Miranda Freeman—Dean of the School of Humanities—at mfreeman@tougaloo.edu. We hope you’ll join us for this enriching series and help support a vital conversation about race, place, and culture in our community. For more information, go here and here.