The Mississippi Book Festival — “Where are my people at?”
I had the pleasure of attending the Mississippi Book Festival, which is held each August in the state's largest city, Jackson. I was able to see a wide variety of interesting authors including Jon Meacham, Rick Bragg, and the author of one of my favorite books, Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier.
Jackson is a city that is over 80% Black, so I expected to see a significant number of Black authors. While the number of Black authors showcased were in the
This was the most thoughtful response I received in reaction to my question to my question:
Dear Troy,
I really enjoy your book posts and look forward to each. You asked if anyone from MS could tell you why the festival is poorly attended bt Black people here. I'm going to attempt an answer but you will have a hard time believing it.
My husband and I moved here in late April and it has been an eye opening experience. There is very little in the way of publi