MS E-book Competition to Resume in Particular person for the First Time in Two Years

By Makayla Steede

College of Mississippi Journalism Scholar

The Mississippi E-book Competition returns to an in-person occasion on the State Capitol as we speak for the primary time since COVID-19 pressured it to turn out to be a digital occasion for 2 years. 

“The MS E-book Competition highlights the easiest of Mississippi,” Ellen Daniel, the pageant’s government director, mentioned. “Mississippi will get loads of unhealthy PR, however for someday a 12 months, a extremely vibrant mild shines on Mississippi, and we get to rejoice our literary legacy.”

The pageant will happen on the Mississippi State Capitol constructing and grounds from 9 a.m. to five p.m., and it’ll characteristic greater than 170 authors and 40 panels. C-SPAN will cowl the occasion. 

“We carry authors from everywhere in the nation right here, and we rejoice books, e book lovers and authors,” Daniels mentioned. 

Among the authors in attendance shall be Alice Walker, Angie Thomas, Nic Stone, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Kiese Laymon, Tiffany D. Jackson and Lauren Groff. 

The pageant workers works carefully with occasion director Hillary Taylor at Lemuria Books in Jackson to plan the pageant and inventory books by authors who’re attending. 

 “A variety of the authors who’re chosen for the Mississippi E-book Competition panels are authors now we have labored with on the retailer earlier than,” Taylor mentioned. “We all know their books, our neighborhood is aware of their books, so it’s a whole lot of enjoyable to get folks enthusiastic about them visiting on a big scale. We additionally order in and inventory each e book by each writer that shall be attending the pageant.”

Competition-goers can even have the ability to purchase books and meet the authors to have their books signed.

Lemuria is the official bookseller for the  pageant. 

“We wish to say that the Mississippi E-book Competition is like Christmas in someday at Lemuria, so it’s an enormous deal,” Taylor mentioned. “It’s an vital day for us, nevertheless it’s additionally an vital day for our state.”

 A number of different impartial bookstores from throughout Mississippi, together with Bay Books, Sq. Books and Violet Valley Books, can even arrange store on the grounds of the capitol  to promote books and retailer merchandise. 

A few of this 12 months’s panel titles embrace, “Grisham Writers in Residence,” “The Nice Migration,” “Catalysts for Change,” “The Artwork of E-book Making,” “Decidedly Southern,” “Debut” and “E-book Membership Picks.” 

Writer and poet Melissa Ginsburg shall be a panelist on the “Poetry” panel, moderated by Adam Clay, with different poets Katie Pierce, Joshua Nguyen, Saddiq Dzukogi and James Dickson. 

“I really like all of those poets’ work, and it’s so totally different,” Ginsburg mentioned. “It ought to be a extremely enjoyable dialog and introduction to some thrilling new poems. I’ll be studying from my new e book, “Doll Apollo,” which offers with paper dolls, the Apollo moon touchdown, gender and want, woven by means of with pictures of Mississippi’s panorama.” 

Ginsburg has attended the pageant a number of occasions over time and appears ahead to it every year- not only for the chance to debate her personal work. 

“The e book pageant is a lot enjoyable; it’s so well-organized and actually does really feel like a celebration,” Ginsburg mentioned “It’s a pleasure to fulfill and spend time with different authors, and to speak to new readers from everywhere in the state and past. Additionally to buy. It’s exhausting to withstand shopping for everyone’s books.” 

Everyone seems to be welcome to attend the free occasion.

“It’s vital that it’s free and open to the general public as a result of the enjoyment and love of studying must be accessible everybody,” Daniels mentioned. “We’re staunch in that perception, and this occasion will at all times be free and open to the general public. To not knock different festivals, however many festivals throughout the nation, you recognize, are ticketed, they usually cost.” 

The pageant web site advises attendees to plan ahead and prioritize the occasions that sound essentially the most interesting to them.

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