OXFORD, Miss. – Blues music bookends the 21st Oxford Conference for the Book, set for March 26-28 at the University of Mississippi.
Presented by the UM Center for the Study of Southern Culture and Square Books, the program, which is free and open to the public, includes readings, panel discussions and talks by more than 45 talented writers from across the nation.
“The strength of the Oxford Conference for the Book is that it serves several distinct audiences among the many book fans in Oxford and around the region: the dedicated crowd devoted to literary fiction and poetry, the academic community, students of journalism and advocates for literacy and education,” said Becca Walton, associate director of projects at the CSSC. “The center’s mission is to inspire interdisciplinary conversations, and we work hard to do that for this conference.”
The conference, a program of the CSSC, is also dedicated to emphasizing social justice issues, Walton said. She also said she is particularly excited about the Lafayette County Literacy Council’s forum on adult and family literacy, which continues a long history of conference discussions of literacy education, led by the Barksdale Institute and others.
This year’s conference is held in conjunction with the Southern Literary Festival, an organization of Southern colleges and schools founded in 1937 to promote Southern literature.
The opening day’s events begin at 11:30 a.m., with a welcome lunch hosted by the university’s J.D. Williams Library and featuring a lecture by Greg Johnson, blues curator, and Derrick Harriell, assistant professor of English and African-American studies. The event is free, but reservations are encouraged.
Johnson co-wrote “100 Books Every Blues Fan Should Own” with former blues archivist Ed Komara, and the book serves as a guide for any blues fan looking for a road map through the history of the blues, even chronicling the history of scholarship on the genre. Harriell will discuss the long tradition of blues poetry and read from his collection, “Cotton.”
At 1:30 p.m., Ted Ownby, CSSC director, moderates the Fiction, Memory and Southern History panel with Jonathan O’Dell, Bill Cheng and Françoise Hamlin. At 3 p.m., Curtis Wilkie, Cook Chair and associate professor of journalism, moderates a journalism forum with H. Brandt Ayers, Denise Kiernan, Ben Bradlee Jr and Ed Williams.
Thursday (March 27) begins with the young readers programs for 1,200 first- and fifth-graders. The programs feature Drew Daywalt, author of “The Day the Crayons Quit,” and Obert Skye, author of “Wonkenstein.”
“Both the Lafayette and Oxford school librarians and teachers have been particularly active this year in designing programming in the schools to bring the books and the experience of reading to life,” Walton said.
The program’s goal is to bring books to life and, hopefully, spark a lifetime love of reading, said Meridith Wulff, director of the Lafayette County Literacy Council.
“The Young Authors Fair is a great example of what happens when local groups collaborate,” Wulff said. “Thanks to our partnership with the book conference, our wonderful local schools and others in the community, especially the Junior Auxiliary, we’re able to give every first-grader in the Oxford and Lafayette County school districts with a copy of this best-selling children’s book, incorporate it in fun and engaging ways into the curriculum during the week leading up to the event, and provide students the rare opportunity to hear the author speak and answer their questions.”
Thursday’s panels include a conversation about documentary photography moderated by David Wharton, UM director of documentary studies and assistant professor of Southern studies, with photographers Maude Schuyler Clay, George Thompson, Tom Rankin, Deborah Luster, David Skolkin and publisher George Thompson; and a poetry panel, moderated by English professor Beth Ann Fennelly, with Tess Taylor, Steve Scafidi and Kevin Young. Author Jack Pendarvis moderates a panel on hybrid forms with Aurelie Sheehan, Leanne Shapton, Luke Geddes and Michael Garriga.
Thacker Mountain Radio hosts a special Oxford Conference for the Book show at 6 p.m. at Off Square Books, 129 Courthouse Square.
On Friday (March 28), the Literacy Council leads a discussion focusing on adult and family literacy.
“Our panelists are the ones in the trenches – the ones doing the work day after day – to fight illiteracy in northern Mississippi and Memphis,” Wulff said. “We’re excited to learn from them. We’re also eager to hear from and raise awareness about illiteracy in our own community as we prepare to launch an adult literacy program in Lafayette County later this year.”
Other panels explore a range of topics, including feminism and American crime fiction, Robert Johnson in story and song, and food and travel writing.
This year’s schedule of readings, organized with the leadership of Square Books, is particularly strong, drawing a number of both established and up-and-coming writers such as Kiese Laymon, Susan Minot, Lorrie Moore, Amy Greene and Deborah Johnson.
Concluding the book conference and the Southern Literary Festival is the Celebration of North Mississippi Hill Country Music with Sharde Thomas and the Rising Star Fife and Drum Band, the Rev. John Wilkins and Duwayne Burnside, at 9 p.m. at the Powerhouse, 413 South 14th St.
To see a full schedule and learn more about the guest authors, see locations for events and learn how to get a parking pass, visit the conference website at http://oxfordconferenceforthebook.com.