THE POETRY SCENE IN MISSISSIPPI

        

I had never thought much about the Poetry Scene in Mississippi. I have not visited there, nor ever had much of a desire to be there. Of course we have all heard stories about the great, muddy Mississippi river. Other than that, I wasn't too interested in what I might find there. To my great surprise and delight, I found that it is a state that has given us many great poets. The towns all boast of their literary appreciation and great universities. If you walk down the main street of any town, you will find it abounds with book stores, literary organizations and writers guilds. You will also find three major Colleges there, the Mississippi State University, University of Mississippi and the University of Southern Mississippi Center for Writers. Many writers have obtained their PhD's from one of these Universities. The main downtown area of any sizable town in Mississippi boasts quaint little bookstores, coffee shops or gift shops where the main best sellers are…what else?….Books!  Old, new, slightly used, novels, poetry, history books…you name it and you will find it there. Some of the better known poets from Mississippi are Winifred Hamrick Farrar who was appointed Mississippi State Poet Laureate on July 31, 1978.Other names you might recognize are Etheridge Knight, Al Young, Angela Ball, Brooks Haxton, G.E Patterson, J.E. Brooks and Liz Waldner. Many of these poets are famous for their poetry about Mississippi.