The Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration

Mississippi: A Tapestry of American Life

The Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration Returns this February

For the thirty-third year, the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration (NLCC) will draw some of the nation’s most intriguing minds to the Bluff City. Held from February 24–26, this year’s conference will feature a slate of filmmakers, Pulitzer Prize winners, authors, and historians who will spend the weekend exploring Mississippi as “A Tapestry of American Life”. “Over the years, the scholarship in this area has quadrupled,” said Betty Jo Harris, Coordinator of the NLCC. “With new technology and what scholars are able to discover, there have just been a plethora of books being written about the lower Mississippi region.” With a background that includes coordinating events at an independent bookshop, teaching history, and fundraising—Harris could not have been more perfectly poised to curate the lineup for this year’s Celebration. Things will kick off with Thursday night’s film night, featuring screenings of Natchez native Brian Duong’s short film Smoot’s and Patrick O’ Connor’s documentary on the changing of the Mississippi state flag, Look Away, Look Away. Friday will proceed with a series of panel discussions and lectures from regional scholars, including Dr. Cory James Young from the University of Nebraska, who will discuss the history of the Pennsylvania businessmen who came to Natchez to make their fortunes and left behind some of the area’s most iconic plantations, including Melrose and Dunleith. A lecture from Sarah Duggan of the Historic New Orleans Collection will follow, featuring examples of Pennsylvania furniture and decorative arts still present in Natchez homes. The day will end at the Mississippi School of Folk Arts with indigo dyeing workshops, jambalaya, and the Krewe of Phoenix Mardi Gras Parade. Highlights from Saturday’s schedule include a reading from New Orleans author Maurice Ruffin from his short story collection The Ones Who Don’t Say They Love You and a lecture from 2020 Pulitzer Prize winner Caleb McDaniel, author of The Sweet Taste of Liberty. Learn more about this year’s NLCC at colin.edu/nlcc or by calling (601) 446-1104.