By Courtney Warren
The Mississippi Book Festival recently took place, and it was just as magical as always. The lawn of the Capitol was filled with book vendors, authors, nonprofit organizations, and more as the push for literacy continues. I look forward to it every year, and this year was just as wonderful.
I started my day off listening to Kate McKinnon, who addressed a full sanctuary as she talked about the magic of her book The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science. I had no idea she’d written a book, so when my best friend Lindsay said we had to go, I naturally purchased every book in the series.
This did not disappoint in the slightest. What I loved the most about her panel was that she couldn’t stay seated and on stage. Every few minutes, she was up and walking around, specifically looking for young readers in the audience. It was such an authentic interaction.
There were two younger girls in the pew in front of us, and when McKinnon announced that not only was the third and final book in the trilogy releasing in a few days, because of the festival, we were able to purchase it right then. The two girls began bouncing in their seats and tugging on their mom’s sweater in excitement. It was so awesome! It really showed the impact of a good story. As McKinnon walked around the sanctuary asking about hobbies and favorite reptiles, not a single child mentioned gaming, their phones, or the like. It was refreshing, truly.
After getting our books signed, the next panel we attended was Love, Identity, and the Harlem Renaissance. I originally attended because I was most excited to hear Victoria Christopher Murray, who wrote Harlem Rhapsody, but was also excited to listen to her in conversation with journalist and activist George M. Johnson.
Johnson wrote All Boys Aren’t Blue, and, for this particular panel, he talked about his new book Flamboyants: The Queer Harlem Renaissance I Wish I’d Known. Let me tell you, so much of what I learned about the Harlem Renaissance was not taught to me within the walls of Delta State University.
The two authors talked about the research that went into their books, as well as the importance of the art they create and how it impacts the world around them. I oftentimes forget that writing is an art form, even as I sit here and write now. In the age of AI, we truly are losing our abilities to create, which is heartbreaking.
Johnson and Murray both talked about spending hours sifting through the letters of W.E.B. Du Bois and others to learn more about the time period. They both laughed at the gossip shared among Langston Hughes and the receivers of his letters. Did you know he sent a fruit basket to the wedding of Countee Cullen and Yolande Du Bois because it was an open secret in the community that Cullen was a gay man? Hughes later joked about the gift in a letter to Zora Neale Hurston! It makes me wonder what will happen decades from now, as we have moved from letter writing and even from writing our own statuses or captions, and are more focused on AI doing the writing for us.
If anything, this was just another reminder that we need to fight this literacy crisis and ensure we are all not only reading, but writing, as well. Even if you are just writing your own caption for a photo, avoid clicking the buttons. We are already seeing evidence of a loss of creativity and cognitive ability due to AI usage, and specifically generative AI.
All of that to say, I encourage you to create something.
Go to the Madison County Library System Canton branch, and check out one of the books I mentioned.
Visit with the people of the historical society or with Canton Tourism, and listen to them tell you the history of our town. Let that give you inspiration as you take your next walk through the square.
There is magic in our community and in our stories. We just need to grab it with both hands and not let go.
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