鈥楽tory State鈥 shines spotlight on new era of Mississippi storytellers
Contact: Sam Kealhoefer
STARKVILLE, Miss.鈥斞侵奚墒悠碘檚 Department of Communication is hosting a statewide virtual event bringing together more than a dozen storytellers aimed to help the next generation find their place in the genealogy of Mississippi writers.
The Feb. 25 event 鈥淪tory State: Fostering Innovative Storytelling鈥 gathers storytellers of different genres to share their experiences and offer advice. The event is free and open to the public and will be broadcast at 1 p.m. from .听
Story State seeks to honor Mississippi鈥檚 artistic heritage as the birthplace of the blues and home to famous writers and artists, as well as demonstrate how new creators have transformed the face of storytelling.
鈥淓veryone knows about Faulkner, Welty, Elvis and Robert Johnson, but there are a whole lot of other great storytellers in Mississippi,鈥 said Josh Foreman, an instructor in the communication department and chair of this year鈥檚 Story State planning committee.
Leading this year鈥檚 slate of storytellers is Anna Wolfe, a Mississippi Today reporter and top investigative journalist. Wolfe has spent more than five years reporting on poverty and economic justice in the Magnolia State and has received national recognition for her work. She will give participants a behind-the-scenes look at her experience reporting on the state鈥檚 鈥渞estitution centers鈥濃攚hat she terms 鈥渄ebtors鈥 prisons.鈥
In addition to Wolfe, other speakers and topics include:
鈥Duwayne Burnside, Mississippi Blues singer, discussion and performance of Hill Country blues.
鈥David Garraway, MSU Television Center director, creative and engaging video storytelling.
鈥Jonathan Harris, Northern Gulf Institute outreach coordinator, and Tonya Hays, award-winning playwright and MSU assistant professor of communication, their original play focusing on the subject of climate change and its potential impacts on the Gulf Coast region.
鈥Zach Lancaster, a core crew member for HGTV鈥檚 鈥淗ome Town,鈥 will talk about the television production.听
听鈥Rick Looser, nationally known public relations professional, overturning stereotypes through his Mississippi Believe It! campaign.听
鈥Francine Reynolds, artistic director at New Stage Theatre in Jackson, what makes Mississippi history a perfect subject for theatre.
鈥Benjamin Saulsberry, tour coordinator at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, how the Emmett Till Memorial Commission is working to create racial harmony.
鈥Steve Soltis, senior adviser with MAS Leadership Communication and former communication executive for the Coca-Cola Company and UPS, roundtable discussion on the storytelling side of marketing. Soltis will be joined by Paul Summers, winemaker at Knight鈥檚 Gambit Vineyards in Charlottesville, Virginia; Benjamin West, Europe brand director at Veuve Clicquot; and聽Derek Irby and Jean Mohammadi-Aragh Irby, founders of Mayhew Junction Brewery.
鈥Ryan Starrett, author of 鈥淒allas Tough: Historic Tales of Grit, Audacity and Defiance,鈥 stories of the dead.听
鈥Michael Williams, writer, director and cinematographer, the creative process of video production.
Additionally, the communication department has invited undergraduate students from universities and colleges around the state to submit original nonfiction writing, podcasts and short documentary films as part of a Story State Storytelling Competition. Three of these submissions will receive Master Storyteller awards during the event.
Part of MSU鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Communication is online at .
MSU is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at .