by Kelly Pickerill

This week at Lemuria we’ve got some great events. The books, one about an Episcopal priest who was an integral force in the civil rights movement, another a collection of letters between one of Jackson’s most beloved authors and the editor of The New Yorker, and the third a chronicle of the blues people and places that shaped Mississippi music, are all worth checking out. The events themselves, however, are what will be most exciting. They’ll all be in our Dot Com building, and each will be a unique experience, featuring either a guest speaker, great food and fun, or live music.

First up, on Tuesday, May 10th starting at 5pm:

Araminta Stone Johnson presents And One Was a Priest: The Life and Times of Duncan M. Gray Jr.

Duncan M. Gray Jr. served various Mississippi parishes from 1953 to 1974, when he was elected bishop of Mississippi. But the story of his life is more than a story of his religious commitment to the Episcopal Church in Mississippi. Gray was a devotee of civil rights and a great player in the fight for racial equality. During our event, not only will Araminta Stone Johnson speak about her book and the life of Gray, but Bishop Duncan M. Gray Jr. will also be here to answer questions and sign the book. Book Friends of the University Press of Mississippi are hosting the event.

Then on Thursday, May 12th starting at 5pm:

Suzanne Marrs presents
What There Is to Say We Have Said: The Correspondence of Eudora Welty and William Maxwell

Marrs is best known as Eudora Welty’s friend and biographer, and her new book contains never before published letters between Welty and William Maxwell, the editor of The New Yorker, of whom Welty wrote, “For fiction writers, he was the headquarters.” Reading their letters gives one a personal peep into the life of writers of the time, including James Thurber, William Shawn, Katherine Anne Porter, J. D. Salinger, Isak Dinesen, William Faulkner, John Updike, Virginia Woolf, Walker Percy, Ford Madox Ford, and John Cheever.  There will be food and wine and lots of good literary talk.

And to end the week with a bang, on Friday, May 13th starting at 5pm:

Roger Stolle presents
Hidden History of Mississippi Blues

Stolle’s book focuses on the blues musicians who shaped our music heritage and those who keep it alive. Cathead Vodka, born in Mississippi and a proud supporter of live music, is co-sponsoring the event, which will include performances by Jimmy “Duck” Holmes before and afterwards. Come out to hear the blues, talk about music, and drink our famous $1 beer.

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