Diane Williams with MISSISSIPPI FOLK AND THE TALES THEY TELL (Pop-Up Oxford)

Thursday, January 26, 2017 – 6:00pm

From the hills to the coast, the people of Mississippi have stories to tell. Most would never guess that Raleigh, Mississippi, once played host to the National Tobacco Spitting Contest. Over in Okolona, children are told of the man who lived–and died–deep down in a hole and scared passersby. From the gandy dancers who built the first train tracks in Mississippi to the eight-foot-tall man who lived in the woods of Columbia, read tales that range from common myth to a good bit of righteous gossip. Author and storyteller Diane

Williams traveled across the Magnolia State to gather these local legends and has compiled them into an inquisitive, laugh-out-loud collection.

About the Author
Diane Williams is an oral historian, performance artist and storyteller living in Mississippi. She is the director of grants for the Mississippi Arts Commission, board member of the Mississippi Alliance for Arts Educators and member of the Mississippi Humanities Council Speakers Bureau. She has presented at numerous Mississippi museums and writers’ festivals in addition to acting as an enrichment instructor at Millsaps College and Jackson State University.