Mississippi News Headlines

Hey Y'all,

Below are a few reminders as well as a couple of new announcements about upcoming events. A lot is happening around the Jackson-Metro area. Support what you can and remember that all national artists were once local artists.

Tune into 97.7 on Sundays from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. for Neo Soul Cafe'. Along with music, poets are featured throughout the program. C. Liegh McInnis will be one of the many poets featured this Sunday. We apologize that we have been unable to get a list of other poets who will also be featured this Sunday. For any poet who will be featured on any of the upcoming shows, please send us an email so that we can let folks know.

On Sunday, June 22, 2008 at Seven* Studioz starting at 9:00 p.m., Southern Roots Collective will be back in town. The cost is $10.00. This event will feature noted artists and activist M.U.G.A.B.E.E., which is a duo of poet/singer Carlton Turner and musician/singer Maurice Turner. The duo has been touring the country using their art to impact various social and political issues, and they will be home for this event. The night will also feature noted poets Sunni Patterson and Saddi Khali. Patterson is a poet and singer who lends her talents to various social and political struggles around the world, and Khali is a winner of the Tom Dent Award for Literature and has been published in various journals and anthologies. The collective will be joined by composer, pianist, and bandleader Courtney Bryan. Bryan is a graduate of the Louis Armstrong Jazz Camp and holds academic degrees from the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, a BA in Music Composition from Oberlin Conservatory, a MA in jazz piano from Rutgers University, and is currently pursuing a doctorate of musical arts at Columbia University. Between her academic pursuits, Bryan leads the Courtney Bryan Trio and co-leads the Bryan/Weiss Jazz Orchestra. Also, local poet Jarad Avant will be featured, and his first collection of poetry, Word Is Bond, should be released sometime this summer.

On Thursday, June 26 at 6:00 p.m., the Richard Wright Library (515 McDowell Road) will host the forum: Hip Hop: Friend or Enemy to Women. Panelists include E of Causin’ Drama Entertainment, radio personality Berlinda White, Jokah of Muzic 4 da People, community activist Valencia Robinson, and Jackson Advocate Assistant Editor Deanna Tisdale. The panel will be moderated by C. A. Webb. For more information call (601) 307-1851 or cawebb4@juno.com

On Friday, June 27 at Seven* Studioz (147 Millsaps Avenue), poet, rapper, singer AJC will be performing new material from his upcoming CD, The Weather Where I’m From, as well as old favorites from his first CD. His last show in May was filled to capacity and featured some other excellent local talent. This show promises to be the same. AJC’s new CD features his lyrical prowess, a soulful emotional range in his vocals, and songs that explore the spectrum of spirituality, romance, and social issues. For more information contact ajc_205@hotmail.com or go to www.myspace.com/musicbyajc.

On Saturday, June 28, 2008, Conversations Book Club, in partnership with Richard Wright Library and their literary partners, will be hosting the "Second Annual Statewide Book Club Meet and Greet" in Jackson, MS on Saturday, June 28, 2008. The event will take place at the Richard Wright Library (515 W. McDowell Road) and will be geared toward allowing all book clubs and book lovers throughout the state to come together and discuss what unites them all: Books! From 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon, meet and greet with authors and book lovers (Bring your lunch as well as your books to get them signed). From 12:00 noon – 1:00 p.m., Forum: The Business of Books (Authors discuss the joys and politics of publishing). From 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Forum: The Pros and Cons of Book Clubs (Can they do more harm than good?). From 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Open Forum, What are YOU reading? Book lovers speak about what's hot and what's not.

Each session will be moderated by Conversations Book Club President Cyrus A. Webb. Confirmed authors include bestselling authors Diane Dorce' (author of Devil in the Mist and 52 Broad Street), Electa Rome Parks (author of Ladies’ Night Out, Almost Doesn’t Count, Loose Ends, The Ties that Bind, and These Are my Confessions), V. L. Green (When Destinies Meet), Supreme Understanding (How to Hustle and Win), Voncele Savage (A Letter to my Sisters), and Tina Brooks McKinney (All that Drama, Lawd Mo’ Drama, and Fool Stop Trippin’). Admission to the day's events is free.

For more information, contact Berlinda White at (601) 307-1851 or Cyrus A. Webb at cawebb4@juno.com. If you are a book club or author who would like to participate in the scheduled discussions, email Webb at cawebb4@juno.com.

On Saturday, June 28, 2008, at T’s Lounge (1900 Hwy 80 W) local neo-soul/funk/jazz band Eclectik Soul will be holding a CD release party for their first CD, Eclectik Soul. The band has been playing around the area for a couple of years to rave reviews, and their first CD captures the energy and musicianship of their live shows and combines it with lyrical depth that inspires and invigorates. Admission is $5.00, and the show will also feature AJC, 7even-thirty and 5th Child. For more information, contact (601) 259-8517 or go to www.myspace.com/ecleticksoul3.

Do not forget to support the poetry nights at Cafe' Seven*, located at 161 Millsaps Avenue, in the Millsaps Art District. Thursday night there is open mic poetry from 8:30 – 10:30, Saturday night you can get your praise and poetry on with Gospeotry from 8:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m., and Sunday night there is a final open mic poetry set from 8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. For more information, go to iamSeven.com or contact Ezra Brown at eZra@eZrabrown.com. As always, we want to give props to Ezra, one of the baddest saxophone players this area has ever seen, for always putting his money where his mouth is by continuing to have a place where local artists can be supported.