The diverse achievements of such native Southern luminaries as William Styron, Craig Claiborne, and Clifton Taulbert will be explored at "Southerners in New York: A Homecoming Celebration" to be held in Oxford and at the University May 15-17, 1998. The event will explore the often complex relationship Southerners have between New York and their Southern homeland. Featuring a variety of noted writers, artists, actors, and musicians, the conference promises to offer something for Southerners, New Yorkers, and anyone else interested in the roots of regional identity. Hosts for the three-day event are the Center and the Institute for Continuing Studies.

The celebration begins Friday morning with a special welcome from conference sponsor Roger Malkin and University of Mississippi Chancellor Robert Khayat. Malkin, chairman of Delta Pine and Land Company, is a New Yorker who now lives in Scott, Mississippi. Benny Andrews, a Georgia-born painter living in New York, will discuss his works on Friday afternoon and later greet guests at an evening reception to be held at Oxford's Southside Gallery. On Saturday, conference sessions will feature such topics as growing up black and Jewish in the Mississippi Delta, corporate migration, and blues music. Additionally, writers Willie Morris, Roy Blount, William Styron, and others will offer readings and remarks relating to their experiences in New York. The evening will close with a cocktail party and musical performances. Highlights of Sunday's schedule include discussions led by food critics Craig Claiborne and Jessica B. Harris, a seminar on Southern shape note singing by Chiquita Willis and Warren Steel, and an authentic Southern dinner-on-the-grounds.

"For generations Southerners have left their region and traveled 'North toward home' to pursue their careers in New York," said William Ferris, who initiated the homecoming celebration while he was director of the Center. "This gathering promises to be a meaningful exploration of the challenges and accomplishments of these individuals," he said. For more information about the weekend, contact Charlene Dye at the Institute for Continuing Studies, P.O. Box 879, University, MS 38677; telephone 601-232-7282; e-mail cdye@olemiss.edu.

--Teresa Parker