The Mississippi Folklife Association (MFA) met recently in Biloxi for its third annual conference. The weekend was planned around workshops, field trips throughout Point Cadet, and evening entertainment. 
Aimée Schmidt, Southern Studies alumna now residing in Atlanta, was the first workshop presenter. Her topic was “Displaced in the New South: A Study of Asian and Mexican Immigrants in Southern States.” Lee Ann Cummings, deputy director of the Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC), presented a workshop in Public Relations and Marketing Strategies, emphasizing how to write press releases for all media. 
The 2002-2003 Board of the MFA was elected with Valerie Plested as president, Charles Wsir Johnson as vice president, and David Crosby as secretary/treasurer. Members at large are Jerry Bangham, Dorothy Lewis, Susan Lloyd McClamroch, and Janina Shoemaker, the latter two of Ocean Springs. 
The MFA will present workshops on various interest areas such as documentation methods, including field recording, oral history, and photographic records, around the state for those interested in folk culture and folk art. Call 228-875-1616 for membership information.

From left: Janina Shoemaker, Dorothy Lewis, David Crosby, Susan Lloyd McClamroch, Charles Wsir Johnson, Valerie Plested, Jerry Bangham