The
Southern Cultural Heritage Foundation’s (SCHF)
Humanities Lecture Series in Vicksburg, Mississippi,
has been going strong for almost two years.
The success of this monthly program, which brings
historians, writers, and artists to speak at
the SCHF Complex, has produced a companion book
club and documentary film series.
The
documentary film group meets once a month to
view and discuss a film relating to the American
South. In January the film group focused on
The River, a 1930s FSA documentary about
the Mississippi River. February’s film, Saturday
Night, Sunday Morning, is a documentary
examining the life of Dwight “Gatemouth” Moore,
a Mississippi Delta blues singer turned minister.
The Southern Book Club also meets once
a month to discuss works about the South. Recent
selections included A Confederacy of Dunces
by John Kennedy Toole, Truth: Four Stories
I Am Finally Old Enough to Tell by Ellen Douglas,
and The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love
by Jill Conner Browne. “Our lecture series draws
40 to 60 people to each event, and its popularity
caused us to consider new variations on the theme,”
stated SCHF Executive Director Ted Smith. “We
are thrilled by the success of the new book club
and film group.”
In addition
to these monthly activities, the SCHF brings
traveling exhibitions to its property on a regular
basis. Currently, Thirty Years of Living Blues,
a retrospective from Living Blues: The Magazine
of the African American Blues Tradition produced
by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture,
is on display and will remain open on weekday
afternoons until March 16.
"This
good exhibition is another indication of our
ongoing relationship with the Center for the
Study of Southern Culture," stated Smith.
"The Center has been a very valuable resource
for our ongoing educational activities and we
are grateful for this support."
For
more information about the Southern Cultural
Heritage Foundation and its many educational
programs, contact Ted Smith at 601-631-2997
or by e-mail at tjs@southernculture.org.
You may visit the SCHF online at www.southernculture.org.
