March 21, 2004 - Jackson Clarion Ledger: Ethiopia RPCV Mildred Taylor to be honored at UM seminar

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Ethiopia: Peace Corps Ethiopia : The Peace Corps in Ethiopia: March 21, 2004 - Jackson Clarion Ledger: Ethiopia RPCV Mildred Taylor to be honored at UM seminar

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Ethiopia RPCV Mildred Taylor to be honored at UM seminar

Ethiopia RPCV Mildred Taylor to be honored at UM seminar

Ethiopia RPCV Mildred Taylor to be honored at UM seminar

Miss. author Mildred Taylor to be honored at UM seminar

Special to The Clarion-Ledger

OXFORD — Among author readings, book-signing parties, panel discussions and a catfish dinner or two, the University of Mississippi's Oxford Conference for the Book on April 1-4 includes the celebration of Mildred D. Taylor Day.

For details

To register for the conference or for details, go to http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/south/

A formal proclamation honoring the native Mississippian and Newbery Medal winner is set for April 2 at 10:30 a.m. in the Ford Center for the Performing Arts. A panel discussion about Taylor's life also is to be part of the program.

Taylor is author of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, which won the Newbery, the most prestigious award in children's literature. The author of eight other novels for young readers, Taylor is scheduled to speak at the event in a rare public appearance.

The state's tribute is "long overdue," said Ethel Young-Minor, assistant professor of English and African-American studies and panel moderator.

"Mildred Taylor has spent her life bringing a positive image to Mississippi. Her books have shown people of all ages the interaction between black and white people in this state and have worked to change how people from other places perceive Mississippi."

The great-granddaughter of a white plantation owner's son and a slave, Taylor grew up in Toledo, Ohio, where her family moved shortly after she was born.

Following two years in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia, she enrolled at the University of Colorado, where she earned a master's degree in journalism. Throughout her life, she has returned often to Mississippi, where much of her extended family still lives.

Taylor herself has said that she has "attempted to present a true picture of life in America as older members of my family remember it, and as I remember it in the days before the civil rights movement."

As part of the statewide celebration, some 500 area fifth-graders who recently read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry will attend the Ford Center event.

"We had been working on the idea of a communitywide book reading," said Susan Nicholson, director of the Lafayette County Literacy Council. "When we learned Mildred Taylor was coming for the book conference, we wanted to make sure that every fifth-grader in the county got a copy of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.

"We did that with the help of the Junior Auxiliary of Oxford and the Central Elementary PTA. We're hoping that the kids will not just read the books but will read them with their families."

After the 11:30 a.m. reception in her honor, Taylor is scheduled for a 3:30-4 p.m. book-signing at Square Books Jr., on the Oxford Square. She will sign her book and her other works.




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Story Source: Jackson Clarion Ledger

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Ethiopia; Writing - Ethiopia

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