Writer and MacArthur “Genius Grant” winner Kiese Laymon has launched an initiative to help Mississippi high schoolers explore their love for writing while learning about the state’s rich history. Mississippi native Laymon has created the Catherine Coleman Literary Arts, Food, and Social Justice Summer Program. And this program, which Laymon named in his grandmother’s honor, has a unique twist.
From June 4-9, selected Mississippi high schoolers will participate in a six-day residential program on Jackson State University’s campus. They will be able to choose from three different workshops: poetry, fiction, and film and theater screenwriting. But that is not all that the students will be learning.
Laymon’s love of the South and of writing has never faltered, and he wants young people to join in this passion. He hopes to change how young people look at creativity. As part of the program, participants will also engage in southern food traditions, exploring how Mississippi food goes from the ground to their dinner plates, and learn more about the social justice movements in their communities.
Read the source article at blackenterprise.com
