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Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Aimee Nezhukumatathil, a University of Mississippi professor who has published four collections of poetry, has been named a Guggenheim Fellow.

[Purvis] Wasteland of Empty Promises

"Call—call the police!" I stammered through the phone tenuously gripped in my trembling hand. I was kneeling in my mother's living room in the midst of broken glass and a carpet stained with drops of blood—his blood. He had punched out the glass in the patio door and the panes in the living-room windows.

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A Brief History of 'The City's Smart Alternative'

The Jackson Free Press started with no money but a big dream.

Luck of the Draw

Every Sunday morning, the glorious sound of hymns fills the sanctuary of Northminster Baptist Church in Jackson. Behind every great choir, there's a great choir director, and at Northminster, it's Timothy "Tim" Coker.

[ArtTalk] The Fire This Time

Art piece by Ji Wan Joo

I'm not from Mississippi, but I have lived here off and on for enough years that I have a certain attachment to the state. I was lucky enough to attend a rather fine state university located in Mississippi, thus creating an even stronger bond. I happened to take a few classes in art history and ceramics. I assume that due to our locale there was considerably more emphasis placed on people like the Mad Potter of Biloxi than there might have been if we were in another state. I was also fortunate enough to get to hold in my hands a piece made by the Mad Potter and feel the delicacy and surprising lack of heft. This moment left a mark in my mind that none of my pottery ever came close to matching and also cemented lightness and delicacy as a sign of quality ceramics.

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An Oyster Paradise

Lucky for Jacksonians, Chef Renee Erickson's prolific food presence in the Pacific Northwest and knowledge of the area's cuisine and ingredients will lend a fresh element to her guest chef dinner at Saltine on Monday, April 6.

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#Not1More Deported Mom

On an ordinary Monday, many mothers and fathers went to work at Howard Industries in Laurel, Miss. It was Aug. 26, 2008. The Howard Industries raid, in which a record-breaking 600 people were detained, was every undocumented immigrant's nightmare.

Women Speak Out

We asked JFP readers and domestic-abuse victims to share their stories. Here are a couple of the many responses we received. I always thought I was too strong, smart and grounded to be caught up in the cycle of domestic violence, but here I am. The funny thing is, while I was with my abuser, I defended him. I lied to myself and made excuse after excuse for his behavior, not because I condoned it, but because I didn't understand the subtleties of domestic violence.

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Columbia, Miss. Celebrates 200 Years

On Jan. 5, 2019, the south Mississippi town of Columbia, Miss., celebrated its bicentennial downtown.

Learning Early

Becoming a girl-about-town takes years of practice. Case in point: I vividly remember the pair of high heels that get credit for training me so that today, I can navigate anything in stilletos. They were purple snakeskin and lived in my neighbor's dress-up box filled with treasures from the Junior Auxillary's thrift shop. And they were fabulous. I teetered around in them at least three times a week from the ages of about 6 to 9.

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Two Years of Trainwreck-Town

Local record labels Elegant Trainwreck and Homework Town have played a big role in expanding music in Jackson.

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SCOTUS: Prayer at Govt. Meetings OK

Outside the Bible Belt, it may seem odd for so much praying to take place at government meetings, considering the longstanding doctrine of separation of church and state. Is this even legal? According to a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court Monday, it is.

Rev. Jesse Jackson an Honorary Hinds Deputy

There's a new sheriff in town. Well, technically there's a new Honorary Deputy Sheriff Chaplain in town -- and his name is the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. The Hinds County Sheriff's Department posted 30 photos on its Facebook page of the longtime civil rights leader's swearing in as an honorary county cop yesterday.

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Indie Music Week Ins and Outs

The second annual Jackson Indie Music Week is approaching fast, with many concerts, showcases, panel discussions, and other activities that highlight music from around the state, the region and the country.

Just a Jump to the Left

It's not exactly the '80s again. But there is a time warp-theme in Jackson theater right now (no, not Rocky Horror) with lots days-gone-by fare offered this spring. If you want a weekend with a truly historic feel, head on down to the river city for the Vicksburg Theater Guild's production of "Our Town" about early 1900s small-town life.

IS Fighters Seize Weapons Cache Meant for Kurds

Islamic State group fighters seized at least one cache of weapons airdropped by U.S.-led coalition forces that were meant to supply Kurdish militiamen battling the extremist group in a border town, activists said Tuesday.

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Band of the Day: Lillian Axe

The 1980s were a golden time for hard-rock bands. If you turned on your radio or watched MTV, you probably saw bands such as Motley Crue, White Lion or Bon Jovi.

A Journey to the Center of the Mind

Thornton Wilder's Pulitzer-Prize award-winning 1930s drama, "Our Town," is not just a play, but a spiritual voyage. The stage is barren, except for a row of chairs, and dialogue is often spoken atop ladders that represent houses.

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The Story of My Lifetime: Notes on Katrina’s 10th

As we approached the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, I found myself wanting to experience neither.

Tonight: Childer's Tele-Town-Hall Meeting

Blue Dog Democratic Rep. Travis Childers announced yesterday that he will be holding a town-hall meeting via telephone tonight at 7:20 p.m. The congressman will make opening remarks, after which he will take questions from participants regarding the health care reform plans currently under debate.