THE MAGNOLIA LITERACY PROJECT (MLP) is a nonprofit organization that uses literacy as a means of celebrating Mississippi while promoting activism and advocacy across the state. We serve communities that lack widespread access to growth resources. Empowering writers, visual artists, orators, photographers, and videographers, The MLP's mission is to offer a platform for young Mississippians to showcase literary talent, build identity, and represent community. For more details about our programs, click on these links:
April 2022: Celebrating National Poetry Month
The Magnolia Literacy Project Sponsored Poetry Writing Workshops in
Brookhaven and Jackson.
April 23 and 30: Students in Brookhaven were engaged in a poetry writing workshop at the Brookhaven/Lincoln County Public Library.
April 28: Students at Blackburn Laboratory Middle School, a Jackson Public School, attended a two-part event, a video watch party followed by a poetry writing workshop.
"The poetry of a people comes from the deep recesses of the unconscious, the irrational and the collective body of our ancestral memories."
-Margaret Walker
2022 Women's History Month Reading Spotlight
Theme: “Women Who Shaped Life, History, and Culture in Mississippi”
On Saturday, March 19, The Magnolia Literacy Project hosted a Youth Reading Spotlight/Videography Series in Brookhaven, MS. The purpose of this event was to honor the achievements of Eudora Welty, Myrlie Evers-Williams, Margaret Walker, Fannie Lou Hamer, Evelyn Gandy, Fannye Cook, Unita Blackwell, and Constance Slaughter Harvey.
Students from West Lincoln Attendance Center, Loyd Star Attendance Center, Enterprise Attendance Center, Lipsey Middle School, and Pearl Junior High School participated. A proud group of supportive mothers and grandmothers attended.
Melanie Lewis, Director of the Brookhaven/Lincoln County Boys and Girls Club, was instrumental in supporting the students.
CELEBRATE MISSISSIPPI'S GIRLS AND WOMEN,
NOT JUST DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH, BUT ALL YEAR!
2022 Black History Month Youth Reading Spotlight
Theme: "Young, Black, and Powerful"
Six students at Blackburn Laboratory Middle School in Jackson, Mississippi participated in The Magnolia Literacy Project’s 2022 Black History Month Youth Reading Spotlight/Videography Series.
The theme was: "Young, Black, and Powerful".
The sixth, seventh, and eighth graders delivered presentations honoring young African Americans who are shaping history in the fields of business, finance, sports, entertainment, research and writing, art, and engineering.
Youth readers delivered brief presentations on Amanda Gorman, Marsai Martin, Allyson Felix, Misty Copeland, Angie Thomas, LaMonte Pierce, Malcom Mitchell, & Tony Weaver.
Jackson State University students, Ghabriel Mossop and Elesia Murphy, served as narrators for the project.
2020-2021 Writing & Visual Arts Awards: Empowering Writers and Artists
Congratulations ... Celebrating Success!!!
In 2020-2021, several remarkable young writers and artists demonstrated creativity and substance in poetry, prose, and/or visual art. Proving that writing is an important form of advocacy, they utilized their pens and paints to show leadership, provide inspiration, build identity, and represent community. It brings us great joy to recognize them!
Women's Advocacy Award: Recipients of this honor promote empowerment, self-confidence, and self-love while challenging cultural practices, discriminatory attitudes, and superficial values that marginalize girls and women.
*Honoree: Di'Ovion Smith
Social Justice Award: Honorees of this award examine topics that are often avoided but lead to increased conflict if left unaddressed. Recipients challenge norms, promote change, and demonstrate rhetorical activism.
*Honorees: Erica Barnes and Jamee McAdoo
Bloom Award: This award is rooted in the idea of growth despite challenging circumstances. Recipients appeal to audiences through messages of hope, faith, and perseverance.
*Honoree: Hannah Jackson
Writing Excellence and Graphic Design Award: Recipients of this award demonstrate a range of literary talents, conveying meaning through written and visual forms of expression.
*Honoree: Natalie Dickens