I Am Woman, Hear Me Write

It's Women's History Month. Quick! Name your favorite female Mississippi author!

There are a slew of wonderfully talented authoresses hailing from our great state and they have written (and continue to write!) in a number of genres: romance, mystery, biography, and more. Whatever your preferred reading style is, these women have covered it. Sometimes, though, it feels like they're overshadowed by the Faulkners and Grishams in the state. According to an article published by the website Quartz, only 18% of published authors in the 1960s were women. Fast-forward sixty years to 2020--a new study proclaims that women have surpassed men in book field, now publishing more than 50% of the written word. Whether or not this study was sound methodologically, it points to the fact that women writers in Mississippi and world-wide have come a long, long way.

Back to our question, though. Who is your favorite female Mississippi author? The following are just a few of MLC staff's picks.

"I am a little tardy arriving to the Charlaine Harris party, but I love her Sookie Stackhouse mysteries. Like Sookie, I love a good supernatural mystery to solve or learn about -- even though I don’t get to play amateur detective like she does... nor do I have telepathic powers like she does. I just end up watching true crime on TV! But this series got me to read more mysteries and vampire fantasy instead of reruns of vampire shows."

-Kristen Hillman, Magnolia Outreach Coordinator

 

"Anne Moody wrote a perfect autobiography, Coming of Age in Mississippi, and I love it."

-Tracy Carr, Deputy Director of Library Services

 

"Brandi Perry has an incredible talent as a writer. It’s easy to follow along with her writing and storytelling. Her novels have a Southern charm feel within them and being from the south, it is easy to relate to the surroundings. Her second novel, A Whisper on the Bayou, received a nomination for the Mississippi Library Association Fiction Book of the Year and is currently in the pre-production stages of becoming a movie. If you find yourself with spare time, I highly recommend delving into her collection which includes Wayward Justice, The Jury, Buried Cries, and one of my personal favorites, Splintered: A New Orleans Tale. I will mention, too, that she recently joined Dori Lowe to co-author 100 Things To Do In Mississippi Before You Die. If you need to upgrade your own personal bucket list, this one is a must."
-Sharmaine Frazier, State E-Rate Coordinator

"Donna Tartt wrote A Secret History, one of the first dark academia books, and it is so. good. It's the golden standard of that subgenre."

Shellie Zeigler, Library Consultant

 

"I am in awe of Jesmyn Ward's writing prowess. Everything she writes leaps off the page with total honesty. Her style is lyrical and lovely and raw. I admire her and I try to read everything she writes."

-Elisabeth Scott, Reference Librarian

 

"Eudora Welty's One Writer's Beginnings is a wonderful book for anyone who is interested in the craft of writing."

-Zach Burton, Reference and Archives Librarian

 

"My favorite is Deborah Wiles because Love, Ruby Lavender is one of my favorite books of all time. It led to my love of chickens and makes me think of catfish guts when I see very tight curls."
-Alex Brower, Information Services Director

 

With so many talented authors available, and many, many more on the shelves of your local library and the Mississippi Library Commission, we invite you to explore their work.