Alabama poet laureate Ashley M. Jones will be the keynote speaker this week at the Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium in Columbus – a gathering that highlights authors and poets from across the South.

The symposium takes place Thursday to Saturday at Mississippi University for Women and is free to the public.

Jones is Alabama’s first Black poet laureate, holding the post from 2022 until next year. She will present her new poetry collection, “Lullaby for the Grieving,” which is inspired by her father’s death and deals with themes of grief, family and heritage.

“I hope the audience hears my humanity, and I hope they take a moment to consider how vital it is right now to hold that truth – our shared humanity – very close,” Jones said.

The symposium is named after Mississippi author Welty, wh

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