GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) – What is Southern Literature? That was the topic of discussion at the Society for the Study of Southern Literature conference in Gulfport.

“How do we talk about Southern Literature, what kind and who are the writers that we try to incorporate into our conversations and there will be other workshops for scholars in Southern Literature at various stages of their careers,” Dr. Sherita Johnson said.

Dr. Sherita Johnson is the president of the society and an English professor at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. She said this is the first time the conference was held in Mississippi and it’s all thanks to the keynote speaker, Jesmyn Ward, who is a Pass Christian native.

“I am at the Hattiesburg campus, but I couldn’t think of a better place to hold it other than here on the Coast and especially here since Jesmyn Ward is a native writer here and a major contributor to Southern Literature today, so the Coast made perfect sense to hold it here,” Dr. Johnson said.

Dr. Johnson said she gets excited when talking about Southern Literature because of the impact it has on the country.

“We’re constantly having discussions about what is southern in terms of who we are as southerners and how this writing in any way represents the experience of being southern,” Dr. Johnson said. “So, in Southern Literature, the definition changes, depending on who you ask, but in general, it’s one of the most prominent forms of American literature.”

Dr. Johnson said when the conference is over and everyone returns home, she hopes the conversation of Southern Literature will continue.

“What and who we are as scholars and teachers of Southern Literature, how can we keep this field growing, evolving and changing,” Dr. Johnson said. “We don’t assume that once you have your degree, once you talk, you know what best way to teach, so we’re constantly trying to encourage and continue pedagogical practices and how to be better.”

Southern Literature has been around as a genre now for more than two centuries.

See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.

Copyright 2024 WLOX. All rights reserved.