Writer Joyce Carol Oates (left) speaks during a conversation with Richard Ford (right) at the fifth-annual Mississippi Book Festival, which was on and around the grounds of the Mississippi State Capitol in downtown Jackson on Aug. 17, 2019. Photo by David Rae Morris Credit: Polaris
Writer Richard Ford (right) and his wife Kristina (left) pose in front of a new literary trail marker after it was unveiled at the fifth-annual Mississippi Book Festival, which was on and around the grounds of the Mississippi State Capitol in downtown Jackson on Aug. 17, 2019. Photo by David Rae Morris Credit: Polaris
Angie Thomas (left) and Dhonielle Clayton (right) participate in the “Well-Read Black Girl” panel at the fifth-annual Mississippi Book Festival, which was on and around the grounds of the Mississippi State Capitol in downtown Jackson on Aug. 17, 2019. Photo by David Rae Morris Credit: Polaris
(left to right) Ebony Lumumba leads the “Well-Read Black Girl” panel with Glory Edim, Angie Thomas, Dhonielle Clayton and Nic Stone at the fifth-annual Mississippi Book Festival, which was on and around the grounds of the Mississippi State Capitol in downtown Jackson on Aug. 17, 2019. Photo by David Rae Morris Credit: Polaris
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor speaks during a coversation with Margaret McMullan at the Fifth Annual Mississippi Book Festival, which was on and around the grounds of the Mississippi State Capitol in downtown Jackson on Aug. 17, 2019. Photo by David Rae Morris Credit: Polaris
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor speaks during the Fifth Annual Mississippi Book Festival, which was on and around the grounds of the Mississippi State Capitol in downtown Jackson on Aug. 17, 2019. Photo by David Rae Morris Credit: Polaris

This year’s Mississippi Book Festival was on and around the grounds of the Mississippi State Capitol on Saturday, Aug. 17. Here are some photos from the event.

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.