Local elementary school-students prepare to listen to Kate DiCamillo’s anecdotes during the KidNote at the Mississippi Book Festival on Sept. 13, 2024, at the Belhaven Performing Arts Center in Jackson, Miss. Photo by Heather Harrison
The 10th annual Mississippi Book Festival drew thousands of people to Jackson, Miss., on Sept. 13 and 14, 2024. During the KidNote on Sept. 13, renowned children’s author Kate DiCamillo spoke about her childhood and how she became a writer to an audience of more than 700 elementary-school children at the Belhaven Performing Arts Center.
Author talks, book sales and meet-and-greets took up the bulk of Saturday’s activities. Actor and educator LeVar Burton—best known for his roles in “Roots,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Reading Rainbow”—joined Jesmyn Ward for an afternoon panel. Authors like Josh Foreman, Helen Ellis and Jerry Mitchell also spoke on various panels with topics spanning from music to memoirs to history to social justice.
The Mississippi Book Festival offered several writing workshops for attendees to sharpen their skills, and dozens of writers signed books at the Book Signing tent on the state Capitol’s lawn.
Look below for some photos from DiCamillo’s KidNote address.
Mississippi Book Festival Community Engagement Director Tonja Murphy (at lectern) introduced author Kate DiCamillo at the Mississippi Book Festival’s KidNote on Sept. 13, 2024, at the Belhaven Performing Arts Center in Jackson, Miss. Photo by Heather HarrisonMore than 700 local elementary-school students gathered to listen to author Kate DiCamillo speak about how she became a writer and tell stories from her childhood during the KidNote at the Mississippi Book Festival on Sept. 13, 2024, at the Belhaven Performing Arts Center in Jackson, Miss. Photo by Heather HarrisonThree girls pose for a photo before Kate DiCamillo spoke for the KidNote at the Mississippi Book Festival on Sept. 13, 2024, at the Belhaven Performing Arts Center in Jackson, Miss. Photo by Heather Harrison “Because of Winn-Dixie” author Kate DiCamillo spoke about how she became a writer with more than 700 local elementary kids sitting in the audience at the Belhaven Performing Arts during the KidNote at the Mississippi Book Festival on Sept. 13. Photo by Heather HarrisonTwo St. Andrew’s Episcopal School students intently watched Kate DiCamillo during the Kidnote at the Mississippi Book Festival on Sept. 13, 2024, at the Belhaven Performing Arts Center in Jackson, Miss. Photo by Heather HarrisonKids raise their hands to ask author Kate DiCamillo questions during the KidNote at the Mississippi Book Festival on Sept. 13, 2024, at the Belhaven Performing Arts Center in Jackson, Miss. Photo by Heather Harrison
State Reporter Heather Harrison has won more than a dozen awards for her multi-media journalism work. At Mississippi State University, she studied public relations and broadcast journalism, earning her Communication degree in 2023. For three years, Heather worked at The Reflector student newspaper: first as a staff reporter, then as the news editor and finally, as the editor-in-chief. This is where her passion for politics and government reporting began.
Heather started working at the Mississippi Free Press three days after graduation in 2023. She also worked part time for Starkville Daily News after college covering the Board of Aldermen meetings.
In her free time, Heather likes to sit on the porch, read books and listen to Taylor Swift. A native of Hazlehurst, she now lives in Brandon with her wife and their Boston Terrier, Finley, and calico cat, Ravioli.
