Mississippi seemed the antithesis of Oregon. Its simultaneous tragedy and charm had always intrigued me.
I set up an unpaid internship with the Jackson Free Press, asked my editor’s flamboyant 64-year-old friend if I could live with her, and left the Willamette Valley for an adventuresome Southern summer.
My house mate JoAnne, an accomplished writer-editor-publisher and widow of beloved Mississippi author Willie Morris, author of “My Dog Skip” and “North Toward Home,” became my heroine during those nine weeks. She exposed me to great literature, took me on road trips to Yazoo City and accompanied me as my “date” to blues clubs and a ballet.
I grew to love Mississippi, an undeniably vibrant place with colorful characters. Allow me to introduce you to my second home and its rich arts and entertainment scene.
JES DA BLUES
The first time I visited 930 Blues Cafe, I stuck my butt in a tiny wooden chair, didn’t move for four hours and coughed rudely at the numerous smokers surrounding me. By my last week, I danced with whomever would tolerate my hippie freestyle moves until my blistered ankles bled. I smoked my first cigarette and gave up vegetarianism to try fried catfish.
The folksy club with deep blue and red walls beckons patrons to climb its narrow staircase, grab a drink and listen to blues music that hearkens to the Motown days. “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” and “Foxey Lady” were among my favorites. Almost in a daze, I swung my hips and imagined I was as rhythmic and smooth as those self-taught musicians before me.
“You gonna bring this back to your people, Oregon girl?” Elaine, a bartender asked me. “They ain’t got nothing like 930!”
Amen, sister.
BALLET
A Jacksonian lawyer told me his love for the city’s International Ballet Competition rivaled his passion for Ole Miss football. Jackson has hosted ballet’s version of the Olympics since 1979.
Acclaimed dancers, such as Adrienne Canterna and Rasta Thomas, are like old friends to locals who have helped catapult their professional careers. At the July 12 reunion gala, Canterna and Thomas danced a risqué number called “I’m Your Man.” It combined ballet with night club pizazz – no tutu-ed princess lulls.
Brooklyn Mack captivated audience members with his leaps, flips and hip-hop-infused pieces like “Bumpin’ Me Against the Wall.” The contemporary dances garnered the most awe.
The IBC rotates between four countries and takes place in Jackson every four years, and the next one will be in 2010 in Jackson.
LITERATURE
The first presidential debate was held in Oxford, Miss., home of William Faulkner and John Grisham. Indeed, many American authors call Mississippi home. In JoAnne’s “Willie” room, a cozy library packed with thick books and decorated with photos of Willie with Bill Clinton and Hollywood A-listers, I fell in love with works by Southern authors.
The ways in which writers like Willie could analyze their state’s history of ugly racial tensions while embracing its quirky, soul-filled traditions and special qualities awed me. As I learned what made Mississippi tick for its people, I felt compelled to contemplate my own affinity for Oregon.
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