Mississippi Writers Trail

An advisory committee of state cultural agencies oversees the process of installing historical markers in places of significance to an author's life.

To emphasize the literary focus of the trail, the markers are cast in the shape of an open book and display information about the author's life with the goal of educating the public about the legacy of Mississippi writers.

[1][2] The program runs as an unfunded mandate which means these literary markers are produced and installed as funding becomes available.

[3] Initial support from a Statehood Grant through the National Endowment for the Humanities was key for installing the first phase of markers for the Trail.

The Mississippi Writers Trail Advisory Committee, composed of many state cultural institutions, selects several scholars who identify potential authors for inclusion in the Writers Trail and to draft the text for each marker.