Yazoo City in Yazoo County, Mississippi — The American South (East South Central)
Willie Morris
— Mississippi Writers Trail —
Photographed By James Hulse, January 14, 2023
1. Willie Morris Marker
Inscription.
Willie Morris. . Born in Jackson in 1934, Willie Morris spent a magical Yazoo boyhood playing pranks and baseball with his dog and his friends or playing "Taps" on his trumpet for military funerals. His writing talent was evident early on in pieces he wrote for the local and school newspapers. As a student at the University of Texas, he was editor for the Daily Texan and won a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University in England. He was editor for the Texas Observer and later became editor-in-chief of Harper's Magazine in New York. In 1980. Morris returned to Mississippi to become writer-in-residence at Ole Miss and later lived in Jackson. Notable among his twenty-three award-winning books are North Toward Home, Yazoo, and My Dog Skip. When he died on August 2, 1999, his body lay in state at the Old Capitol. Perhaps the South's best ambassador, this beloved native son is buried in Glenwood Cemetery.
Born in Jackson in 1934, Willie Morris spent a magical Yazoo boyhood playing pranks and baseball with his dog and his friends or playing "Taps" on his trumpet for military funerals. His writing talent was evident early on in pieces he wrote for the local and school newspapers. As a student at the University of Texas, he was editor for the Daily Texan and won a Rhodes scholarship to Oxford University in England. He was editor for the Texas Observer and later became editor-in-chief of Harper's Magazine in New York. In 1980. Morris returned to Mississippi to become writer-in-residence at Ole Miss and later lived in Jackson. Notable among his twenty-three award-winning books are North Toward Home, Yazoo, and My Dog Skip. When he died on August 2, 1999, his body lay in state at the Old Capitol. Perhaps the South's best ambassador, this beloved native son is buried in Glenwood Cemetery.
Erected 2022 by Mississippi Writers Trail.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Communications. In addition, it is included in the Mississippi Writers Trail series list. A significant historical date for this entry is August 2, 1999.
Location. 32° 51′ N, 90° 24.715′ W. Marker is in
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Yazoo City, Mississippi, in Yazoo County. Marker is on North Main Street, 0.1 miles East Powell Street, on the left when traveling south. The marker is located in front of the building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 332 N Main St, Yazoo City MS 39194, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Although Willie Morris’s reputation rests largely on his nonfiction works, particularly his first autobiography, North toward Home (1967), he also achieved widespread recognition as an editor, newspaper journalist, children’s author, essayist, and editorial writer. Commentators and critics have often singled out his perceptive understanding of and deep affection for the South as well as his passionate convictions about the importance of race relations in America.
Photographed By James Hulse, January 14, 2023
2. Willie Morris Marker
(Submitted on January 15, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)
Photographed By James Hulse, January 14, 2023
3. The view of the Willie Morris Marker along the street
Photographed By James Hulse, January 14, 2023
4. Willie Morris's Gravestone in Glenwood Cemetery
Credits. This page was last revised on October 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 14, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 170 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 15, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.