Mississippi poet to visit Northwest
By LaJuan Tallo | 4/27/09

Mississippi author and poet Patricia Neely-Dorsey will be on hand for a book signing and discussion at the R.C. Pugh Library on the Senatobia campus of Northwest Mississippi Community College on May 5 at 2:30 p.m., according to Maggie Moran, public service and reference librarian. Neely-Dorsey will be signing her book “Reflections of a Mississippi Magnolia: A Life in Poetry,” which was published in February 2008 by Grant House Publishers.

The book is a true celebration of the South and all things Southern. 
Using childhood memories, personal thought and dreams, the author offers a positive glimpse into the Southern way of life. “There are so many negative connotations associated with Mississippi and the South in general. I want to show a flip side of the coin. There is so much to love about this much maligned and misunderstood part of our country,” Neely-Dorsey said.

Margaret Rogers, director of Learning Resources at Northwest is delighted to welcome Neely-Dorsey to the campus. “This will be a wonderful opportunity for our students to hear and interact with a writer and poet,” Rogers said.

Neely-Dorsey is a 1982 graduate of Tupelo High School. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University. After living in Memphis for almost 20 years and working in the mental health field, she returned to her hometown of Tupelo in August 2007. She currently lives in Tupelo with her husband James, son Henry, and their miniature schnauzer named Happy. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

“I adore Patricia Neely-Dorsey’s new book of poems. She celebrates her upbringing in Tupelo with upbeat, bouncy, at times, poems that make me proud to be a Mississippian,” said Moran. Books will be available for $15, Moran said.

For more information about the book signing, please call Moran at 662-562-3268.