COLUMBUS \u2013 When Wright Thompson set out to research the murder of Emmett Till, he thought he already knew most of the story. What he uncovered showed just how much he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Thompson\u2019s book, \u201cThe Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi,\u201d explores not only the 1955 killing of 14-year-old Emmett Till, but the layered history of the land and the people tied to it, many of whom, Thompson said, were written out of the record.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I knew, and it turns out I didn\u2019t, which was a little terrifying,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cWhen you don\u2019t know something this fundamental about the place you claim to know best, then that\u2019s a real problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thompson discussed his book in an Omnova Theatre packed with attendees Saturday at Possumtown Book Fest, hosted at the Columbus Arts Council\u2019s Rosenzweig Arts Center. The festival featured Thompson as the keynote speaker, alongside eight author panels discussing Choctaw Culture, nonfiction, horror, global stories, mystery and romance.<\/p>\n
Emily Liner, owner of Friendly City Books downtown, organized the event.<\/p>\n
Upstairs, panels ran throughout the day from 9:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Downstairs, visitors filtered in and out, browsing stacks of books, chatting with authors, collecting possum-themed gifts and lining up for book signings after each session.<\/p>\n
Thompson discussed both the contents of \u201cThe Barn,\u201d and the depth of research required to tell it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis book is centered on one 36 square-mile block,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cMost books either go deep or wide, and the thing I wanted to do was both. So, I picked one square of land and then literally tracked every dollar in and every dollar out, every person in and every person out.\u201d<\/p>\n
The book is structured in four acts: the first examines the 1955 murder; the second traces 1,300 years of history on that same patch of land; the third returns to the events around Till\u2019s killing, and the fourth centers on his living family members who are still \u201ctrying to fight with memory the forces of erasure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thompson began research in April 2020 and released the book in September 2024, spending four years combing through land records, court files, knocking on doors and developing relationships with members and friends of the Till family.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really footnoted and endnoted,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to be writing about this, you have to show your work in this day and age. I think people don\u2019t trust people, and understandably so. \u2026 But I think if you\u2019re from here, you know it\u2019s true. You might pretend in some rooms that it isn\u2019t. But when you\u2019re home alone in the mirror, this is gospel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ezra Baker said he attended Thompson\u2019s panel because his work exposed suppressed history.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s exposure of what happened back in the 50s and how things was covered up,\u201d Baker said. \u201cBeing in the position to really learn and reach out to people, I think it\u2019s good for the community, for the state of Mississippi and the United States of America. We just need to expose all these hidden truths. It\u2019s a part of our culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Other panelists<\/p>\n
Other panels throughout the day focused on Mississippi storytelling in different forms.<\/p>\n
At the Rooted Magazine panel, Julie Whitehead spoke about \u201cHurricane Baby,\u201d her collection of fictional short stories exploring how Hurricane Katrina impacted Mississippians.<\/p>\n
Whitehead said part of her inspiration for writing the book was seeing how under-reported the hurricane\u2019s effects were in Mississippi.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was watching the news and \u2026 everybody was so positive,\u201d Whitehead said. \u201c\u2018We lost everything but me, Mama and the dog, but we\u2019re going to make it,\u2019 That kind of talk. And I thought, what about the people that aren\u2019t so sure about their chances after the storm?<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s one reason I wrote the book, to show what did happen in Mississippi and how it did affect Mississippi and how deeply it continues to affect us, even now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fellow panelist Benjamin Morris, of Hattiesburg, discussed his 16-year effort to travel all of Mississippi\u2019s numbered highways, mapping them in sonnet form. Since 2009, he\u2019s written about 20 of the state\u2019s roughly 60 highways.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really believe the roads of Mississippi have stories to tell,\u201d Morris said. \u201cWe all know they do. \u2026 We all know what happens when stories get silenced and buried and have to be dug back up in order to come to light.\u201d<\/p>\n
Attendee Debbie Fancher said she connected with the panelists\u2019 Mississippi ties.<\/p>\n
\u201cI connect with feelings, I think,\u201d Fancher said. \u201c\u2026 It\u2019s just interesting to see how people think. I\u2019m a math teacher, not language, so this is very new to me. It\u2019s a different world for me. I came last year at 9 a.m. to stay an hour and then stayed all day. And you know what? It looks like that\u2019s happening this year as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Katie Bouchillon drove about an hour from Ackerman to attend the festival and said she\u2019ll be returning again next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe came last year too,\u201d Bouchillon said. \u201cWe went to the Choctaw panel this morning and it was fantastic. I\u2019ve learned things I never knew before. \u2026 So far, I love (Book Fest). I\u2019m so glad it\u2019s had such a good turnout.\u201d<\/p>\n