Honoring Water Valley’s Famous Literary Son: Literary Society Launches Thursday

Hubert Creekmore’s novel, The Welcome, was set in a fictionalized Water Valley.

The launch of the Hubert Creekmore Literary Society is scheduled Thursday, Jan. 16, coinciding with the birthday of Water Valley’s famous literary son. The celebration is scheduled at 6 p.m. at Bozarts Gallery, located at 403 North Main Street. The goals of the society are to engage local writers and community members in the literary arts; educate the larger public about Hubert Creekmore and Water Valley as a literary community; promote and sponsor literary arts more broadly; and provide opportunities for youth and community members to write.

Ideas for future activities include reading series, writing workshops, book clubs and a Water Valley Literary Festival.

A poet, novelist, translator and garden aficionado, Creekmore was born in Water Valley on January 16, 1907. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1927, and after studying drama at Yale University, he earned a master’s degree from Columbia University in 1940.