Mississippi Writers Trail Unveils Marker Honoring Elizabeth Spencer

Jackson, Mississippi — October 5, 2019 — The Mississippi Writers Trail celebrated the literary contributions of author Elizabeth Spencer on Saturday with the dedication of a marker during the Carrollton Historic Pilgrimage and Pioneer Day Festival.

The Elizabeth Spencer marker is located in front of the Merrill Museum at 601 E. Jackson St. on the Carrollton Courthouse Square.

Born in Carrollton in 1921, Elizabeth Spencer aspired to be a writer early on. After receiving encouragement from writer Eudora Welty, whom she met while attending Belhaven College in Jackson, Spencer obtained a master’s degree from Vanderbilt University and began a long career of teaching and writing award-winning fiction, including “The Voice at the Back Door” and “The Light in the Piazza.” Spencer’s works are collected in the distinguished Library of America Series.

The Mississippi Writers Trail is an initiative of the Mississippi Arts Commission, in partnership with Visit Mississippi, National Endowment for the Humanities, the Community Foundation for Mississippi, Mississippi Book Festival, Mississippi Humanities Council, Mississippi Department of Archives and History and Mississippi Library Commission. The trail will span the state and highlight notable places that helped shape some of the world’s most acclaimed authors’ lives and influenced their renowned works.

For additional information, go to visitmississippi.org/writerstrail.