Gala to celebrate 25 years of creativity.

Prophets honored in their own country are prophets rare indeed. But here in Mississippi, it happens every year when the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters throws a party for our native talent. It's a time for lesser-known artists and writers to blossom and the better-known to shine.

This year's Silver Anniversary Celebration on June 5 in Natchez will be bigger than ever. Winners in six categories--fiction, non-fiction, poetry, musical composition, photography, and the visual arts--will be named, and past winners will be recognized. The ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. at Natchez City Auditorium with a reception; afterward, dinner will be served at Stanton Hall.

The competition, with carefully selected non-Mississippian judges, is the only one of its kind in the state, according to MIAL president Carolyn Vance Smith. Supported by Mississippi Institutes of Higher Learning, it is privately funded, self-perpetuating, and non-profit. Winners are living Mississippians who are current residents or have significant ties to the state.

The prestigious awards were first presented in 1980 in three categories: fiction, art, and music. Winners from the early years include Eudora Welty, Walter Anderson, Walker Percy, and William Dunlap. Founding members include former Governor William Winter of Jackson; Dr. Aubrey Lucas and Dr. Noel Polk, both of Hattiesburg; and Mrs. Keith McLean of Cleveland.

At last year's ceremony, Natasha Trethewey eloquently expressed her gratitude for her poetry award. "Today, I am so delighted by this honor," she said, "because I know that it means you have welcomed me back home as daughter. I'm lucky to be from Mississippi, and I write because I want to make sense of and tell a fuller story of our rich and troubled past."

In Mississippi, we not only know how to honor our prophets. We know how to throw them one heck of a party.

MIAL memberships start at $25. For tickets to the MIAL gala reception and dinner, members may send $50 per person to Leila Wynn, MIAL treasurer, 236 Woodlawn Drive, Greenville, MS 38701.