Two UPM Titles earn MIAL Awards

The Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters recently announced its 2007 award winners. Among the award winners were three University Press of Mississippi authors: Bill Dunlap, Jere Nash and Andy Taggart. The MIAL was formed in 1978 to support, nurture, and recognize Mississippi's artists and writers.

Jere Nash and Andy Taggart were awarded the top prized in the nonfiction category for their work, Mississippi Politics: The Struggle for Power 1976-2006. Nash, a native of Greenville, Miss. currently resides in Jackson and Taggart, a native of Moss Point, Miss. resides in Madison. The judge wrote of their work that it is “not only as a solid piece of scholarship, but a meticulously fair interpretation of how government in Mississippi ran during those years.” Jere and Andy also author the weblog Red/Blue.

Major American artist Bill Dunlap is the winner of the visual art award for his work featured in the book Dunlap. Dunlap maintains studios in McLean, Va. ; Mathiston, Miss.; and Coral Gables, Fla.

The Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters will hold a spring gala and awards ceremony in Greenwood, Miss. on June 9. To view a complete list of 2007 winners, please visit the MIAL website.