Hometown Mississippi

Hometown Mississippi offers an intimate glimpse into thirty Mississippi towns through the lens of author, photographer, and artist Melody Golding. In this stunning collection, Golding captures the essence of her state in the summer of 2024, blending photography and personal exploration to create a colorful and contemporary portrait of Mississippi. From the hills in the north to the sandy shores of the south, from the Piney Woods to the Mississippi River towns and the storied Mississippi Delta, Golding’s journey takes readers off the beaten path, away from interstates, and along the winding back roads and highways that once served as the main thoroughfares for these unique small-town destinations.

Each town Golding visits has its own special attractions, including historical landmarks, cultural offerings, recreational spaces, colleges and universities, scenic natural beauty, tourist attractions, and ties to some of the many celebrities Mississippi calls its own. All are distinct, yet all share a common pride in their local identity.

Within the pages of this book, more than fifty Mississippians reflect on their connection to the Magnolia State, offering heartfelt insights into the experiences, traditions, and character of their communities. With warmth and generosity, Mississippians ranging from Morgan Freeman to Marty Stuart to US Senator Roger Wicker, from university presidents to local business owners, share what it means to call Mississippi home.

Melody Golding is an author, a photographer, and an artist. The Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History Archives Center acquired her solo documentary exhibit on Hurricane Katrina and her documentary photography and oral history project on wild boar hunting in the Mississippi Delta. Her photographs are on display at the Department of Homeland Security and have been featured in solo exhibitions at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, DC, and at numerous universities, colleges, and museums. Her Katrina photos will be the subject of a solo exhibition at the Two Mississippi Museums in 2025 in honor of the twentieth anniversary of the storm’s impact on Mississippi. She is author of Katrina: Mississippi Women Remember, Panther Tract: Wild Boar Hunting in the Mississippi Delta, and Life Between the Levees: America’s Riverboat Pilots, all published by University Press of Mississippi. Learn more about her work at www.melodygolding.com.