Novelist and Mississippi native John Grisham will be honored at next year’s Natchez Literary Celebration, which is &uot;shifting gears&uot; with a new name and a new date as the event moves into its 11th year.

Carolyn Vance Smith, the celebration’s founder and co-chairperson, told Natchez Rotary Club members Wednesday the 2001 event will take place in February, rather than June, to accommodate school groups.

Since teachers and students make up a large part of the celebration’s audience, the date is being pushed back to Feb. 21-25, when school will still be in session, Smith said.

&uot;They have begged us to move it back,&uot; Smith said. &uot;So we listened and looked at the school calendar to see where we wanted to put it.&uot;

Also, the event has been redubbed The Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration to include works of film.

As she was growing up, Smith said she would usually read a book, then see the film adaptation if it was available. &uot;Students today are visually-oriented and do the reverse (read the book later), if they do it at all,&uot; Smith said.

By including films, both fiction and documentaries, in the celebration, Smith said students will be encouraged to then read and write — the ultimate mission of the annual event.

Mississippian Gerald McRaney, actor and celebration advisor, suggested the new name, Smith said, and will be speaking at the upcoming celebration.

Other prominent names scheduled to attend include &uot;West Wing&uot; producer Lewellyn Wells and director Barry Phillips. Phillips is art director for the PBS series &uot;Wishbone&uot; and creative director of a new series named &uot;Poetry Pals.&uot;

Grisham and Minor will be honored at a ceremony as the winners of the 2001 Richard Wright Literary Excellence Award.

&uot;Fiction, Fact and Film: The Genius of the South&uot; is the theme for the 2001 celebration, which will include lectures on Harper Lee’s &uot;To Kill a Mockingbird,&uot; Huey Long, Eudora Welty and William Faulkner.

Two films will premiere at the celebration: a documentary on the life and writings of Margaret Walker Alexander, developed by the University of Kansas, and &uot;The Ponder Heart,&uot; a film version of Welty’s novella and play.

JoAnne Prichard Morris, wife of Willie Morris, author of &uot;My Dog Skip,&uot; will also speak at the celebration, and the recent film adaptation will be shown.

Smith said preparation for the 2002 celebration is already underway as the celebration seeks out a sizable grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Dr. William Ferris, NEH director, is a native of the state and an advisor for the Natchez celebration.

The grant requires matching funds from both local and outside sponsors, Smith said, but an approval would put the celebration on solid financial footing.

&uot;That’s a big hurdle in our future,&uot; Smith told Rotarians as she asked for their continued support.

The celebration seeks to &uot;tie together the historical, literary, political, social, artistic and natural heritage of Mississippi and the South.&uot;