Year after year, the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration does indeed give us something to celebrate &045; as well as new topics to explore, new people to meet, new lessons to learn.

This year, of course, is no exception. The theme, &uot;Between Two Worlds: Free Blacks in the Antebellum South,&uot; will explore the lives of people like William Johnson, whose restored house will fittingly have its grand opening during the Feb. 23-27 event.

The celebration will draw visitors and lecturers and award-winning writers from around the country, but local residents always have an opportunity to take part in the programs, many of which are free.

The literary celebration has grown over the years &045; and now, of course, includes a film component and an award given to a screenwriter &045; but its mission has remained the same.

The event celebrates the region’s contributions in humanities and heritage through lectures, films, documentaries, seminars, discussions, concerts and a variety of other means.

What better way to celebrate our local and regional heritage this year than to honor a segment of black history, an area that has often been overlooked in Natchez’s own historical perspective.

We are looking forward this year to the many events that go along with the literary celebration &045; and we encourage everyone to look at the schedule and find out everything the event has to offer.