Faculty and staff in Mississippi’s schools are eligible to earn 3.2 Continuing Education Units (for 32 contact hours) by attending the upcoming 21st annual Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration, Feb. 25-28.

The award-winning conference’s 2010 theme is “Humor in the Deep South.” Among more than two dozen speakers are James Cobb, “The Most Southern Place on Earth: The Mississippi Delta;” Robert Harling, “Steel Magnolias;” Sam Haskell, “Promises I Made My Mother;” Clifton Taulbert “Once Upon a Time When We Were Colored;” Gerald McRaney, a Mississippi actor with credits on Broadway and in numerous films and television shows; Marshall Ramsey, Pulitzer Prize nominee for political cartoons, and many others.

Enhancing the lecture series will be the screening of Harling’s “Steel Magnolias” and Horton Foote’s “The Trip to Bountiful;” the premiere screenings of “Horton Foote: Regional Voice, Universal Vision and Now! That’s Funny! Jokes, Stories, and Other Musings from the Deep South;” the Natchez Little Theatre’s play, “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas;” writing workshops; book signings; live music; an open house at the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture; a writing awards ceremony; and festive social events in two of Natchez’s historic mansions, Stanton Hall and Greenlea.

The NLCC, an award-winning, mostly free conference, will begin at 9 a.m., Thurs., Feb. 25, and go through Saturday evening, Feb. 27, at the Natchez Convention Center in downtown Natchez. Post-conference writing workshops on Feb. 28 will end the conference at Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

A CEU registration fee of $85 per person covers costs of CEU verification and includes one ticket to “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” and one ticket to an evening extravaganza devoted to the arts and the humanities.

This will begin at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 26, at the Convention Center. It will feature U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.); Dr. Jerry W. Ward Jr. of Dillard University; Sam Haskell of Los Angeles and Oxford, author of the national bestseller, “Promises I Made My Mother;” live music by vocalist Mary Donnelly Haskell of Los Angeles and Oxford; and remarks by Natchez’ own Miss America, Lynda Mead Shea of Memphis, Tenn.

The evening also includes a festive reception in the downtown mansion, Greenlea, home of Stella and Philip Carby.

If a person cannot attend the entire conference, CEUs are available for the number of actual hours in attendance, from five hours up to 31 hours. The CEU fee for partial attendance is $75, no matter the number of hours attended.

To register for CEU credit, a person must send name, address, phone number and e-mail address along with a check for $85 or $75 made out to Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration to Sturleen Morris, Chair, NLCC CEU Committee, Natchez Public School System, P.O. Box 1008, Natchez, MS 39121.

More information about CEU credit is available by calling 601-445-2848 or e-mailing STBmorris@natchez.k12.ms.us or by going to www.colin.edu/nlcc/ceu.

Information about the entire conference is available by calling 601-446-1289 or toll-free, 866-296-NLCC (6522); by visiting www.colin.edu/nlcc; or by e-mailing NLCC@colin.edu.

Sturleen Morris coordinates the CEUs for the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration.