NATCHEZ — The damp weather this weekend may provide a great opportunity to snuggle up indoors and watch a movie or read a book, or you could shake an author’s hand instead during the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration.

This year marks NLCC’s 30th year of hosting award-winning authors, scholars, artists and producers, and the agenda has a lot of good events on it this time around — most of which are free and open to the general public at the Natchez Convention Center at 211 Main St., said co-chairman, Brett Brinegar. Tickets to other events can be purchased at the convention center.

The come-and-go conference lasts all weekend long and features book signings, gift shops, craft shows, films, workshops and discussions, Brinegar said.

Here is a schedule of all that is happening this weekend at the 30th annual NLCC:

Events Today

• At 6 p.m. in the convention center, co-producers of “Mississippi Madam: The Life of Nellie Jackson,” Mark Brockway and Tim Givens are presenting the final cut of the 2017 documentary.
• At 7:30 p.m., Beverly Adams and Mark LaFrancis will be giving a presentation called “Making the Film — Women of the Struggle,” which focuses on a new documentary about women who were active in the Civil Rights Era.

Events Friday

• At 8:30 a.m. in the convention center, Copiah Lincoln Community College President Jane Hulon; Co-Lin Vice President, Teresa Busby and Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell will lead the opening ceremony.
• At 9:15 a.m., author and journalist, Anne Butler, will present “Flatboats and Floozies: Culture and Commerce on the River Road.”
• At 10 a.m., James Pate — a historian and emeritus professor of history at the University of West Alabama — will present “Albert James Pickett’s History of Alabama, and Incidentally of Georgia and Mississippi,” followed by a book signing at 11 a.m. and a presentation of the Thad Cochran Award for Excellence in the Humanities at 1 p.m.
• At 1:30 p.m., Gene Dattel, a cultural and economic historian, will present “Preparing for the World: Experiences of a Mississippi Delta Jew.”
• At 2:30 p.m., Pamela D. Arceneaux — author, Senior Librarian and Rare Books Curator at the Historic New Orleans Collection’s Williams Research Center — will present “Guidebooks to Sin: The Blue Books of Storyville, New Orleans” followed by a book signing at 3:30 p.m.
• At 3:50 p.m., Brockway and Givens will present, “Making the Film: Mississippi Madam,” followed by a reception at 5 p.m. in the Natchez Museum of African American Culture at 301 Main St. or a guided tour of Concord Quarters at 301 Gayoso St.. Tickets for the tour are $15 each.

Events Saturday

• At 8:30 a.m. in the convention center, Hulon will provide opening remarks followed by recognition of the winners of the John D.W. Guice Young Writers Competition led by Busby.
• At 9 a.m., poet and professor of fine arts at the University of Mississippi, Beth Ann Fennelly will be presenting, “Heating & Cooling: 52 Micro-memoirs” followed by a book signing at 10 a.m. and a presentation of the Richard Wright Awards for Literary Excellence and educational presentations by the winners: author, Ellen Gilchrist, and retired journalist, Jack Elliott at 10:30 a.m.
• At 11:30 a.m., a luncheon will be held in the Hotel Vue’s Pilot House restaurant overlooking the Mississippi River. Tickets to the luncheon are $30 each.
• At 1 p.m. in the convention center, author and associate professor of fiction writing at the University of Mississippi, Tom Franklin will present “Crooked Letter Crooked Letter.”
• At 2 p.m., chef and culinary historian, Michael Twitty will present “The Cooking Gene” followed by a book signing.
• At 3:45 p.m., author and professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Karen Cox will present “A Crime and Disgrace Anyway You Look at It: National Press Coverage of the 1940 Rhythm Night Club Fire in Natchez.”
• At 5:30 p.m. a benefit gala will be held at Magnolia Hall at 215 Pearl St. with authors, speakers, award winners and patrons. Tickets for the gala are $60 each.