WCU professor, student named William Winter Scholars
Each year, outstanding humanities students and faculty members from Mississippi’s universities, colleges and community colleges are honored by being named William Winter Scholars at the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration.
During this year’s virtual celebration, held Feb. 22-27, Dr. Lorie Watkins Massey and senior English major Emily Branan were named William Winter Scholars to represent William Carey University. The award honors the late governor, who was known for supporting education at all levels in the state.
Massey is an associate professor of English at William Carey University. Her research interests include southern literature, African American literature, and American modernism. She is the author of “William Faulkner, Gavin Stevens, and the Cavalier Tradition.” She edited and contributed to “A Literary History of Mississippi,” and edits an annual journal, “Publications of the Mississippi Philological Association.”
Branan is the daughter of Toby and Dawn Branan of Hattiesburg. An English major with a minor in criminal justice, she plans to attend law school after graduating in May. Her goal is to become a criminal defense attorney. Since transferring from Pearl River Community College to WCU last year, Branan has been inducted into Alpha Chi and Sigma Tau Delta honor societies. She is a cheerleader and a member of Pi Omega.
The Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration, NLCC, is sponsored by Copiah-Lincoln Community College and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The Natchez National Historical Park also provides support, as does the Mississippi Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities. This year’s conference presentations are available now at no charge on the NLCC Facebook page and YouTube channel.
