The Eudora Welty Foundation, in partnership with the Millsaps College Visiting Writers Series, will present the 2026 Bettye Jolly Lecture April 2 at 4:30 p.m. The Eudora Welty House & Garden will host this year’s lecture, which will conclude with a reception and book-signing. The event is free and open to the public. Keynote speaker is Jackson native and Pulitzer Prize–winning author Richard Ford. The author of 13 novels and story collections as well as a memoir of his parents, Ford has published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Irish Times, and Le Monde, among other places. At the conclusion of his lecture, distinguished Welty scholar and biographer Suzanne Marrs will join Ford on stage for a brief conversation, followed by audience questions.
