Jackson Free Press

If you're a writer in the Jackson metro area who has been looking to socialize with other writers, a new chapter of the Mississippi Writers Guild is forming in central Mississippi.

Here's a news release from the Mississippi Writers Guild:

MADISON, MS: The Mississippi Writers Guild announces the formation of its newest chapter, the Middle Mississippi Chapter, which will serve members from Hinds, Rankin and Madison Counties and beyond. The Mississippi Writers Guild was formed in November 2005 to fulfill the need for a statewide writers organization. With a mission of advancing and preserving literary arts in Mississippi, the MWG’s motto is “No Writer Without a Voice.”

The first meeting of the Middle Mississippi Chapter will be Saturday, April 2 at 2:00pm in the private meeting room of Corner Bakery on Grandview Boulevard in Madison. The group is open to anyone who writes or has an interest in writing. Dues can be paid directly to the Mississippi Writers Guild by visiting their website at www.mississippiwritersguild.com.

There are currently eight chapters of the MWG in the state, including Hattiesburg, Jackson, Meridian, Natchez, Newton/Neshoba County, Tunica, Golden Triangle and Yazoo City. The new Middle Mississippi Chapter will be the ninth chapter in the state.

“This is the most densely populated part of the state, with the highest number of writers,” said Susan Marquez, who is organizing the new chapter. “I see so many writers who are hungry to learn more about writing as a profession. They want to know more about the craft of writing, how to write a winning book proposal, options for publishing, and how to market and promote a book. We will have guest speakers each month who will address these topics and more.” In addition to monthly meetings, there will be special workshops during the year, as well as an annual statewide conference.

This year’s conference will be held in Natchez August 5th and 6th, which coincides with both the Natchez Tricentennial and the 10th anniversary of the Mississippi Writers Guild. Special guest will be best-selling author Greg Iles, who will receive the second annual Mississippi Writers Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.

“It's a new, fresh day for writers in this area,” said MWG president Galen Mark LaFrances. “I'm all in favor and will work hard to make this new chapter a huge success.”

For more information, visit the chapter's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Mississippi-Writers-Guild-Middle-Mississippi-Chapter-467652673430549/likes or email Susan Marquez at [email protected].

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The Mississippi State's women's basketball team defeated Michigan State 74-72 in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament on Sunday. The reward for that win is a date in Bridgeport, Conn. to face No. 1 overall seed the Connecticut Huskies at 10:30 a.m. on ESPN.

UConn defeated Duquense 97-51 Monday, March 21, and moved to 34-0 on the season. The Huskies also won their 71st straight game and reached the Sweet Sixteen for the 23rd straight time. Connecticut scored at least 20 points in all four quarters, and the Dukes never topped 20 points in a single quarter.

There might not be a more dominating force in all of sports right now than Connecticut women's basketball. The Huskies are seeking their fourth straight national championship.

Just how dominant have the Huskies been this season?

UConn has defeated every team on their schedule by 10 or more points this season. Only Notre Dame and Maryland lost by 10 points, and South Carolina lost by 12 points. The Gamecocks beat Mississippi State by six and 14 points in their two meetings this season.

The Huskies haven't had a game where they failed to score 75 or more points all season long and have topped the century mark five times this season. UConn has also defeated nine ranked teams as they steamrolled the competition.

Even Las Vegas is all in for the Huskies to win it all. Just to win $100, you would have to bet $900 that UConn wins it all. One Vegas sports bookie is allowing those who bet to take the field or UConn, where a $100 bet against Connecticut would net $600 should the Huskies loose.

Things don't get much better for the Bulldogs due to the site of the game. UConn is 54-1 in games played in Connecticut and 9-1 in Bridgeport, where Mississippi State will play.

All of these numbers don't mean the Bulldogs can't shock the world and beat the mighty Huskies. What it does mean is that Mississippi State has to play the best game in program history.

The Bulldogs have to be perfect on defense, force turnovers, get steals and don't under any circumstances give UConn easy baskets. On offense, Mississippi State has to hit shots and can't go cold from the field for long stretches like it did against both Chattanooga and Michigan State in the team's first two tournament games.

It would also help if the Huskies had an off day and played a little sloppy and were cold shooting. Because even if everything goes right for Mississippi State, it will take a monumental effort to defeat the Huskies.

A win by Mississippi State would be the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history for men or women. It would surpass, in my mind, the biggest upset ever when North Carolina State defeated heavily favored Houston and Phi Slamma Jamma and won the title.

If the …

It could be a NFL Draft red herring but the Dallas Cowboys have shown an incredible amount of interest in Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott. According to the Dallas-Morning News, Cowboys Quarterback Coach Wade Wilson is in Starkville, Miss today to workout the former Bulldogs single caller.

This will mark the third time that Wilson has meet with before this April's draft. Wilson, along with Dallas Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan, spent time with Prescott at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala and then met with him again at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in late February.

Multiple reports (here and here) have the Cowboys linked to Prescott in this year's NFL Draft. And why not, Dallas has to start thinking about like after Tony Romo at some point.

Last season, Romo spent more time injured than on the field and he has had back issues the last few seasons. The Cowboys have to figure that time is running out on Romo and taking a quarterback in the draft to develop for future is the smart idea.

Prescott has been projected to be drafted as high as the second round but most projections have him being selected in the third to fourth round of this year's draft. Most draft scouts see Prescott as a bit of a work in progress but could turn into a solid starter with time to develop into a NFL starter.

The Dallas Cowboys have nine picks in the draft. Dallas has the 34th pick in the 2nd round, 67th pick in the third round, 101st pick in the fourth round and 135th pick (a compensatory pick) in the fourth round. Other picks include the 189th, 212th, 216th, and 217th pick in the sixth round.

Every pick in the sixth round but the 189th is a compensatory pick. One thing to remember about the draft is that compensatory picks can not be traded and must be used by the team that was awarded the pick. That means the Cowboys don't have a lot of picks to trade if they must move around to get Prescott.

While Prescott has mainly stayed in the news for his on the field work or for being a good guy off the field, he has been in the news for the wrong thing. Last year, Prescott was seen on video being jumped in Panama City, Florida, but the quarterback handled that situation nearly perfectly.

Last week, Prescott was in the news for the wrong reason, when he was arrested for driving under the influence. While his draft stock will take a bit of a hit, because he was arrested so close to the draft, it is not the enough to send up red flags to teams who want to draft the quarterback.

Dallas currently hasn't signed a quarterback in free agency and have Kellen Moore as the only other quarterback on the roster besides Romo. The …

This year, Crossroads Film Festival, which is is March 31-April 3, kicks off with a screening of 'The Hollars.'

John Krasinski, who most recently starred in '13 Hours,' directed and starred in the film, which shot in locations in the Jackson metro area such as Fondren, Methodist Rehabilitation Center and St. Dominic Hospital in 2014.

“I am delighted that Mississippians will have this opportunity to get a sneak peek of this great movie filmed across the area,” said Robbie Fischer, Mississippi Crossroads Film Society president, in a blog post on the festival's website. “This screening celebrates the culmination of many Mississippians’ talents and Tom Rice’s commitment to make movies in his hometown.”

Crossroads will screen the film at the Malco Grandview Cinema in Madison beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $20. For more information, go to the Crossroads Film Festival blog post.

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