Wesson-Area Artist and Educator Dr. Alexis Gains MAC Recognition for Poetry and Photography

Special to Wesson News

Dr. Nadia Alexis, head of the Literary Arts Department at Brookhaven-based Mississippi School of the of McComb, debuted the collection of her poetry and photography this past year in Watersheds, published by CavanKerry Press, with the help of the Mississippi Art Commission (MAC) for the second year in a row.

As part of more than $1.7 million in 2025 grants, MAC awarded Dr. Alexis a $4,250 literary artist fellowship to support the revision process of her young adult novel-in-verse, including some of the cost to attend the AWP Conference in Los Angeles when her book was published in the spring.

The Mississippi Arts Commission (MAC) is a state agency serving more than two million people through grants and special initiatives that enhance communities, assist artists and arts organizations, promote arts education and celebrate Mississippi’s cultural heritage. MAC is funded by the Mississippi Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, and other private sources.  Its annual grant funds went to individuals and organizations in 92 Mississippi House of Representatives districts and 52 state Senate districts.

“I was grateful to receive this support for my work and my literary career,” said Dr. Alexis.  “It’s an honor to be creating and blooming in Mississippi. Learning from some of the state’s best literary and visual artists, and its birds, trees, and skies, has deeply impacted my artistic practice and contributed significantly to me receiving this fellowship.”

A poet, writer, photographer, and educator born and raised in Harlem, New York City, to Haitian immigrants, Dr. Alexis has lived in Mississippi for eight years, currently in McComb.  Her writing and photography have appeared in numerous publications. She has received several accolades including a 2024 Individual Artist Mini-Grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission, a 2024 STAR Teacher Award, a 2024 Vance Fellowship from the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration, and being named the 2023 Poet of the Year at the Haitian Creative Digital Awards. Her photography has also been exhibited in several shows in the U.S. and Cuba. A fellow of the Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop and the Watering Hole, she holds a PhD and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Mississippi.

Pointing to Dr. Alexis, MAC Executive Director says “Mississippi is synonymous with the quality of art that emits from our state. The arts enhance the quality of life and local economies.  With the generous support from the Mississippi Legislature, we can activate our citizens’ innate creativity and invest in our communities.”

For information about the Mississippi Arts Commission, please contact Ellie Banks, Communications Director, 601-359-6546 or ebanks@arts.ms.gov.