Dr. Ann Fisher-Wirth, a recently retired professor from the University of Mississippi, will be the featured poet at First Friday Poetry at 6 p.m. on Sept. 6 at Cambridge Methodist Church near Abbeville.

Fisher-Wirth will share her poetry inspired by the Mississippi landscape, complemented by the acclaimed photography of Maude Schuyler Clay.

Cambridge Methodist Church is located at located at 640 CR 202.

Her project, “Mississippi: Poetry in Photography,” delves into both the degradation and the beauty of the state.

“In Mississippi, where I have lived for the past 28 years, I find a state that suffers from severe environmental degradation that cannot be separated from its history of poverty and racial oppression,” Fisher-Wirth said. “Yet it also possesses great natural beauty and a rich and complex culture, one interwoven from the many voices that have made up its identity.

“I have come to understand these poems as explorations of voice in its Mississippi plenitude and variety. To write these poems, I listen to the voices and I listen to Maude’s photographs. Out of silence, the poems emerge.”

This past spring, selected poems from Fisher-Wirth’s collection were performed at a showcase at Theatre Oxford, directed by Rene Pullian. Several actors from that performance will return to augment Fisher-Wirth’s presentation at First Friday Poetry. Dr. John Daigle will also perform folksongs to enhance the evening’s program, which will conclude with refreshments.

First Friday Poetry is a cherished community event held in memory of Dr. Hugh Sloan, a beloved parishioner and professor of marketing. The event regularly features both original works and favorite poems shared by participants.