On Thursdays at 3 p.m., the Eudora Welty House & Garden will present free summer book readings for children in partnership with the Mississippi Library Commission. For more information, visit the Eudora Welty House & Garden Facebook page.
Join us on an adventure with nature at the Eudora Welty House & Garden for Bucket Buds Day with Little Bluestem Farm! Children four to eight years of age will engage in hands-on nature activities such as flower arranging, nature journaling, and a leaf study from Little Bluestem Farm’s Bucket Buds educational subscription program. Attendees will also take a guided walkthrough of the Welty Garden. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian during this event. Registration fee is $15 per child and space is limited. There is no fee for parents or guardians to attend.
On Thursday, May 20, at 4 p.m., the Eudora Welty House & Garden will host a small beginner’s workshop on cut flower gardening with special guest Donna Yowell of the Flower Growers of Mississippi. Registration fee is $20 per person and space is limited to fifteen participants. Face masks and social distancing guidelines are required. Register online for the event here. For more information, call 601-353-7762 or email info@eudoraweltyhouse.com.
On Tuesdays at 7 a.m., enjoy gentle community yoga classes on the front lawn of the Eudora Welty House & Garden led by certified yoga instructor and MDAH education specialist Jennifer Rose. Guests should bring their own mats, towels, water bottles, and wear comfortable clothing. Guests will be required to socially distance themselves and wear face masks when not on the mat.
Author and horticulturist Felder Rushing will present a book lecture and heirloom plant swap at the Eudora Welty House & Garden on Sunday, May 2, at 1 p.m. Guests are encouraged to bring up to two plants to swap. Space is limited. To register for this event, purchase Rushing's book Maverick Gardeners from the Eudora Welty House & Garden. Face masks and social distancing guidelines are required while on site.
The Eudora Welty House & Garden will launch a new outdoor audio tour on Tuesday, April 13, in recognition of Eudora Welty’s birthday. The Welty Garden Audio Tour interprets the history of Welty’s garden and its influence on her writing.
“We are excited to offer our visitors an audio tour of the Welty garden,” said Katie Blount, director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH). “To hear Mary Alice Welty White read her aunt’s words about the flowers she and her mother nurtured adds an intimacy to the garden tour, which is closer now to the experience of walking through her house.”
The twenty-minute tour includes music, nature sounds, and narration read by retired Welty Garden curator Susan Haltom. The audio tour is available for listeners online at https://welty.mdah.ms.gov/visit/audiotour.
The new exhibit A Parade of Bloom: Stories From the Welty Garden is now open to visitors at the Eudora Welty House & Garden Visitor Center and highlights the importance of gardening in Eudora Welty’s family and social life as well as her literature. The exhibit includes photographs of Welty’s family in the garden, artifacts, garden maps, flower sketches, and journals. Visitors also can learn about featured camellias in the garden and their importance in several of Welty’s friendships. The Visitor Center is free and open to the public Tuesday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. and Saturday 12:30–4 p.m.
The Eudora Welty House & Garden interprets the life of the internationally acclaimed author. Tours are by reservation Tuesday–Friday, 9 & 11 a.m. and 1 & 3 p.m. and Saturday, 1 & 3 p.m. To reserve a tour, email info@eudoraweltyhouse.com or call 601-353-7762. The Eudora Welty House & Garden is located at 1119 Pinehurst Street in Jackson and is operated by MDAH.
The Eudora Welty House & Garden in partnership with the Visiting Writer Series at Millsaps College will host an outdoor poetry reading and book signing with Mississippi Poet Laureate Beth Ann Fennelly in the Welty Garden. Face masks and social distancing guidelines are required. Limited outdoor seating. Guests are encouraged to bring picnic blankets.
The Eudora Welty House & Garden will host an heirloom plant sale from the Welty Garden on Saturday, April 17, at 9 a.m. Masks and social distancing guidelines are required while on site. This program is in partnership with the Eudora Welty Foundation. For additional information, visit the Eudora Welty House & Garden Facebook page or email info@eudoraweltyhouse.com.
On Mondays, at noon CST, the Eudora Welty House & Garden will host live book discussions of Welty's 1955 short story collection, The Bride of the Innisfallen, as part of its #WeltyatHome virtual book club program. Welty's friend and biographer Dr. Suzanne Marrs will lead the discussion. This event is free and open to the public. For more information and to register, email info@eudoraweltyhouse.com.
The Eudora Welty House & Garden will present a virtual teachers workshop on using digital platforms to explore Welty's short story classics in partnership with the Digital Welty Lab at Millsaps College on Friday, February 26. Registration is $40 per person and space is limited to 50 participants. Register online for the event here. For additional information, email info@eudoraweltyhouse.com.