Student inmates in Adult Education at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman will be spending the next month in virtual book club discussions each Friday.

The first book club session kicked off Friday, March 4.

Dr. Ebony Lumumba, chair and associate professor of English at Jackson State University, led the discussion on Jesmyn Ward’s novel Sing, Unburied, Sing.

“Simply amazing” is how Diana Jackson-Washington, Parchman’s Book Club coordinator and Adult Education teacher at Unit 30, described the session.

“The students were engaged, motivated, and eager to share their ideas with fellow book club members,” she said.

They left the session “ready to read, build, and connect with the main characters and author,” Jackson-Washington said.

MDOC appreciates Carla Falkner and the Mississippi Humanities Council for their sponsorship.