The Margaret Walker Center invites proposals for papers, presentations, and panels for the 19th Annual Creative Arts & Scholarly Engagement (CASE) Festival, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, April 4 & 5, 2025. The CASE Festival will feature a keynote address by Natasha Trethewey, a Mississippian, former U.S. Poet Laureate, and Pulitzer Prize-winner.

Proposal submissions should be 250 words, include a title and name of the participant’s school, and should fit in one of four categories:

Poetry/Spoken Word (10-15-minute presentations in original storytelling or poetry, including brief comments about inspiration &/or form of the work)

Visual Arts (up to 3 pieces of artwork in any media with 10-minute presentations)

Written (8- to 10-page essays with 20-minute presentations)

Performing Arts (10-minute dance, musical, and theatrical presentations)

Schedule

Saturday, April 5 – Jackson State University

8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Registration, Q&A, and Continental Breakfast

JSU Student Center 1st Floor Front Desk

9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Concurrent Session I

JSU Student Center rooms 3210, 3241, Johnson Hall Art Gallery

10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Concurrent Session II

JSU Student Center rooms 3210, 3241, Johnson Hall Art Gallery

12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Luncheon and Thee Black Panther: JStyleU Modeling and Fashion Collective

JSU Student Center Ballroom

1:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. Concurrent Session III

JSU Student Center rooms 3210, 3241, 3250, Johnson Hall Art Gallery

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Natasha Trethewey and Shanna Smith: Closing Conversation and Awards Ceremony

JSU Student Center Theater

The CASE Festival is free and open to the public.

Date: April 4 - 5, 2025