Originally published in the “Northside Sun”
The University Press of Mississippi recently established the Jane Hiatt Fund for Books in the Arts and Humanities, in honor of Dr. Wood Hiatt. The grant is an endowed fund supporting the publishing activities of University Press of Mississippi. Books will be works of scholarly merit that meet the standards of University Press of Mississippi and can be appreciated by a general audience.
Wood Hiatt was a board-certified forensic psychiatrist until his death in 2010. His wife, Jane, is former director of the Mississippi Arts Commission. Together they created the Hiatt Fund with the Community Foundation for Mississippi in 1996 to support arts, humanities, and social services.
As part of the ongoing celebration of the Press’s 50th anniversary, the Fund for Books in the Arts and Humanities will be underwritten by an initial grant of $10,000 from the Hiatt Fund of the Community Foundation for Mississippi. With a commitment of $50,000 over five years, proceeds from the fund will be used to support a wide range of books.
Founded in 1970, University Press of Mississippi is the largest and only non-profit publisher in the state.
“We are excited to establish this new fund with Jane Hiatt, who has been a long-time supporter of the press. The support of dedicated individuals like Ms. Hiatt will help the press continue its mission well into the future,” says director Craig W. Gill.
The first book to be published with support from the Jane Hiatt Fund for Books in the Arts and Humanities will be New Orleans in Golden Age Postcards, a tour of historic New Orleans as seen in rare postcards from the early twentieth century, by Matthew Griffis, an associate professor at the University of Southern Mississippi.