Future Sponsor
Future Sponsor
southwest mississippi multiplex
For Early Innovative Intervention Studies
Literacy Campaign: #1000Strong
SMMEIIS aims to provide early intervention and supplemental programs to both improve literacy and raise awareness about illiteracy in Southwest Mississippi. Our goal is to discover the correlations of illiteracy to issues of our community such as poverty, low self-esteem/ social emotional development, racial inequality, and gun violence. By 2026, we want to increase the literacy levels of 1,000 children and adults, ensuring that our community experiences the lifelong advantages of literacy.
#1000Strong
We are encouraging our community to not only read, but also reflect on their experiences as readers.
#1000Strong
Recommended reading offered by members of our community during the 2023 Literary Festival.
#1000Strong
Building up a child’s vocabulary is key to improving literacy and reading comprehension. Register on-site at the McComb Recreation Department located at 701 S Magnolia Street by June 30th.
Arts and Culture
The PIZZAZZ Dance Troupe's Summer Enrichment Program
artist-in-residence
Meet Maleah Dawn, Our Summer 2022 Artist-In-Residence
Bio
Maleah DAWN is a singer-songwriter, college student, and self-proclaimed oatmeal aficionado. Hailing from the birthplace of American music, Mississippi, she creates R&B, Soul, and Pop songs about insecurities, pursuing purpose, and growing into who she’s meant to be. With hints of Hip Hop in her style, Maleah DAWN found inspiration in artists like Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah, and Floetry, and the modern likes of SZA, H.E.R, and Alex Isley.
Her voice carries a softness and power that penetrates the soul. Whether she is speaking or singing, Maleah DAWN has a vulnerability flowing through her every time she steps onto the stage. One of her most memorable performances is opening at Jackson State University’s Homecoming Concert for Lil Durk and Flo Milli in October 2021. Recently, Maleah has performed at McComb School District’s Arts Alive Fest, Jackson State U’s THEE I Love Bash, and Third Coast Radio’s The Kickback; additionally, she’s interviewed with Vocalo Radio (Chicago) after her single, IN MY HOME was aired on their 91.1 station.
Join her on this musical journey by connecting with @maleahofthedawn on socials & look out for upcoming music and collaborations from the songstress.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maleahofthedawn/?hl=en
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maleahofthedawnn
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maleahofthedawn
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maleahofthedawn/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxp8AzV09wuhXocRE_FPoUA
Read the Vocalo Radio Interview:
https://vocalo.org/maleah-dawn-feature/
Watch Maleah DAWN’s Performances:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5eENg5Ns5GEt6-oIsbJbZa5XChlNBHse
BookSong: "Do you see the clouds?" By Maleah Dawn
BOOKSONGS are an educational resource for elementary teachers and learners. We take educational texts/ literature and make the information/ stories appealing to the youthful ear. In this BookSong, Maleah Dawn makes a musical adaptation of the children's book, "Cloud Dance", by Thomas Locker.
BookSong: "I am water" By Maleah Dawn
BOOKSONGS are an educational resource for elementary teachers and learners. We take educational texts/ literature and make the information/ stories appealing to the youthful ear. In this BookSong, Maleah Dawn makes a musical adaptation of the children's book, "Water Dance", by Thomas Locker.
community
A place with resources is a place for growth.
Professional Development
Stay tuned.
Building and strengthening the skills of our community is a pressing priority. We offer training in the areas of artistic practice, racial equity, justice and human rights, innovative entrepreneurship, technology-based learning, and organization-building or "writing the vision".
Community Connections
2021 Health Equity Series: Grief and Trauma-Related Coping Responses among Black Families and Communities with Aspen Hardges, LCSW
Grief and loss are universal human experiences, but how unique are Black people's grief-producing experiences? Do the often negative or traumatic ways in which Black people experience loss create unique mental health and wellness issues? In this health equity program, SMMEIIS explores grief from the lens of coping with the loss of people to the loss of safety in instances of racial injustice.
The Creative Camp
Coming Up: June 2022
Young visionaries who participate in our summer program grasp concepts in STEAM, idea/gift development, creative/critical thinking, innovative leadership, and social entrepreneurship by way of creative play, team-building, and project-based learning.
Sankofa Dialogues
Through interviews/conversations/panel discussions, our elders share their experiences about growing up in the south and how past race relations have shaped our present socio-political/educational views. Dialogues are recorded and made available to the public via podcast.
- meet the executive-artistic director
Clinnesha D. Sibley, a native of McComb, Mississippi, is an award-winning writer, published author, community advocate, and educator. She has taught Playwriting and African-American theatre courses for the University of Arkansas and College of Charleston. After teaching at the university level for seven years as an Assistant Professor, she moved into secondary education.
A writer of plays, blogs, poetry, prose, essays and creative non-fiction, Clinnesha’s work has been featured in countless literary journals. She received the Holland New Voices Award, the Arkansas Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship, Mississippi Theatre Association Adult Playwriting Award, A.I.M. Award for Creative Writing, a 2021 Vance Fellowship from the Natchez Literary and Cinema Celebration, 2020-2021 Teacher of the Year at Mississippi School of the Arts, 2022 STAR Student-Teacher Achievement Recognition Program, and Claes Nobel Educator of Distinction by the National Society of High School Scholars.
Clinnesha’s writing, often influenced by the Civil Rights Movement, contributes authentic narratives about Mississippians, southerners, and Black women to the contemporary literary canon. Her plays have been recognized by many reputable companies and organizations including Penumbra Theatre, Athena Project, Blackboard Reading Series, New Circle Theatre, The Union For Contemporary Art, and Destination Freedom Black Radio Days.
She has contributed to Howlround Theatre Commons (“How to Survive Predominantly White Academic Theatre…”), Black Acting Methods Critical Approaches (“Remembering, Rewriting, and Reimagining: Afrocentric Approaches to Directing New Work for the Stage”), and 2020: The Year that Changed American Anthology (“I Am Speaking”: Why Black and Brown Voices Matter”).
Clinnesha was selected as one of twenty-four change-makers across the United States for the 2017-2018 National Arts Strategies Creative Communities Fellow Program. This program was her springboard into the non-profit sector and social entrepreneurship, which grounded her in the role of Executive-Artistic Director for the Southwest Mississippi Multiplex for Early Innovative Intervention Studies. In addition, she currently serves as the Fine Arts Coordinator for the McComb School District where she is a major player on the arts-in-education scene.
Clinnesha is married to her high school sweetheart, Keith Sibley, and they have three children: Kaylee, Karlee, and Keith Jr.
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