CLEVELAND, Miss. — Delta State University has announced that University Archivist and Instructional Services Librarian C.T. Salazar has been awarded a $10,000 grant from Press On’s Southern Movement Media Fund to support his groundbreaking book project, City of Roses: A People’s History of Poetry in Mississippi.
The project delves into the lives, works, and networks of Black, Brown, and Queer poets in Mississippi dating back to 1880. Salazar describes the text as an interdisciplinary exploration of history, poetry, and literary criticism.
“City of Roses reconstructs the lives and poetries of artists who used their craft as a means of resistance and liberation,” Salazar said. “It investigates how these poets saw themselves as political actors within a broader liberation movement, and how they built fugitive networks—through small Black presses and community spaces—to ensure their voices and art were heard. This grant ensures the completion of a manuscript that has been eight years in the making.”
The Southern Movement Media Fund, a program by Press On, provides resources to Southern media makers and journalists who engage in movement journalism—journalism rooted in solidarity with oppressed communities and their grassroots efforts for transformative social change.
Salazar’s project aligns closely with the fund’s mission, which prioritizes uplifting oral histories, culture, and narratives from marginalized communities. As a scholar and storyteller, Salazar uses archival research and literary analysis to uncover and honor a rich, often overlooked tradition of poetry-making in Mississippi.
Press On, a Southern media collective, launched the Southern Movement Media Fund in 2020 to support journalism and storytelling that empowers communities and amplifies justice-driven narratives. The fund prioritizes individuals from underrepresented groups, including Black, Indigenous, people of color, queer, and gender non-conforming media makers.
Delta State University congratulates C.T. Salazar on this remarkable achievement and applauds his dedication to preserving and illuminating Mississippi’s cultural and literary history.
For more information about Delta State University Archives and Museums, visit https://www.deltastate.edu/library/departments/archives-museum/.
