Putnam never tires in arts ambassador mission

Published 10:19 am Friday, August 1, 2025

A dozen years ago, the writer and musician Richelle Putnam co-authored a book titled “Legendary Locals of Meridian,” highlighting dozens of creative, political and other figures. If someone were to one day produce a sequel to this pride-stirring collection, it almost certainly should feature a section on Putnam herself.

In the cultural realm, our community has more than its share of practitioners and advocates, but few could rival Putnam’s impact.

“She’s a mentor to me; I want to do the things that she does,” said the Jimmie Rodgers Foundation’s new executive director Alana Broughton. “She’s one of the first people that I come to when I need help.”

Back in late 2005, Putnam led efforts to found the Mississippi Writers Guild and she now serves as its state president, advancing various outreach programs (for details, mississippiwritersguild.com). She has published several books – including a history of Mississippi during the Depression – while also writing songs, poems and short stories, contributing articles to the Magnolia Tribune site and serving as executive editor of the Bluegrass Standard magazine.

She is well known around Meridian as a result of her teaching of workshops at The MAX, our state-mission arts institution; her guitar-and-singing gigs at local venues; and her service as education consultant to the Montgomery Institute. Among other roles, Putnam serves as a Mississippi Arts Commission teaching artist and takes part in a Jimmie Rodgers Foundation effort to teach ukulele classes to young residents of Hope Village.

Underlying her career as a Meridian-based creative is a striking fact: Putnam didn’t get serious about writing, music and teaching until she was into her 60s, after she and her husband had raised four children and a couple of grandchildren.

Finding she had time to explore her creative instincts, Putnam began networking with arts advocates in Mississippi and other states and earned online degrees in marketing and creative writing—training that boosted her confidence and prospects for success in grant-writing and in the publishing world. She also gave close attention to advancing two key messages: Age should not be a barrier to creative pursuits, and no one should be discouraged by those who are quick to criticize an early draft or performance.

“That really is my mission as a writer and teacher,” said Putnam, now 71. “There are two ages that I think are misunderstood—those that we think are too young, and those that we think are too old. We tend to put people in boxes by their age, instead of looking at them as a whole person through their experiences. I’ve been put in a box myself, so I know how it feels.”

“Success at any age, at any time” seems to be her working theme. “I’m just a firm believer in lifelong learning. We are all lifelong learners whether we realize it or not.”

Although she was born in Michigan and lived in Jackson during high school, Putnam has spent most of her life in Meridian. There are lots of reasons to take pride in her. I recently attended a Writers Guild poetry workshop she led at The MAX and was struck by her ability to engage and encourage individuals who are shy about their private writing efforts.

And while much of Putnam’s writing is celebratory or focused on historical detail, she can deliver an emotional punch too, as in this “flash fiction” peace published more than a decade ago, exploring family relationships, substance abuse and faith. An excerpt:

“After Mother’s AA meeting last Thursday night, she invited God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit home to celebrate her one month sobriety. Since then the four of them have filled up the house with enough light to rival the first day of creation. And all week, I have watched from the doorway, struggling with all her ‘amens’ and ‘halleluiahs’ and how she kneels, twenty-four/seven, hands extended to heaven as if God is about to handcuff her.”

Warner is a journalist and cultural historian, and can be contacted at legacypress.warner@gmail.com.