Special to Wesson News
Wesson Public Library (WPL) this month initiated an ongoing focus on Mississippi writers with a display spotlighting John Grady Burns’ books on floral design.
“Mississippi has a plethora of fiction and non-fiction writers versed in a variety of topics and masters of diverse genre,” says WPL Librarian Marilyn Britt. “In the months ahead, Wesson Public Library will bring them to the readers in our community through special displays that highlight their work.”
During a season characterized by color and imaginative design inspired by nature, John Grady Burns is an appropriate writer to inaugurate the Mississippi authors focus program, Britt observed.
A native of Natchez, Burns credits the “Garden Club Ladies” of his town as the example he has followed in writing his books. “Not only do they appreciate and preserve beauty, but the promote it,” he says.
After earning his BS in Retail Floral Management at Mississippi State University, he accepted an invitation to help create floral designs for the White House, Blair House and ambassadors and foreign and domestic dignitaries. In the mid-1980s, he moved to Atlanta to pursue a career in retail and special events. In 1982, he embarked on a 16-year career teaching art and floral design at Kennesaw State University and continues teaching at Hall’s Atlanta Floral Design School while managing a floral design business. He also lectures and leads demonstrations and flower programs throughout the country, works with cutting edge designers nationally and internationally and volunteers his time and artistry in support of the Southeaster Flower Show.
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