3rd Annual Photography Contest


In it’s third year, AiM’s annual photography contest is expected to continue it’s upward trend in both the number and quality of photos. Last year’s contest drew more than 250 entries from amateur photographers around the area. Contest coordinators George Souders and Mark Boehler anticipate this years field being even stronger with prize money for 1st and 2nd place being awarded in a half dozen categories and an additional $100.00 for best-in-show honors.

The deadline for entries at UTM in Selmer is Fri. Oct. 5 but mail-in entries must be postmarked by Mon. Oct. 1 for eligibility. Winners will be announced and prizes awarded at an opening reception held at the UTM center in Selmer on Sun. Oct. 7, from 2:00-4:00 PM. All entries will then be on display at UTM Selmer through Nov. 18. Souders stressed that all photos should be picked up on or as near to Nov. 19 as possible to make room for future exhibit.

Photographers are invited to price and sell their work and this year, they will have an added opportunity and incentive to do so since the photography show will be a featured stop on the fall AiM Artisan trail, Nov. 17 & 18. Last spring’s AAT drew tourists and patrons of the arts from a five state area to McNairy County.

Stop by the UTM Center in Selmer for entry forms or call Souders at 731-645-5441 or 731-610-1365 and Boehler at 662-287-6111, ext. 140 for entry information or other details.

Hollywood Comes to Selmer


Dr. Lewis Hunter, is a screenwriting professor at UCLA; not surprisingly, one of the top universities for film studies in the world. Dr. Hunter has been a creative executive at Disney, Buena Vista and other entertainment industry powerhouses and is one of the few educators, who is also a working screenwriter. He has extended his teaching skills beyond the university setting by authoring the book Screenwriting 434 and traveling the globe with his wife Pam conducting screenwriting seminars. Now he is coming to McNairy County!


Teaming up with Dr. Hunter is his former student, Sherri Sanders, who has recently relocated home to McNairy County from Los Angeles. Sherri holds an MFA from UCLA in Theatre Arts with a screenwriting emphasis. She has recently optioned, “Miss Scarecrow Blues”, a southern family drama screenplay, and has worked in production, as well as script consulting for major studios.

The two will be conducting a screenwriting workshop on Nov. 3, 4, & 5. The seminar is cosponsored by AiM and UTM Selmer/McNairy who will play host. Both beginning and seasoned writers will find it helpful. The workshop which has been informally dubbed, “A Weekend with Lew,” will include the Sat. and Sun. workshops for only $175.00 and $10.00 for a Friday evening mixer & basic story talk from 6:00-10:00 PM. Sherri will also be available for follow up coaching and further assistance with script development. Ask for more information at the workshop. Pick up registration forms and flyers at the UTM Center in Selmer or contact Sherri at: sherriwsanders@msn.com for more details.