Mississippi Today

Rosanna Banks, children’s book author sharing life’s lessons

Published

1 year ago

March 12, 2024

Rosanna Banks has been jotting down ideas and dreaming about the “what can be” in life since she was a 14-year-old filled with the promise of what tomorrow could bring.

She credits her mother and grandmother with planting those seeds, fertilizing her imaginary adventures enriched by many hours in the library and many more hours with her head in a book, as she says, “imagining all the possibilities, because a book can take you away to wherever you’ve never been and wherever you want to go. And I’d write it all down.”

Thirty years later, the 44-year-old mother of four, wife and, now, children’s book author of “Bunny Lessons” sits on the steps of her rural Madison County home, surrounded by notebooks filled with ideas — those possibilities brought on by the vivid imagination swirling in her head, scribbling in notebooks, checking scraps of paper to connect one idea with a thought or plot, a spoken word, before it’s lost in the wind.

Inspiration, she stated, is all around her, fueled by her family, dogs Apollo, Creed and, of course, Rocky — because the family loves the movie, “Rocky.” A myriad of cats dart about. One in particular, Kwob, is especially curious and attentive.

A neighbor’s rooster struts over, flaps to the hood of a vehicle and crows for no apparent reason; a young man on a black horse clops by, which sets off the dogs for a moment before they realize he’s no threat and settle back into a sleepy haze. Her husband Samuel, a mechanic, grooves to a 70s hit blaring from a radio as he works on a car, the music a fitting soundtrack to the flow and rhythm of her afternoon.

Banks writes it all down.

“Bunny Lessons,” published by Kingdom Trailblazers and available on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble, is a tale inspired by her children, the four bunnies in her book. “Teaching them life’s lessons; obey momma and daddy, eat your vegetables, do your homework and your chores. Simple things, yes. But teaching responsibility is always a parent’s goal to raising good, productive people,” said Banks. She pauses a moment in thought, Kwob saunters over, sits and stares in that haughty way cats have about them.

Banks grabs a notebook and writes something down.

“Back in the day, I was going through a major depression,” she says. “Trying to get away from an abusive relationship, I moved in with my mom and I’d take my kids to the park. I’d watch them play and there I was again, thinking and imagining. I’d have my notepad with me, and I’d write down bits and pieces. I’d write on anything I could get my hands on, really, putting these ideas and thoughts together.”

Her husband wanders over, teasing that he has an idea he wants to share and sits down next to her. They chat and laugh for a while before he heads back to his task at hand.

Banks begins to write in her notebook. She looks up, staring out across her property dotted with numerous vehicles that her husband uses for parts and reminisces…

“Sitting in that park back then, I watched my children. I watched the animals. I could hear my mom’s, my grandma’s and God’s voices in my head and the lessons they taught me. And really, this is how writing ‘Bunny Lessons’ came to be.

“My grandma had a garden, too,” she said. “As a little girl I worked in that garden and didn’t even want to be there. But I remember the things it taught me about taking care, responsibility and seeing how work pays off. There’re good lessons in working a garden. So, it’s lessons passed down from my grandma to my mom to me to my kids. And now, I’ve passed some of those lessons to others.

“You see, it’s just like planting a garden. Those lessons, the thoughts, the… ideas, are the seeds. You nurture those planted seeds with life lessons and watch it grow. Next thing you know, family and friends encourage you, and the garden grows into a story you want to share. And it won’t be the last book either. I’ve got ideas,” Banks smiles, tickled at the possibilities.

“You never know from where inspiration will come,” said Rosanna Banks, while jotting down ideas for her next book on the steps of her rural Madison County home, as family cat Kwob, keeps watch, Thursday, March 7, 2024. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
“I’m always grabbing my notes and jotting down ideas,” said children’s book author Rosanna Banks, relaxing and doing exactly that in her home, Thursday, March 7, 2024. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
“I’m constantly writing down what I hear, what I see… I find inspiration everywhere,” said children’s book author Rosanna Banks, with some of her jotted down ideas at her home in Madison County, Thursday, March 7, 2024. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Bunny Lessons by Rosanna Banks, is a children’s book that teaches kids the important lessons on obeying their parents, eating healthy and learning responsibility from doing chores. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Children’s book author Rosanna Banks worked through depression by taking her children to the park where her thoughts would wander, she took notes and found inspiration to write her first book, Bunny Lessons. Banks reads a passage from the book, Thursday, March 7, 2024. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Children’s book author Rosanna Banks runs an idea by her husband Samuel Banks at their rural Madison County home, Thursday, March 7, 2024. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
Afterschool storytime for Samantha Banks, 14 and family cat Kwob, at their Madison County home, Thursday, March 7, 2024. Samantha’s mother Rosanna Banks is the author of Bunny Lessons, a children’s book that teaches life lessons. Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today
“I just love being creative,” said children’s book author Rosanna Banks, bedazzling hats and caps for a friend, Thursday, March 7, 2024. “It’s a great way to keep me imagining possibilities.” Credit: Vickie D. King/Mississippi Today

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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UMMC holds free cancer screenings

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @EricJShelton – 2025-04-30 12:00:00

by Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Resident physician Claire Babin, right, performs an oral cancer screening on Ella Holmes during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Physicians prepare for oral, head and neck cancer screenings during a free screening event at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, screens Diane Carter for oral cancer as medical students Mason Nodurft, left, and Eva Kiparizoska observe during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Educational giveaways advocating against smoking are available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Sharon Terry, senior tobacco treatment specialist, waits for patients during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Skylar Robinson, medical office assistant, left, and Kiandria Bruce, registered nurse, review materials at the patient sign-in table during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Head and neck cancer literature is available during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Dr. Alex Brooks and registered nurse Angela Noble talk during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Nina Brown, clinical manager, helps Ned Bostic with paperwork during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin performs an oral cancer screening on Ned Bostic at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Ned Bostic receives a neck cancer screening during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.
Resident physician Brooks Lampkin, center, and medical student Hanna Watson examine Ned Bostic during a free oral, head and neck cancer screening at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday, April 16, 2025.

The University of Mississippi Medical Center’s Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery hosted a free oral, head, and neck cancer screening Wednesday at the Jackson Medical Mall as part of Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

The event featured quick, noninvasive screenings aimed at catching cancer early — when treatment is most effective. Onyx Care provided free HPV vaccinations, while the ACT Center for Tobacco Treatment, Education, and Research offered resources on smoking cessation and free services.

“These screenings take about 10 minutes and can save lives,” said Dr. Gina Jefferson, head and neck surgical oncologist at UMMC. “The earlier a cancer is diagnosed, the better chance we have of curing it.”

Tobacco and alcohol use remain major risk factors for these cancers. However, physicians say an increasing number of cases are linked to HPV, especially among younger adults with no history of smoking or drinking. Dentists are often the first to spot early signs, which can include persistent sores, lumps in the neck, or difficulty swallowing.

Oral, head and neck cancers are among the most common globally. When found early, survival rates can exceed 80 percent.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UMMC holds free cancer screenings appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article presents factual information about a free cancer screening event without showing a clear ideological stance. It primarily focuses on the health benefits of early cancer detection and the availability of free resources, such as HPV vaccinations and smoking cessation support. The language used is neutral and the content is centered around public health education rather than promoting a political viewpoint. The inclusion of factual statistics, such as survival rates and risk factors, adds to its informative and objective tone. There are no signs of bias or advocacy for a particular political agenda, making this a centrist piece.

Crooked Letter Sports Podcast

Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball?

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April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @rick_cleveland – 2025-04-30 10:46:00

by Rick Cleveland and Tyler Cleveland, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi State didn’t even wait until the end of the season to fire Chris Lemonis, who brought the national championship to Starkville not quite four years ago. Where do the Bulldogs go from here. Robbie Faulk who covers the Bulldogs more closely than anyone else joins the podcast to discuss the situation.

Stream all episodes here.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Podcast: What next for Mississippi State baseball? appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Mississippi Today

Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you

Published

2 days ago

April 30, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-30 10:21:00

by Mississippi Today, Mississippi Today
April 30, 2025

Mississippi Today is looking to speak with current and former mobile sports betting users. We’d like to speak with people who spend considerable amounts of time and money betting on sports through online gambling sites.

We’re interested in hearing the experience of people who have suffered from gambling addiction or problems, or friends and family members of people who have. We also would like to talk with people who believe legalizing mobile sports betting would benefit Mississippi and its residents.

We want to hear from you. Please take the survey below or contact Political Reporter Michael Goldberg by email at mgoldberg@mississippitoday.org

TAKE THE SURVEY:

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This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post Mobile sports betting users: We want to hear from you appeared first on mississippitoday.org

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This article from Mississippi Today appears to present a neutral stance, focusing on gathering input from various groups of mobile sports betting users, including those who may have experienced addiction issues. The content does not advocate for or against the legalization of mobile sports betting but instead seeks to gather diverse perspectives, including those of individuals who may support or oppose it. The language used is objective and does not suggest a particular ideological perspective, allowing for a balanced exploration of the issue at hand.