Mississippi Transplant: Lucy Isadora

"i never thought i would be such a vocal and proud mississippian, but here i am."

What does it mean to call Mississippi home? Why do people choose to leave or live in this weird, wonderful, and sometimes infuriating place? Lucy moved to Jackson for college, but stayed because she liked it. When she’s not teaching middle school English, she’s making zines, playing in one of her three bands, or booking and attending punk shows in Jackson. Lucy sees the complexity of Mississippi at work in her daily life as a an educator and a musician. She writes: “powerful people and randoms who don't get it can do a lot to beat down on people here, but nobody can ever make the food stop being good or the people stop being nice.” Today, Lucy tells us why she feels a duty to her community to stay rooted in Mississippi.

Lucy Isadora lives in Jackson.

Where are you from?

memphis, tennessee—i claim "memphissippi," because anybody from memphis knows it's not like the rest of tennessee.

When did you move to Mississippi and why did you move here?

depends on how you count it—i came to college at millsaps in 2015, and i moved to jackson full-time after graduation in 2019. i came here for college, but i stayed here because i like it.

What does “home” mean to you? How does Mississippi fit into that definition?

home is where your community is. my mom's side of the family lives in mississippi, my friends from college are all here, and i've made so many friends through art and zines and music and just being a gal about town, that i truly feel that i have an expansive community here in jackson.

i never thought i would be such a vocal and proud mississippian, but here i am. i can't say enough good things about the city of jackson.

What do you miss most about the place where you’re from?

my brothers, best friend, and parents all still live in memphis—i do wish they would come move next door to me. it's hard to say i miss much else about memphis, because the town i visit now is so different from the town i grew up in. i miss trips to the peanut shoppe with my grandparents, walking around the neighborhood with my brothers, and sleepovers at my best friend's house. those are the experiences that i can never quite replicate down here.

Lucy performing as DJ Jane Blank at End of All Music Records in Jackson.

How have you cultivated community in Mississippi? Who are the people who have made you feel rooted here?

i am so grateful for the community i have. some of my close college friends stayed in jackson with me after graduation, and they are the best. i have tons of pals from attending, performing at, and booking punk shows here in jackson—the jackson punks are outta sight. i've met many more awesome people through making and distributing zines around town. i feel so connected around town that jackson feels like a big friend group to me.