Page 18 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2022

PEOPLE
100 Things to Do in Coastal Mississippi Before You Die
story by Gabbie Bowden photos courtesy of Lisa Evans
Lisa Evans, a Central New York native, moved to Gulfport some 10 years ago as an empty-nester. “I had family here, so I had visited both pre- and post- Katrina,” she says. “The first time I came, it was
in February, so the weather here was absolutely gorgeous. I fell in love with the area – the water, the weather, just everything. It took me a long time, but
I finally got here.” Her latest book from Reedy Press, 100 Things to Do in Coastal Mississippi Before You Die, proudly displays that love for the local area.
After harboring a lifelong interest in writing, Evans had the opportunity to dive into travel journaling once her personal life slowed down. “In New York, I raised my kids and had a job, but once I moved down to the Coast, I started looking long- term,” she says. “They always tell you, do
what you like. I like to write, and I like to travel. So I went to little places and wrote little things, and I started taking some writing courses. I think I wrote my first travel article back in 2017.” From there, she took on more travel writing gigs and even joined a few professional writing associations.
When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2020, Evans turned to her local area for writing inspiration. “I think I had written one article prior to COVID about Coastal Mississippi,” she says. “But especially after COVID, I started writing more and more articles locally... and I really liked it, because there are a lot of misconceptions about Mississippi, especially Coastal Mississippi.”
Her interest in both travel writing and the Coast proved profitable when a
Lisa Evans, author.
18 | November 2022 www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living