By Jenga Mwendo Writer Daniel Wolff came to New Orleans five months after Hurricane Katrina with filmmaker Jonathan Demme, not knowing what they’d find. They were told the story was over, that all the “good shots” had already been taken. But it seemed to them that there was a great, ongoing fight for survival that … Honor the stories: An interview with Daniel Wolff
Over at Room 220, we sometimes neglect the kids. It’s true. It’s not a point of policy, it’s just that we’re so tall, and they’re so short, and we often overlook them. One exception is a project we love called BIG CLASS, a children’s workshop and publishing venture headed by Doug Keller that has put … BIG CLASS: Adorable Kids Making Adorable Books
Last Thursday, I received an email from Bill Lavender looking for a job. I didn’t quite get it. I know Bill only tangentially, but I knew he ran UNO Press and the low-residency MFA creative writing program at UNO. I had sent out a query that morning to a spam list for a position open … A Monday morning post, in disgust: A press and a professor bite the dust
Tonight–Thursday, Aug. 2–at 7 p.m., the fantastic MelaNated Writers collective will present their third and final installment of their summer reading series at the Juju Bag Cafe (5363 Franklin Ave.). Following wildly successful events in June at NOMA and July at Cafe Treme, tonight’s event is sure to be a satisfying finale to one of … TONIGHT: MelaNated Juju at the Juju Bag Cafe
Tonight, August 1, at 7:30 p.m., genre-bending Brooklyn-based poets and performers Climbing PoeTree will present Hurricane Season: The Hidden Messages in the Water, a multimedia exhibition inspired (induced?) by Hurricane Katrina and other unnatural disasters. The performance will take place at Resurrection After Exoneration (1212 St. Bernard Ave.). Admission is $6 – $20, on a … TONIGHT: Climing PoeTree, Asia Rainey at Resurrection After Exoneration
It’s no small feat to make a video based on a literary conference, where much of the action takes place verbally and cerebrally–and, of course, alcoholically. But the folks over at NOLAFugees have taken a shot at the task and come up with an admirable short piece that features proceedings from the 2012 Tennessee Williams … NOLAFugees Press|Productions makes a literary conference look entertaining
The MelaNated Writers Group will present the second installment of its three-part summer reading series this Saturday, July 14, at 4 p.m. at Cafe Treme (1501 St. Philip St., at Villere). Fiction writer Danielle Gilyot, poet Kelly Harris, fiction writer (and photographer) L. Kasimu Harris, poet Ayanna Molina, and poet-playwright Geryll Robinson will each present … MelaNated Writers present: THE LITERARY JOOK JOINT
By Cate Czarnecki For as long as there have been means to travel, writers have been drawn to the open road. As John Steinbeck wrote in his non-fiction saga Travels with Charley: In Search of America, “Who has not known a journey to be over and done before the traveler returns? The reverse is also … Whiskey, words, and wild, wild women: The Southern Summer Comfort Book Tour comes to New Orleans
Thanks for your patience, loyal readers. We know you’ve been lolling around in the heat wishing for some book and literary news to ease the tedium of summer–or, hopefully, you’ve been out frolicking and dancing and swimming and didn’t even notice we were gone–but, regardless, we’re back. Except that we’re going on another, shorter, furlough … Furlough roundup: Book review at the Oxford American and patting ones own back at The Lens
In yet another blow to the local media landscape, just a week after the Times-Picayune fired half of its editorial staff, upper management at Room 220 announced they would begin enforcing a compulsory furlough for the publication’s employees beginning Monday, June 18. The furlough will last roughly three weeks, with regularly scheduled content to resume … ROOM 220 Enforces Three-Week Employee Furlough
