cate czarnecki | Antenna

Canned frogs, exquisite cigs, Tabasco, beignets, and all the heart desires: Phillip Collier’s MAKING NEW ORLEANS: PRODUCTS PAST AND PRESENT

There are lots of things to discover within the glossy pages of Phillip Collier’s newest book, Making New Orleans: Products Past and Present, many of which have already left an indelible impression on New Orleanians. The beautifully crafted oversized book is chock full of photos and advertisements of companies both active and extinct. While the collection … Canned frogs, exquisite cigs, Tabasco, beignets, and all the heart desires: Phillip Collier’s MAKING NEW ORLEANS: PRODUCTS PAST AND PRESENT

An Agrarian Romance: Charles Martin’s PERIQUE

By Cate Czarnecki The historical background of perique—a tobacco varietal considered by many to be the strongest and most flavorful in the world—makes it one of the state’s more interesting, if lesser known, agricultural stories. Originally cultivated by an Acadian farmer named Pierre “Perique” Chent in the early 1800s, “le tabac de perique” involves the … An Agrarian Romance: Charles Martin’s PERIQUE

The never-changing, ever-changing scene: JACKSON SQUARED by Tom Varisco

Jackson Squared: The Heart of New Orleans By Tom Varisco (Chin Music Press) Reviewed by Cate Czarnecki The idea of Jackson Square and what it embodies has been fragmented over time in the minds of those whose lives intersect with it. As with any iconic public space, various prisms reflect the different versions of what … The never-changing, ever-changing scene: JACKSON SQUARED by Tom Varisco

A dizzying array of extraordinary events

By Nathan C. Martin A recurring theme among conversations I have with my friends is that New Orleans largely lacks—and this phrase has almost become a joke among certain folks I know—an “elevated level of discourse.” One friend went as far as to move back to Mexico City after trying to relocate to New Orleans, … A dizzying array of extraordinary events

A veritable UN delegation of writers visits New Orleans, participates in Rm220 LIVE PROSE

By Cate Czarnecki “To write is maybe the biggest and most beautiful mutuality you can share,” writes German novelist Lucy Fricke. “It doesn’t matter in which country, in which culture you live, how old are you, which language you speak—if you are writer, you have a special view on life, on yourself, and a special … A veritable UN delegation of writers visits New Orleans, participates in Rm220 LIVE PROSE

Whiskey, words, and wild, wild women: The Southern Summer Comfort Book Tour comes to New Orleans

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

On the absent Pulitzer: An interview with Susan Larson

By Cate Czarnecki Citing a failure to achieve consensus, the Pulitzer Prize committee declined to award a prize in the category of fiction this year for the first time since 1977. This decision has generated a lively debate within the American literary community over the impact of the prize—on authors as well as publishers—and its … On the absent Pulitzer: An interview with Susan Larson