nathan c martin | Page 17

The Destructive Potential of Humans’ Affinity for Green Spaces: Vin Nardizzi at Loyola Feb. 19

Ecocritic Vin Nardizzi will present a lecture “The Grass is Greener” at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 19, in the Whitney Presentation Room at Loyola University New Orleans (6363 St. Charles Ave.). Nardizzi’s lecture will examine the destructive potential of humans’ affinity for green spaces. Taking examples from postwar narratives of killer plants that attack … The Destructive Potential of Humans’ Affinity for Green Spaces: Vin Nardizzi at Loyola Feb. 19

Writers emerge yet again from the Black Widow Salon Feb. 18

The Black Widow Salon, a regular showcase of local and visiting writers, will host five “emerging” writers from 7 – 9 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 18, at Crescent City Books (230 Chartres St.). This event—which showcases young-ish, littler-known local writers new and veteran to the city—is a follow-up to another BWS event one year ago … Writers emerge yet again from the Black Widow Salon Feb. 18

Instead of Giving Money to a Crusty Panhandling on the Corner, Give Money to a Kickstarter Campaign to Fund a Comic Book About Crusties Panhandling on the Corner (and other fun stuff!)

Otto Splotch, the maestro of whimsical comic sleaze behind such local gems as Quarter Vomit and Melted Shelter, whose work appears regularly in such prestigious publications as Antigravity magazine, has undertaken an ambitious effort to self-publish what will certainly become a contemporary classic: Stink Helmet. But he needs your help. Splotch, a New Orleans native … Instead of Giving Money to a Crusty Panhandling on the Corner, Give Money to a Kickstarter Campaign to Fund a Comic Book About Crusties Panhandling on the Corner (and other fun stuff!)

Aimee Bender reads at Tulane Jan. 28

Author Aimee Bender, who is currently the 28th Zale-Kimmerling Writer-in-Residence at Tulane, will read from her work and field interview questions at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 28, in the Freeman Auditorium at Tulane. Bender is the author of four books, and her short fiction has been published in Granta, GQ, Harper’s, Tin House, McSweeney’s, … Aimee Bender reads at Tulane Jan. 28

From Hangar to Grave: Christopher Schaberg on Dead Airplanes

Over at The New Inquiry, New Orleans’ resident air travel intellectual Christopher Schaberg provides a history of defunct airplane models and anticipates the eventual death of Boeing’s new Dreamliner aircraft, a “plane of the future” that has already begun to drift “into the friendly skies of banality.” He moves from an airplane bone yard in … From Hangar to Grave: Christopher Schaberg on Dead Airplanes

Beware the Drum Major Instinct: Cornel West and Tavis Smiley at Dillard on MLK Day

By Kristina Robinson I’m an eighties baby. The Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday was signed into law by Ronald Reagan the year I was born. I’m also from New Orleans, Louisiana, one of the largest entry points in the nation for enslaved Africans, the private prison and incarceration capital of the world, and home to … Beware the Drum Major Instinct: Cornel West and Tavis Smiley at Dillard on MLK Day

Louisiana Cultural Vistas launch this Wed., Jan 16

Spend Wednesday night celebrating the launch of the latest issue of Louisiana Cultural Vistas, the somewhat stodgily named yet solid in-house magazine of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. The LEH will be throwing a party beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 16, at its headquarters (938 Lafayette St.) in honor of the occasion. … Louisiana Cultural Vistas launch this Wed., Jan 16

The inimitable Phillip Lopate at NOCCA – Thurs., Jan. 17

Phillip Lopate, whose writing has done more to keep the personal essay a vibrant and viable form than perhaps any of his peers in the past several decades, will present a reading at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17, at the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts (2800 Chartres St.). His reading is part … The inimitable Phillip Lopate at NOCCA – Thurs., Jan. 17

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

On Solnit

Rebecca Solnit will give a live presentation titled “The Speed of Thoughts: Parades, Marches, Strolls, and Other Journeys Through Places and Ideas” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 9, in Nunemaker Hall at Loyola University New Orleans. The event is free and open to the public. By Nathan C. Martin I’m tempted to say that … On Solnit