689. Amanda Skenadore

689. We talk to Amanda Skenadore about her novel on the Carville Leprosy Colony, The Second Life of Mirielle West. Amanda Skenandore is a registered nurse turned historical fiction author whose medical background deeply shapes her storytelling. In her novel The Second Life of Mirielle West, she takes listeners into 1920s America to follow a Hollywood socialite whose life is upended when a diagnosis of leprosy forces her into exile at Carville, Louisiana — the nation's only leprosarium at the time.

688. Johnette Downing & Scott Billington

688. Joining us today are Johnette Downing and Scott Billington. Combining Johnette’s celebrated career as a children’s author and musician with Scott’s background producing over 100 roots, blues, and Louisiana heritage albums, this powerhouse couple celebrates regional music through their children's duo program, Swamp Romp, and their broader archival and biographical projects.

687. Joel Sharpton, Part 2

 687. Part 2 of our interview with Joel Sharpton. Joel talks to us about Louisiana politics in 2026. Joel is a Ruston-based audio professional and progressive grassroots organizer who seamlessly blends media production with political advocacy. As the founder of Pro Podcasting Services and an expert in mobile workflows, Sharpton brings over a decade of podcasting experience to his community-focused media projects. He utilizes this production expertise to host and produce "We Are Louisiana Indivisible," a political podcast dedicated to amplifying the voices of regional activists and interviewing progressive candidates for state and local office.

686. Joel Sharpton, Part 1

686. Part 1 of our interview with Joel Sharpton. Joel talks to us about Louisiana politics in 2026. Joel is a Ruston-based audio professional and progressive grassroots organizer who seamlessly blends media production with political advocacy. As the founder of Pro Podcasting Services and an expert in mobile workflows, Sharpton brings over a decade of podcasting experience to his community-focused media projects.

685. Adam J. Smith

685. Today author Adam J. Smith joins us to talk about his writing. Based in Covington, Adam uses his adopted home state of Louisiana as the backdrop for his fiction. Through his books, readers are introduced to Callier, Louisiana, a seemingly quiet town where deep secrets and unexpected dangers hide just beneath the surface.

684. Lee Farrow.

684.  Today we chat with Lee Farrow about the visit of Count Alexis of Russia to Louisiana. She has written about the 1872 visit of Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanov to Louisiana in her book Alexis in America: A Russian Grand Duke's Tour, 1871–1872.Farrow, a New Orleans native and Tulane University alumna, meticulously separates history from myth regarding the Grand Duke’s arrival in New Orleans during Reconstruction.

683. Theresa McCulla. "Insatiable City."

683. Joining us today is historian and curator Theresa McCulla to discuss her book, Insatiable City: Food and Race in New Orleans. A 2025 James Beard Award nominee and named a Smithsonian Best Book of the Year, Insatiable City uncovers the complex, dual nature of the Crescent City’s legendary culinary culture. McCulla—who has served as a food and drink curator for institutions like the Smithsonian—dives deep into the archives to reveal how the pleasures of New Orleans cuisine have always been deeply intertwined with race, labor, and systems of power, tracing this evolution from 19th-century slavery to 20th-century tourism.