94. Interview with Cari Lynn about the novel Madam

94. Part 1 of our interview with Cari Lynn about Madam: A Novel of New Orleans.  "Follow the rise of young, scrappy Mary Deubler, an alley whore who uses her looks and gumption to morph herself into Madam Josie Arlington, one of the most successful, influential, and feared women of the time. Set in 1900, Madam is based on the true story of New Orleans's 20-year experiment with legalized prostitution that turned castaway, dirt-poor women and free women of color into celebrity madams with unprecedented power and wealth.  But Storyville was about more than just sex.  These whores-turned-madams flipped Southern aristocracy on its head: singlehandedly, they created the diverse cultural and music mecca that we know today as The Big Easy." Read an excerpt at the Louisiana Anthology.

1. This week in Louisiana history. March 7, 1830. Gov. Jacques Villere died on his plantation south of N.O.
2. This week in New Orleans history.  March 7, 1939.  The first Pontchartrain Beach was demolished. The first Pontchartrain Beach opened in 1928, across Bayou St. John from the old Spanish Fort on filled land newly reclaimed from the lake by the Orleans Levee Board. The "Old Beach" featured a boardwalk, a bath house and rides. But the hard times of the Depression hit the new amusement park hard, in spite of improvements (including a seawall to replace the boardwalk and a vehicular bridge over Bayou St. John) made by the Batt family, which took over its operation in 1933. In 1938, when development (with the help of the WPA) of Lake Vista began just next door, the Batts took advantage of the opportunity to move the park farther east along the lakefront to Milneburg, and the "Old Beach" was demolished. 
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Wearin' of the Green St. Patrick's Day Parade
   March 14th, 2015
   Hundred Oaks Area
   1800 S Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, LA 70808
   866-920-4668

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