605. Derby Gisclair, part 2. Baseball.

 605. Part 2. Derby Gisclair returns to discuss the history of baseball in New Orleans. Derby is an expert on the topic, having written the following books:

• Early Baseball in New Orleans: A History of 19th Century Play.
• The 1910 New Orleans Pelicans: A Moment in Minor League History: Shoeless Joe Jackson and the New Orleans Pelicans Championship.
• The Dixie Series: 1920 - 1958.
  

In July of 1859, seventy-five young New Orleanians came together to form the seven teams that comprised the Louisiana Base Ball Club. They played their games in the fields of the de la Chaise estate on the outskirts of New Orleans near present-day Louisiana Avenue. As America's population grew through immigration, so did the popularity of what the largest newspaper in New Orleans, the Daily Picayune, called in November of 1860 "the National Game." Baseball quickly replaced cricket as the city's most popular participant sport.

604. Derby Gisclair

604. Part 1. Derby Gisclair returns to discuss the history of baseball in New Orleans. Derby is an expert on the topic, having written the following books:

• Early Baseball in New Orleans: A History of 19th Century Play.
• The 1910 New Orleans Pelicans: A Moment in Minor League History: Shoeless Joe Jackson and the New Orleans Pelicans Championship.
• The Dixie Series: 1920 - 1958.
  

In July of 1859, seventy-five young New Orleanians came together to form the seven teams that comprised the Louisiana Base Ball Club. They played their games in the fields of the de la Chaise estate on the outskirts of New Orleans near present-day Louisiana Avenue. As America's population grew through immigration, so did the popularity of what the largest newspaper in New Orleans, the Daily Picayune, called in November of 1860 "the National Game." Baseball quickly replaced cricket as the city's most popular participant sport.

603. Lenore Weiss.

603. We chat with Lenore Weiss about her novel, Pulp into Paper, which “is about the struggle of Arkansas and Louisiana mill workers to tell the truth about what is happening in their work and personal lives. The book mirrors the choices we make between earning a living and our ethical values, but is sympathetic to all characters on either side of the environmental divide.”

602. Cherry Levin, Part 2.

602. We conclude our conversation with Cherry Levin about plantation wedding ceremonies in Louisiana. She wrote Wedding belles and enslaved brides: Louisiana plantation weddings in fact, fiction and folklore as her LSU dissertation.  “A distinguished graduate of the Association of Bridal Consultants’ Professional Development Program, Cherry has planned and coordinated over two hundred weddings throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, the Wine Country and Lake Tahoe. She has also planned weddings in San Luis Obispo, Texas and locations throughout southeastern Louisiana from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.”

601. Cherry Levin, Part 1

 601. Part 1 of our conversation with Cherry Levin about her research into Antebellum weddings in Louisiana Creole plantations. She wrote a dissertation at LSU entitled, “Wedding Belles and Enslaved Brides: Louisiana Plantation Weddings in Fact, Fiction and Folklore.” “Along with rites of passage marking birth and death, wedding rituals played an important role in ordering social life on antebellum Louisiana plantations, not only for elite white families but also for the enslaved. Autobiographical accounts of plantation weddings written by Louisiana women yield considerable insights on the importance of weddings for Louisiana plantation women before and especially during the Civil War.

600. Adam Fairclough, Part 2

Part 2 of Adam Fairclough's visit to the Louisiana Anthology Podcast to discuss his research on race relations in Louisiana. His book, Bulldozed and Betrayed: Louisiana and the Stolen Elections of 1876, discusses the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of Jim Crow. Prior to the 2020 presidential election, historians considered the disputed 1876 contest — which pitted Republican Rutherford B. Hayes against Democrat Samuel J. Tilden — the most controversial in American history.

599. Adam Fairclough, part 1

599. Part 1 of Adam Fairclough's visit to the Louisiana Anthology Podcast to discuss his research on race relations in Louisiana. His book, Bulldozed and Betrayed: Louisiana and the Stolen Elections of 1876, discusses the end of Reconstruction and the beginning of Jim Crow. Prior to the 2020 presidential election, historians considered the disputed 1876 contest -- which pitted Republican Rutherford B. Hayes against Democrat Samuel J. Tilden -- the most controversial in American history.

598. Liz Ellis, Part 2.

598. Part 2 of our conversation with Liz Ellis about The Great Power of Small Nations. Ellis (Peoria) tells the stories of the many smaller Native American nations that shaped the development of the Gulf South. Based on extensive archival research and oral histories, Ellis’s narrative chronicles how diverse Indigenous peoples—including Biloxis, Choctaws, Chitimachas, Chickasaws, Houmas, Mobilians, and Tunicas—influenced and often challenged the growth of colonial Louisiana.

597. Liz Ellis, part 1.

597. Part 1 of Liz Ellis joining us to discuss her excellent book,  The Great Power of Small Nations. Part 1.Large Power of Small Nations. Part 1. In The Great Power of Small Nations, Elizabeth N. Ellis (Peoria) tells the stories of the many smaller Native American nations that shaped the development of the Gulf South. Based on extensive archival research and oral histories, Ellis’s narrative chronicles how diverse Indigenous peoples—including Biloxis, Choctaws, Chitimachas, Chickasaws, Houmas, Mobilians, and Tunicas—influenced and often challenged the growth of colonial Louisiana.

596. Myra Lavigne. Rise St. James

596. Today we talk to Myra Lavigne, a volunteer with Rise St. James. Rise St. James is a faith-based grassroots organization that is fighting for environmental justice as it works to defeat the proliferation of petrochemical industries in St. James Parish, Louisiana. Nicknamed “Cancer Alley” for the above-average rates of cancer there, the area is home to a high concentration of polluting industries.

595. Derby Gisclair on Hadacol

595. Our old friend Derby Gisclair returns to talk about his research into Louisiana politician and snake oil salesman (to the degree they're different!) Dudley J. LeBlanc. "Coozan Dud" was a moderately successful Louisiana politician and a wildly successful salesman of Hadacol, the patent medicine. He hosted a traveling variety show to sell the elixir he created in his bathtub with vitamins, other ingredients, hydrochloric acid, and 12% alcohol. Join us to learn more about this drink that's good for what ails you.

594. Nick Douglas. Jazz, Part 2.

594. Part 2 of our interview with Nick Douglas about  New Orleans jazz and civil rights. “I am working with my filmmaking partner Doug Harris on a documentary called the Reconnect: The Untold History of Jazz. It is a true story about the actual formation of jazz in the only place it could have formed: New Orleans. But it is more it identifies for the first time New Orleans as the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement.

593. Nick Douglas, Part 1.

593. Part 1 of our conversation with Nick Douglas about the documentary he is working on about the relationship between jazz and civil rights, “I am working with my filmmaking partner Doug Harris on a documentary called The Reconnect: The Untold History of Jazz. It is a true story about the actual formation of jazz in the only place it could have formed: New Orleans. But it is more it identifies for the first time New Orleans as the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement. It shows how jazz and jazz musicians used jazz and musical performances to fund and support the civil rights movement long before most people realize the movement started.

592. Carolyn Long on Marie Laveau and Madame LaLaurie

592. Today we talk to author Carolyn Morrow Long about two of her books, one on Marie Laveau and the other on Madame LaLaurie. A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau. "Legendary for an unusual combination of spiritual power, beauty, charisma, showmanship, intimidation, and shrewd business sense, Marie Leveau also was known for her kindness and charity, nursing yellow fever victims and ministering to condemned prisoners, and her devotion to the Roman Catholic Church. In separating verifiable fact from semi-truths and complete fabrication, Carolyn Morrow Long explores the unique social, political, and legal setting in which the lives of Laveau’s African and European ancestors became intertwined in nineteenth-century New Orleans."

591. Quentin Anthony Anderson, part 2

591. Part 2 of our conversation with Quentin Anthony Anderson, a Democratic Candidate for Louisiana Congressional District 6. "As the Executive Chairman of The Justice Alliance, a Baton Rouge-based social justice nonprofit, and the founder & Creative Director of Anderson Creative, Quentin embodies a lifelong commitment to fostering equity and empowerment.

590. Quentin Anthony Anderson, Part 1

590. Part 1 of our conversation with Quentin Anthony Anderson, Candidate for District 6. "As the Executive Chairman of The Justice Alliance, a Baton Rouge-based social justice nonprofit, and the founder & Creative Director of Anderson Creative, Quentin embodies a lifelong commitment to fostering equity and empowerment.

589. Dayne Sherman

589. Dayne Sherman returns to the podcast to discuss the situation in Louisiana right now. Dayne  is the author of the novels Zion and Welcome to the Fallen Paradise. Both are ebooks and audiobooks. Signed first editions are available from the author. And he does not speak for any of his employers. Please sign up for my newsletter and get the FREE Dayne Sherman Starter Pack Ebook. Thanks for reading and sharing.

588. Amanda Jones, Library Defender, Part 2

588. Part 2 of our interview of Amanda Jones, library defender. Amanda served as an educator in Louisiana for over twenty years. Jones had long been a vocal opponent to book censorship, arguing that book challenges have disproportionally targeted books with LGBTQ or BIPOC themes, characters, or authors. In July 2022, Jones spoke publicly against book censorship at a Livingston Parish Public Library Board meeting.

587. Amanda Jones, Library Defender, Part 1.

587. The first part of our conversation with Library defender Amanda Jones, author of That Librarian. Amanda served as an educator in Louisiana for over twenty years. Jones had long been a vocal opponent to book censorship, arguing that book challenges have disproportionally targeted books with LGBTQ or BIPOC themes, characters, or authors. In July 2022, Jones spoke publicly against book censorship at a Livingston Parish Public Library Board meeting.

586. Ed Branley. Streetcars, Part 2

586. Part 2 of our most recent conversation with Ed Branley, also known as the NOLA History Guy. "The clanging of a streetcar’s bell conjures images of a time when street railways were a normal part of life in the city. Historic Canal Street represents the common ground between old and new with buses driving alongside steel rails and electric wires that once guided streetcars. New Orleans was one of the first cities to embrace street railways, and the city’s love affair with streetcars has never ceased.

585. Kaitlyn Joshua, Part 2

585. Part 2 of our conversation with Kaitlyn Joshua. Kaitlyn was a victim of Louisiana's abortion ban. She was excited to get pregnant, but her OBGYN wouldn't see her until she had been pregnant 12 weeks.

584. Kaitlyn Joshua -- CORRECTED

584. Part 1 of our talk with Kaitlyn Joshua. Kaitlyn was an early victim of Louisiana's abortion ban after Roe v Wade was overturned in 2022. She had been excited to get pregnant, but her OBGYN wouldn't see her until she had been pregnant 12 weeks.

584. Kaitlyn Joshua, Part 1

584. Part 1 of our talk with Kaitlyn Joshua. Kaitlyn was an early victim of Louisiana's abortion ban after Roe v Wade was overturned in 2022. She had been excited to get pregnant, but her OBGYN wouldn't see her until she had been pregnant 12 weeks.

583. Ed Branley. Streetcars, Part 1

583. Part 1 of our most recent conversation with Ed Branley, also known as the NOLA History Guy. "The clanging of a streetcar’s bell conjures images of a time when street railways were a normal part of life in the city. Historic Canal Street represents the common ground between old and new with buses driving alongside steel rails and electric wires that once guided streetcars.

582. Phil Cross, Caddo History

582. This week we talk to Phil Cross, a leading historian of the Kadohadacho (Caddo) Tribe. Phil grew up in a home with no electricity and no running water on his family’s Indian allotment land in western Oklahoma – out where that bright red dirt could both stain his clothes and, in some ways, stir that Okie pride. Phil is a historian, lecturer, Caddo traditional singer and dancer, author, drummer, woodworker, flute maker and much more.

581. Matthew Teutsch, part 2

581. Part 2 of our conversation with Matthew Teutsch about his article, "Blood in the Pool: The 1868 Bossier Massacre." "Violent, racist attacks didn’t just occur in Bossier. They occurred across the Red River in Caddo Parish and all throughout the Red River Valley. Gilles Vandal notes that during Reconstruction 45% of the murders in Louisiana were concentrated in the northwestern part of the state.

580. Matthew Teutsch, Part 1

580. Part 1 of our interview with Matthew Teutsch about his article, "Blood in the Pool: The 1868 Bossier Massacre."  "Violent, racist attacks didn’t just occur in Bossier. They occurred across the Red River in Caddo Parish and all throughout the Red River Valley. Gilles Vandal notes that during Reconstruction 45% of the murders in Louisiana were concentrated in the northwestern part of the state. Caddo accounted for 16% of the homicides even though it only accounted for 3% of the state’s population.

579 Chris Dier, Part 2

579. Part 2 of our interview with Chris Dier, who was recognized as the Teacher of the Year 2020. "Chris Dier is an American educator and author. He taught in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana for a decade before transitioning to Benjamin Franklin High School (New Orleans). Dier was named the 2020 Louisiana Teacher of the Year and a 2020 National Teacher of the Year Finalist.

578. Chris Dier, Part 1.

578. This week we welcome Chris Dier for part 1 of our interview interview. Chris was recognized as the Teacher of the Year in 2020. He also makes his history lessons public through his Tiktok videos. "Chris Dier is an American educator and author. He taught in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana for a decade before transitioning to Benjamin Franklin High School (New Orleans).

577. Brooke Champagne. "NOLA Face"

577. We talk to Brooke Champagne about her book, Nola Face: A Latina’s Life in the Big Easy. "A memoir-in-essays of a New Orleanian author’s search for identity in an upbringing complicated by competing languages, ethnicities, classes, and educations

576. Givonna Joseph

576. This week we welcome Givonna Joseph to the podcast to discuss 19^th-Century classical music among New Orleans' gens de couleur libres (Free People of Color). "Ms. Joseph is committed to the culture of New Orleans, the city of her birth. This is most evident in her research on 19th-century classical music of New Orleans's Free People of Color.

575. Our Anniversary Episode with Lamar White, Jr.

575.We're celebrating the 12th Anniversary of the Louisiana Anthology. We welcome Lamar White, Jr. back to update our projects. The Louisiana Anthology now has 9,900,000 words by 245 authors. Our biggest accomplishment this year is the publication of our first book, Liberty in Louisiana by James Workman. Our edition is its first publication in 220 years since it was last printed in 1804. It's the oldest play written about Louisiana, a comedy celebrating the Louisiana Purchase. Lamar catches us up with his year. He has recently moved to South Carolina and plans to live there for the next year. Welcome back, Lamar!

574. Lynette Mejia. Library Defender. — Corrected.

574. We talk to Lynette Mejia about her defense of the Lafayette Library system. Louisiana born and raised, Lynette has become one of the faces of the anti-censorship movement in Lafayette, co-founding Lafayette Citizens Against Censorship and Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship. "The board," Mejia said, "has a very specific far-right Christian nationalist worldview and seems bent on imposing it on the library and changing its programming and collections to fit that world view."

574. Lynette Mejia, Library Defender

574. We talk to Lynette Mejia about her defense of the Lafayette Library system. Louisiana born and raised, Lynette has become one of the faces of the anti-censorship movement in Lafayette, co-founding Lafayette Citizens Against Censorship and Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship. "The board," Mejia said, "has a very specific far-right Christian nationalist worldview and seems bent on imposing it on the library and changing its programming and collections to fit that world view."

573. Robert Caldwell on the Choctaw tribe.

573. Today, Robert Caldwell returns to discuss the history of the Choctaw Tribe. He has written a recent article on the subject: “Choctaw Frontier: Incursions and settlement in Northwest Louisiana and East Texas, 1760-1836,” North Louisiana History Fall 2020.

572. Comic Gloria McConnell

572. We welcome comedian and oroducer Gloria McConnell to the podcast. Gloria has been in business since 2019 performing standup comedy and producing Mid City Live! comedy variety show across southeast Louisiana. She has opened for national touring comedians, Sean Patton, Caitlin Peluffo, and Susan Saiger." (Black Dress Productions).

571. Hans Rasmussen

571.  This week we talk to Hans Rasmussen about the book he edited, A Girl’s Life in New Orleans: The Diary of Ella Grunewald, 1884–1886. “A Girl’s Life in New Orleans presents the diary of Ella Grunewald, an upper-middle-class teenager in New Orleans at the end of the nineteenth century. Grunewald, the daughter of one of the Crescent City’s leading music dealers, used her journal to record the major events of her day-to-day life, documenting family, friendships, schooling, musical education, and social activities.

570. Jackson Skillingstad

570. This week we talk to musician Jackson Skillingstad. Hailing from the heart of Ruston, Louisiana, Jackson Skillingstad is a genre-defying singer/songwriter whose music blends the soulful essence of deep South roots with a fusion of rock, country, and hip hop vibes.

569. Jeroen Dewulf

569. We welcome Jeroen Dewulf back to the podcast to discuss his new book, Afro-Atlantic Catholics: America’s First Black Christians. "This volume examines the influence of African Catholics on the historical development of Black Christianity in America during the seventeenth century. Dewulf’s analysis focuses on the historical documentation of Afro-Atlantic Catholic rituals, devotions, and social structures.

568. Lisa Wingate

568. We welcome author Lisa Wingate to the podcast to discuss her novel, Book of Lost Friends. “From the bestselling author of Before We Were Yours comes a dramatic historical novel of three young women searching for family amid the destruction of the post–Civil War South, and of a modern-day teacher who learns of their story and its vital connection to her students’ lives” (NYT).

567. Diane McPhail.

567. This week we talk to novelist Diane McPhail, author of The Seamstress of New Orleans: A Fascinating Novel of Southern Historical Fiction. Set against the backdrop of the first all-female Mardi Gras krewe at the turn-of-the-century, the acclaimed author’s mesmerizing historical novel tells of two strangers separated by background but bound by an unexpected secret — and of the strength and courage women draw from and inspire in each other.

566. Mimzy MC

566. This week we talk to rap artist Mimzy MC. Rapper. Mimzy MC, born and raised Mim McCoy in Shreveport, LA, has been influenced by artists such as ICP, Korn, Eminem, Timbaland, and Cindi Lauper.

565. Catharine Cole, Woman Journalist

565. Catharine Cole, Louisiana journalist. Louisiana Studies Conference presentation. Stephen & Bruce give their presentation about Catharine Cole, one of Louisiana's first women journalists. Catharine was best known from visiting every parish in the state at that time, writing articles on each one that reached every corner of Louisiana and beyond.

564. Richard Anderson. DSCC candidate.

564. Candidate Richard Anderson talks to us about his campaign to be elected to the Louisiana DSCC. The Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC) is the governing body for the Democratic Party of Louisiana and has sole responsibility for the affairs of the Louisiana Democratic Party.

563. Cordelia Frances Biddle.

563. Cordelia Frances Biddle visits with us this week. She has written a biography of Saint Katharine Drexel, the founder of Xavier University. Saint Katharine: The Life of Katharine Drexel.

562. Greta de Jong

562. This week we talk to Greta de Jong about civil rights in North Louisiana.  "Civil rights in North LA. Examining African Americans' struggles for freedom and justice in rural Louisiana during the Jim Crow and civil rights eras, Greta de Jong illuminates the connections between the informal strategies of resistance that black people pursued in the early twentieth century and the mass protests that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s.

561. Kelly Jasckson, part 2

561. Part 2 of our friend Kelly Jackson's return to the podcast to discuss her Metoyer documentary. “Kelly is the creator of the Cane River Film Festival. The film festival is sponsored by her historical preservation nonprofit – the Resurrection Fern Foundation.

560. Kelly Jackson, Part 1

560. Part 1 of our friend Kelly Jackson's return to the podcast to discuss her Metoyer documentary. “Kelly is the creator of the Cane River Film Festival. The film festival is sponsored by her historical preservation nonprofit – the Resurrection Fern Foundation.

559 C. J. Hunt

559.  C.J. Hunt returns to the Podcast to discuss "Neutral Ground — a documentary about memory, monuments, and how to break up with the Confederacy. The Neutral Ground documents New Orleans’ fight over monuments and America’s troubled romance with the Lost Cause.

558. Martha Boone

558. We talk to urologist Martha Boone about her work at the old Charity Hospital and the books she's written about it. "The Big Free is Charity Hospital and it’s 1982 in New Orleans, and Charity is a big medical free-for-all. Elizabeth is one of the first women in the toughest surgery department in America.

557. Chad Adams

557. We're excited to have Chad Adams on the podcast to discuss his novel, How to Walk on a Marsh. “On his first ever hunting excursion as a young boy, James takes an uncalculated step in the delicate South Louisiana marsh that becomes the catalyst for a metaphor used by his dad which foreshadows his life: there’s an art to navigating the marshland, and the steps you take while on your journey can cause you to either sink or swim.

556. Richard Sexton and Randolph Delehanty

556. Today we talk with Richard Sexton and Randolf Delehanty about the 2nd edition of their classic work, New Orleans: Elegance and Decadence. The book focuses on the interiors, furnishings, art collections, and gardens of a handful of creative people in New Orleans in the 1990s. Dreamers and urban pioneers, they included bohemian artists, artisans, architects, preservationists, activists, antiquarians, restaurateurs, and teachers, all living outside the American mainstream.

555. Randy Gonzales. "St. Malo."

555. This week we talk to Randy Gonzales about his poetry book Settling St. Malo. "I am excited about the launch of a book I spent more than a decade writing. My research into Filipino Louisiana started as a way to understand my family’s Filipino story. I learned that without the fishermen at St. Malo, the shrimpers at Manila Village, and the seamen who settled in New Orleans, my Filipino ancestors may not have moved to Louisiana.