96. Interview with Richard Sexton about Creole World. Part 1.

96.  Part 1 of our interview with photographer and writer Richard Sexton, author of Creole World.  "Creole World is a complex, multi-layered photo essay linking New Orleans, which is frequently referred to as " the nothernmost Caribbean city," with its cultural kin further south. The similarities are quite striking and at times even uncanny. Richard Sexton traveled to and photographed not only in Havana, but throughout Cuba, in Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Santa Clara, Santiago de Cuba, Haiti, and other locales. The culmination of these travels has resulted in Creole World, which immerses the reader in an exotic world they would never be able to see on their own."

1. This week in Louisiana history. March 21, 1804. French Emperor Napolean Bonaparte enacts a new legal framework, the "Napoleonic Code," which gives France its first coherent set of civil and criminal laws. It will later become the basis of Louisiana Law.
2. This week in New Orleans history. The Great New Orleans Fire (1788) was a fire that destroyed 856 of the 1,100 structures in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 21, 1788, spanning the south central French Quarter from Burgundy to Chartres Street, almost to the riverfront buildings. An additional 212 buildings were destroyed in a later city-wide fire, on December 8, 1794.
3. This week in Louisiana. Amite City Community Market
   January 3rd, 2015 - December 26th, 2015
   Catha Park
   Catha Park, Amite, LA 70422
   985-514-8360 | 800-542-7520 | 985-542-7521
   Website 

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95. Interview with Cari Lynn about Madam, Part 2

95. Part 2 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 13, 1815. Gen. Andrew Jackson declares the end of martial law in New Orleans at the end of War of 1812
2. This week in New Orleans history. This notice was published in the March 14, 1891 edition of the Times-Picayune.  What followed, on the same day, was the largest mass lynching in American history, which was precipitated by the murder of Police Chief, David C. Hennessey.  Ironically, on this date in 1889, Hennessey was appointed the city’s first Superintendent of Police. On October 15, 1890, Hennessy was shot a half-block from his home. The following day, as he was dying, he allegedly informed Captain William O’Connor that he had been shot by "Dagos", an insulting term for Italians.  250 Italians were arrested. On October 18, Mayor Shakspeare appointed a "Committee of Fifty" to investigate the crime. On December 13, a grand jury indicted 19 Italians.  Many of them had been identified by the Committee of Fifty. The grand jury foreman and one other juror were also members and financial contributors to this group.  When the jury trial didn't find enough evidence to convict, a mod assembled.  Shouting "Kill the Dagoes," a large crowd stormed Parish Prison. Eleven of the 19 men who had been indicted for Hennessy's murder were shot and killed. According to witnesses, the "cheers were deafening".  The killings were allegedly carried out by a 12-man "Execution Squad" led by Parkerson.
3. This week in Louisiana.Blue Dog Comes Home
   January 15th, 2015 - April 11th, 2015
   Bayou Teche Museum
   131 East Main Street, New Iberia, LA 70560
   337-606-5977
   Website  

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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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93. Interview with actor Lance E. Nichols

93.  We interview actor Lance E. Nichols.  Lance is originally from New Orleans, and he has returned to his home city to pursue his acting career here.  Louisianans best know him from his role on Treme as Dr. Larry Williams, the husband to actress Khandi Alexander's character LaDonna.  Lance is a working actor with over 130 credits in film, television and theater. His other memorable roles include the faith healing preacher in The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, D.A. Jeremiah Goodhusband in Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans, Hamilton Watkins in the film Welcome To The Rileys, and Gene Clancy in the Netflix series House of Cards.

1. This week in Louisiana history. February 29, 1904. A study reported that 50 automobiles were owned and operated in N.O.
2. This week in New Orleans history. February 28, 1849
   The Odd Fellows Rest Cemetary dedicated.  The land for this cemetery was purchased by the Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a benevolent society, in 1847. The property at 5055 Canal Street, adjoining St. Patrick Cemetery No. 2 at the intersection of Canal Street and Metairie Road (now City Park Avenue), was purchased for $700 and later enlarged by donations of land from benefactors and the Firemen’s Charitable Association. It is fortunate to be situated above the flood plane and has escaped several floods over its history. In 1849, the new cemetery was dedicated with a large ceremony and a grand procession which bore the cemeteries first 16 remains of former Odd Fellows members, relocated from other cemeteries.
3. This week in Louisiana. 2015 Frisco Fest Spring Garden Show
   Saturday & Sunday, March 7 & 8, 2015
   Shop at over 100+ Crafter & Artist Booths
   Open Car Show
   “Prayers & Plantations” 25 & 40 Mile Bike Tour
   Fun Run 5k & 1 Mile
   Great Cajun & Creole Cuisine
   Geno Delafose and the French Rockin’ Boogi Family Fun for the Kids!
   Pony Rides - Petting Zoo -Rock Climbing
   Space Walks - Euro Bungee

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92. Interview with Lee Estes, Part 2

92. Part 2 of our interview with Lee Estes, photographer from Monroe, LA.  "A resident of Monroe, Louisiana, for more than half a century, photographer Lee Estes is best known for his precise and extensive black-and-white documentation of vernacular subjects, especially architecture" (KnowLA). 

1. This week in Louisiana history. February 21, 1882. The first Mardi Gras Parade in Lake Charles takes place.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Wednesday, February 21, 1900
   First Electrically Lit Parade
   First Parade Held Before Lundi Gras
   The Krewe of Nereus
   "Sixteen gorgeous tableaux were mounted on regulation trolley trucks, the last and most triumphant scene representing the Era of Electricity. Four bands on trolley cars were interspersed in the procession. The parade was certainly a pronounced and undeniable success,' said the Times-Democrat. But the newspaper was alone in the opinion, and nothing like it ever again was attempted. The trolley poles reaching up through the decorations were monuments too modern for the medieval fete. Electric lighting had the same fixed and artificial incongruity as the trolley poles."
3. This week in Louisiana. Blue Dog Comes Home
   January 15th, 2015 - April 11th, 2015
   Bayou Teche Museum
   131 East Main Street, New Iberia, LA 70560
   337-606-5977

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91. Photographer Lee Estes, Part 1

91.  Part 1 of our interview with photographer Lee Estes.  "A resident of Monroe, Louisiana, for more than half a century, photographer Lee Estes is best known for his precise and extensive black-and-white documentation of vernacular subjects, especially architecture" (KnowLA). 

1. This week in Louisiana history. February 15, 1956. Fed. Judge J. Skelly Wright orders desegregation of N.O. schools with "all deliberate speed."
2. This week in New Orleans history. February 14, 1915. Mayer Israel passes away. His Canal Street clothing store was a fixture in downtown New Orleans from 1906 until it closed in the late 1950s. Born on March 12, 1857, Mayer Israel, as a young man, entered the business of his uncle Leon Godchaux (Leon Godchaux's Clothing Company).
   At age 22, in 1891 he purchased the clothing house of H.D. McGown. In 1906, he moved the store to 706 Canal, and in 1910, he purchased the property at 714 Canal and had a new structure built on the site. The store later expanded into 716 Canal as well. It operated as Mayer Israel & Company.
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Hats Off to Dr. Seuss!
   Angela King Gallery
   241 Royal St. New Orleans, LA 70130
   504.524.8211
   http://www.thestripedhat.com
   Saturday, February 14, 2015
   10:00 AM - 5:00 PM CST
   Hats Off to Dr. Seuss!
   In honor of the 75th anniversary of Dr. Seuss' second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins," a touring exhibit makes a stop in New Orleans with prints and sculpture from the "Art of Dr. Seuss" collection, plus never-before-seen hats from Ted Geisel's private collection.

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90. Interview with Ava Leavell Haymon, Part 2

90.  Part 2 of our interview with Ava Leavell Haymon, Louisiana's current Poet Laureatte.  Ava’s most recent poetry collection is Eldest Daughter, published by Louisiana State University Press. She has written three previous collections, Why the House Is Made of Gingerbread, Kitchen Heat, and The Strict Economy of Fire, all also from LSU Press, and edits the Barataria Poetry Series, which premiered Spring 2014.

1. This week in Louisiana history. February 7, 2010. The New Orleans Saints when their very first Super Bowl and finish the year at 14-3. February 7, 2010. The Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts by a score of 31–17, earning their first Super Bowl win. The game was played at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on February 7, 2010. Drew Brees was named the Most Valuable Player. And you remember the rest.
2. This week in New Orleans history. On February 7, 1970, while riding in the Bacchus parade, Al Hirt was struck by a hurled brick, rock, or cement chunk (sources vary) which left him bleeding profusely and the needing 12 (or 16, sources vary) stitches across the entire underside of his upper lip. He was taken from the float, rushed to Baptist Hospital, treated, and then attended the krewe's ball at the Rivergate the same evening. He was forced to cancel two upcoming performing commitments and await the healing process to know if he would ever be able to play the trumpet again as he did in the past. His career was seriously threatened and the public was outraged, calling for the end this sort of violence that had occured at many other parades during that Carnival season. The story made national news. This incident was parodied in a Saturday Night Live skit from their second season Mardi Gras special, the "Let's Hit Al Hirt in the Mouth with a Brick Contest."
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Carnival!
   Garden District Gallery
   1332 Washington Ave.
   New Orleans, LA 70130
   504.891.3032
   Through February 22
   11:00 AM - 5:00 PM CST
   Carnival!
   Group show featuring Mardi Gras-themed works in oil, watercolor, pastel, photography, bronze sculpture and mixed media, by artists such as Rolland Golden, Alan Flattmann, Sharon Weilbaecher, Kim Bernadas, Jacques Soulas, Jean Cassels, Patti Adams, Bevil Knapp, Ellis Lucia, Phil Thompson, Andy Levin and Jacques Soulas.

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