117. Sandy Rosenthal

117.  Today we interview Sandy Rosenthal, the founder of Levees.org.  She founded the website and the group as a response to Katrina to advocate for stronger levees and other flood defenses.  Following the government failures surrounding Katrina, Sandy began leading citizens to hold agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers accountable, to correct misrepresentations of what happened, and to demand better protection for New Orleans and other coastal cities. Now she has been named a Hero of the Recovery by the Editors of New Orleans Magazine. 

1. This week in Louisiana history. August 16, 1814. US gunboats attack Barataria, destroying all ships and pirate contraband.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Jazz drummer, cornetist and melophone player Arthur "Monk" Haze was born Harvey on August 15, 1903. He played with Emmett Hardy, Stalebread Lacombe, Abbie Brunies (the Halfway House Orchestra), and Tony Parenti. Monk led his own Bienville Roof Orchestra (which played for atop the Bienville Hotel at Lee Circle, and made recordings in 1928) and then spent time in New York playing with Johnny Wiggs, Jack Pettis and with his own group (1929–31). Hazel was in Hollywood for a period (working with Gene Austin) but eventually came back to New Orleans, performing with Joe Caprano (1937) and the Lloyd Danton Quintet. Hazel spent 1942-43 in the Army and then worked for a time outside of music. However during his final 20 years, Hazel was once again quite active in New Orleans, performing with Sharkey Bonano, George Girard, Mike Lala, Santo Pecora and virtually every other important name in New Orleans jazz. 

Listen in iTunes.

Listen in Stitcher.

The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.
Like us on Facebook. 

Sandy Rosenthal

116. Gary Joiner, Part 2

116.  Part 2 of our interview with Gary Joiner.  Gary grew up in Farmerville, La., the only child of Rudy and Dillard Joiner. As a small boy visiting Civil War battlefields, he was inspired to learn more about history and, while he did not know what a historian was at that time, he considered that to be his ultimate career goal. Following graduation from high school, he attended Louisiana Tech University, earning a bachelor’s degree with a double major in history and geography. He earned a master’s degree from the same institution, focusing on military history. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy Degree from St. Martin’s College, Lancaster, England.

1. This week in Louisiana history. September 9, 1965. Hurricane "Betsy" hits Louisiana.
2. This week in New Orleans history.  While playing second base for the New Orleans Pelicans on August 8, 1916, Henry Antone "Cotton" Knaupp became the only player in the history of the Southern Association to turn an unassisted triple play. With the bases loaded and Knaupp playing 2nd base in a game against the Chattanooga Lookouts, he caught a line drive hit by shortstop Joe Harris, tagged Jake Pilter who was running from first to second base, and stepped on 2nd base to put out Bob Messenger before he could return to second base.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Hot August Night
   August 14, 2015
   Downtown Development District Hammond
   Hammond, LA
   (985) 277-5681 ext 2
   The Hammond Downtown Development District presents the 19th Annual Hot August Night 
   Friday, August 14, 2015 - 6pm to 10pm
   Join us in Historic Downtown Hammond.
   Get ready for a wine stroll, art everywhere, retail stores brimming with great stuff, restaurants & bars.

Listen in iTunes.

Listen in Stitcher.

The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.
Like us on Facebook. 

115. Gary Joiner Interview, Part 1.

115.  Part 1 of our interview with Gary Joiner.  Gary grew up in Farmerville, La., the only child of Rudy and Dillard Joiner. As a small boy visiting Civil War battlefields, he was inspired to learn more about history and, while he did not know what a historian was at that time, he considered that to be his ultimate career goal. Following graduation from high school, he attended Louisiana Tech University, earning a bachelor’s degree with a double major in history and geography. He earned a master’s degree from the same institution, focusing on military history. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy Degree from St. Martin’s College, Lancaster, England.

1. This week in Louisiana history. August 3, 1918. Louisiana ratifies 18th Amendment to US Constitution (Prohibition).
2. This week in New Orleans history. On Aug. 1, 1952, at exactly 8 p.m., a New Orleans landmark was lit for the first time. The Falstaff Brewing Company, located at 2601 Gravier St., installed a 126-foot tower with an electrical sign on top of its new brewery. Joining Dr. Cline for this auspicious occasion was New Orleans Mayor de Lesseps “Chep” Morrison. Falstaff’s advertising to the metropolitan New Orleans area informed the locals that the tower would forecast the next day’s weather. The changing colors of the massive ball on top of the sign were: GREEN – fair weather. RED – cloudy. RED FLASHING – rain.  WHITE – showers. RED AND WHITE FLASHING – approaching storms.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Delcambre Shrimp Festival
   August 12 - 16, 2015
   Delcambre Shrimp Festival Building
   Delcambre, LA 70528
   Food and Drinks
   The Delcambre Shrimp Festival is home to one of the best 5-day festivals in South Louisiana. The festival has gained it's popularity by providing a variety of delicious dishes and top notch entertainment including National Recording Artists. Enjoy signature shrimp dishes like boiled shrimp, fried shrimp, shrimp sauce piquante, shrimp salad and many more. Each and every shrimp dish consumed at the festival is prepared by volunteer members of the festival association.

Listen in iTunes.

Listen in Stitcher.

The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.
Like us on Facebook.

114. Katie Bickham interview, part 2

114.  Part 2 of our interview with Katie Bickham.  Katie Bickham is an award-winning poet and teacher from Shreveport, Louisiana.  She is proud to announce her forthcoming first book of poetry, The Belle Mar, winner of the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Prize. Katie grew up believing she wanted to write novels, but somewhere along the way, brevity took hold, and she decided it was poetry or bust.  Katie earned her BA in English Literature and MA in Liberal Arts from LSU Shreveport.  Then, knowing that one cannot write about a place until one leaves it, she enrolled in the Stonecoast MFA program at the University of Southern Maine, where she met the people who would pull the truly good work out of her.

1. This week in Louisiana history. July 26, 1810. Rebellion of West Florida Parishes.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Born in New Orleans on July 25, 1899, musician Johnny Wiggs (Born John Wigginton Hyman) started his music career on the violin, then the cornet.  In the late 1920s he took a job as a teacher, adopted the stage name "Johnny Wiggs"), and moonlighted in New Orleans jazz clubs at night. He made his first recordings as "John Hyman's Bayou Stompers" in the late 1920s.  In the 1940s he quit teaching (after having trained a young Pete Fountain), led several bands, made some recordings, and became an an important figure in the revival and preservation of the local music by founding the New Orleans Jazz Club.  Hyman remained active until the 1970s.  He passed away on in New Orleans on October 10, 1977.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Satchmo SummerFest
   July 31st, 2015 - August 2nd, 2015
   Old U.S. Mint & Historic French Quarter
   400 Esplanade Ave., New Orleans, LA 70116
   504-522-5730
   Website
   Old U.S. Mint & Historic French Quarter
   Each year, this weekend-long festival celebrates his life, legacy and music. The festivities include a seminar series, jazz exhibits, a jazz mass and second-line parade, fantastic food and a host of star-studded performers.

Listen in iTunes.

Listen in Stitcher.

The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.  
Like us on Facebook.

113. Interview with poet Katie Bickham, part 1

113.  Part 1 of our interview with Katie Bickham.  Katie Bickham is an award-winning poet and teacher from Shreveport, Louisiana.  She is proud to announce her forthcoming first book of poetry, The Belle Mar, winner of the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Poetry Prize. Katie grew up believing she wanted to write novels, but somewhere along the way, brevity took hold, and she decided it was poetry or bust.  Katie earned her BA in English Literature and MA in Liberal Arts from LSU Shreveport.  Then, knowing that one cannot write about a place until one leaves it, she enrolled in the Stonecoast MFA program at the University of Southern Maine, where she met the people who would pull the truly good work out of her.

1. This week in Louisiana history. July 17, 1795. First bishop of New Orleans, Don Luis Cardenas, arrives in Louisiana.
2. This week in New Orleans history. NBC News television journalist William Blanc "Bill" Monroe Jr. was born in New Orleans on July 17, 1920.  He graduated from Tulane in 1942 and during World War II, served in the Air Forces in Europe. Early in his career, Monroe served as the first news director for WDSU-TV, an NBC affiliate. In 1959, Monroe’s team at WDSU-TV won a George Foster Peabody Award. His news reporting on NBC's Today show, won a Peabody in 1973.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   SugaSheaux
   July 18th, 2015 - July 19th, 2015
   SugArena @ Acadiana Fairgrounds
   713 NW Bypass (Hwy 3212), New Iberia, LA 70560
   337-365-7539 | 337-365-4795
   Website
   Rodeo Competition Series & Show, Concessions

Listen in iTunes.

Listen in Stitcher.

The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.  
Like us on Facebook.

112. Rain Prud’homme-Cranford Goméz, Part 2.

112.  Part 2 of our interview with Rain Prud’homme-Cranford Goméz.  Rain's research focuses on issues of Louisiana Indian (Choctaw, Houma, Tunica-Biloxi, Caddo, and other Louisiana Mvskogean and Siouan groups) diaspora and their relationships with Louisiana Creole (mestiza) Indigeneity as manifested in material culture ways, oral histories, and literature, specifically tied to geographic space, gender, and memory/culture. Her research seeks to make Native communities unavoidably visible showcasing Indigenous acts of reinscription (in response to assumed absences, ha untings, mythos, and exotification) and decolonization in material and literary culture (beadwork, basketry, poetry, prose, and music), while highlighting Louisiana Creoles as an Indigenous diasporic people within conversations around Indigenous literature/narratives in the American South.

1. This week in Louisiana history. July 11, 1804. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton is mortally wounded. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton is mortally wounded July 11 at age 49 in a duel at Weehawken, N.J. with Vice President Aaron Burr, now 48, who has heard of insults directed at him by Hamilton and demanded satisfaction . Indicted in New York and New Jersey, Burr flees to Philadelphia and proceeds to the South where he will conspire in the next 3 years with Gen. James Wilkinson, 44, who is secretly in the pay of Spain but will soon be governor of the Louisiana Territory.
2. This week in New Orleans history.
   Now over 100 years old, the City Park Casino opened on July 11, 1913, is now one of the park's few surviving Spanish Mission-style era structures. This photo was shot on March 26, 1939 after WPA repairs and renovations of the Casino as a part of the general improvement program in the park. For a time, the Swan boat docked nearby on Bayou Metairie. Renovated in 1999, and re-named the Timken Center, its second floor is used for meetings and parties. It is now used as a Morning Call coffee shop.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Native American Exhibit
   July 6th, 2015 - July 17th, 2015
   Tangipahoa Parish Convention & Visitor's Bureau
   13143 Wardline Rd., Hammond, LA 70401
   985-542-7520 | 800-542-7520 | 985-542-7521
   Website
   dana@tangitourism.com
   Tangipahoa Parish Convention & Visitor's Bureau
   This free event will share the untold stories of cultures that had significant impact on our community. Native American artifacts including life size teepee, pottery, baskets, skins, tools and weapons will be on display. We hope to see you at our event.
   For more details or group reservations, contact Dana Short at the Tangipahoa Parish Convention and Visitors Bureau. 

Listen in iTunes.

Listen in Stitcher.

The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.  
Like us on Facebook.

111. Rain Prud'homme-Cranford Goméz, Part 1.

111.  We interview scholar, poet, and activist Rain Prud'homme-Cranford Goméz.  Rain's research focuses on issues of Louisiana Indian (Choctaw, Houma, Tunica-Biloxi, Caddo, and other Louisiana Mvskogean and Siouan groups) diaspora and their relationships with Louisiana Creole (mestiza) Indigeneity as manifested in material culture ways, oral histories, and literature, specifically tied to geographic space, gender, and memory/culture. Her research seeks to make Native communities unavoidably visible showcasing Indigenous acts of reinscription (in response to assumed absences, hauntings, mythos, and exotification) and decolonization in material and literary culture (beadwork, basketry, poetry, prose, and music), while highlighting Louisiana Creoles as an Indigenous diasporic people within conversations around Indigenous literature/narratives in the American South.

1. This week in Louisiana history. July 4, 1900. Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, trumpet king, born.
2. This week in New Orleans history.  The Classical Greek-styled Popp Bandstand was dedicated in City Park on July 4, 1917. Designed by Emile Weil at a cost of $75,000 it was dedicated on July 4th. Its twelve granite ionic columns are topped with a bronze dome. Named for its benefactor John F. Popp, who had made his fortune in a lumber business which was headquartered on the New Basin Canal. The bandstand is a replica of Temple of Love in Versailles and the memorial plaque to Alexis Ribet is embedded into it. Many New Orleanians enjoyed their first glimpses of moving pictures here on summer evenings. Generations of musicians have played here including John Philip Sousa who performed in 1928. The bandstand still stands for our enjoyment if we wish to spend a 4th of July there near the Casino. The Popp family also funded the park's Popp Fountain.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   San Fermin In Nueva Orleans
   July 9th, 2015 - July 12th, 2015
   New Orleans Hotel Collection Luxury Hotel
   1380 Port of New Orleans Place, New Orleans, LA 70130
   504-571-9334
   Website
   New Orleans Hotel Collection Luxury Hotel
   New Orleans becomes Pamplona for a day at this Running of the Bulls-inspired celebration, where the Big Easy Rollergirls - wielding plastic bats and wearing helmets outfitted with fake bullhorns, naturally - charge after runners through the streets of Downtown.  The 9th Annual Running of the Bulls at San Fermin in Nueva Orleans (SFNO) is the city's most incredible Summer Spectacle! Join thousands of runners as they roam the streets of New Orleans and party with hundreds of Rollerbulls (roller derby skaters with horns on their helmets and plastic bats in their hands) from around the globe during the Encierro.

Listen in iTunes.
Listen in Stitcher.

The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.  
Like us on Facebook.