230. Andrei Codrescu

230. We interview poet Andrei Codrescu. He was born in Sibiu, Transylvania, Romania, and emigrated to the United States in 1966. He is the author of numerous books: poems, novels, and essays. He founded Exquisite Corpse: a Journal of Books and Ideas. He was a regular commentator on NPR’s All Things Considered. He taught literature and poetry at Johns Hopkins University, the University of Baltimore, and Louisiana State University.

1. This week in Louisiana history. October 15, 1802. Spanish king Charles IV ordered retrocession of Louisiana from Spain to France.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Beth Taylor (born October 14, 1954 in New Orleans, became Mississippi's first female television sportscaster when hired by WDAM-TV (an NBC affiliate) in Laurel-Hattiesburg, Mississippi.  Author of the book Bless Them Father, for They Have Sinned, which was published in the summer of 2012. As a child, Taylor experienced something so traumatic that her brain forced her to forget the events for more than 40 years. That event was clergy sexual abuse at the hands of member of the Catholic clergy. Taylor is also a  public relations practitioner and journalist.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Voodoo Fest 2017 will send high-octane music acts, interactive art installations and costumed revelers to City Park from Oct. 27 through Oct. 29.
       Here's your guide to all the nitty-gritty details, from how to score tickets to what to bring to the fest. The upcoming edition should continue to reflect updates made to the event in 2016 after Voodoo Fest was brought under the umbrella of major festival organizer C3 Presents. Among those changes were layout updates to prevent sound bleed and bathroom upgrades festival-wide.
   
4. Postcard from Louisiana. Carmen of Popup Jazz Band sings "House of the Rising Sun" on Royal St. in New Orleans.

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229. Richard Campanella

229. We talk to Richard Campanella about his book, Bourbon Street: A History. New Orleans is a city of many storied streets, but only one conjures up as much unbridled passion as it does fervent hatred, simultaneously polarizing the public while drawing millions of visitors a year. A fascinating investigation into the mile-long urban space that is Bourbon Street, Richard Campanella's comprehensive cultural history spans from the street's inception during the colonial period through three tumultuous centuries, arriving at the world-famous entertainment strip of today.

1. This week in Louisiana history. October 7, 1829. Gov. Derbigny suffers fatal accident when thrown from carriage.
2. This week in New Orleans history. On October 7, 1816 the Washington, built by Henry M. Shreve, was the first double-decker. steamboat to arrive in New Orleans and became the model for the classic style of Mississippi river boats — flat-bottomed, two stories, steam-powered paddle wheel mounted on the stern, two smoke-stacks. First used to carry cargo it was soon open for passenger transportation. The Washington moved at lightning speed compared to other boats on the rivers — 16 mph upstream and downstream at as much as 25 mph.
        Shreve launched the boat earlier that year on the Monongahela River just above Pittsburgh. Shreve's cleverly designed Washington had all the features that would soon come to characterize the classic Mississippi riverboat: a two-story deck, a stern-mounted paddle wheel powered by a high-pressure steam engine, a shallow, flat-bottomed hull, and a pilothouse framed by two tall chimneys. Perfectly designed for the often-shallow western rivers like the Mississippi and Missouri, the Washington proved itself on its inaugural voyage the following spring. Steaming upriver against the current with full cargo, the Washington reached Louisville in only 25 days, demonstrating that the powerful new generation of steamboats could master the often-treacherous currents of the mighty western rivers. Soon the Washington began to offer regular passenger and cargo service between New Orleans and Louisville.
   
3. Postcard from Louisiana. Isis Lovestone reads Bruce's cards in Jackson Square.

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228. Chris Trew

228. We interview Chris Trew, New Orleans comedian. Chris is a nationally touring comedian, rapper, actor, improv teacher and professional wrestling manager. He’s performed at tons of comedy festivals and is a founding member of The New Movement, owners and operators of comedy training centers and theater in Austin and New Orleans.

1. This week in Louisiana history. September 30, 1764. D'Abbadie acknowledges receipt of transfer of colony from French to Spanish.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Protest March. September 30, 1963. On September 30, 1963 more than 10,000 black New Orleanians, along with 300 white citizens, marched from Shakspeare Park to City Hall to protest the failure of city leaders to act against discrimination in the Crescent City.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Rebirth Brass Band
   Tuesday, October 3
   11:00 PM
   Venue information:
   Maple Leaf Bar
   8316 Oak St.
   New Orleans, LA 70118
   504.866.9359
4. Postcard from Louisiana. Buku Broux plays the Kora (the African harp) in Jackson Square. 

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227. Fatima Shaik

227. Our interview with Fatima Shaik. Fatima is an American writer of children’s and adult literature, and former journalist. Her literature explores the human spirit and the intersection of cultures, notably themes of family, community, and justice. Publishers Weekly described her as “knowledgeable and perceptive.” Her work across genres reflects her career as a journalist and fiction writer to use a variety of literary forms in order to explore contemporary social issues, especially that of the "African-American experience." Shaik’s continuing research on the Société d’Economie, the founders of the jazz incubator Economy Hall, has received support from the Louisiana Endowment of the Humanities and the Kittredge Fund.

1. This week in Louisiana history. September 23, 1810. In the early morning hours of Sept. 23, 75 armed rebels slipped into the Spanish fort at Baton Rouge, and in what was described as a "sharp and bloody firefight," subdued the garrison. They lowered the Spanish flag and raised the Bonnie Blue Flag — a single white star on a blue field — that had been adopted for the new nation they called West Florida.
2. This week in New Orleans history.  Allison Miner.Jazz Fest Founder. Born on September 23, 1949. When the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival first began [the second incarnation of it] in 1969, it was radical...founders Quint Davis, George Wein, and Allison Miner created a safe space for New Orleanians to come together, to hear each others’ music and to party -- together.  Eve Abrams brings us this profile of Allison Miner, a titan in New Orleans music, and the only person with a Jazz Fest stage named for her:
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival
   September 20th, 2017 - September 24th, 2017
   Various Venues
   New Iberia, LA 70560
   337-369-9323
   Website | Email
   Street fair, Fais Do-Do, Coronation of Queen Sugar, Blessing of the Crop, photo & art exhibits, boat parade, Louisiana Sugar Cane parade, children’s parade and much more.

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226. Anne Butler

226. This week's interview is with Anne Butler.  Anne is a native of St. Francisville and operates a bed and breakfast at the Butler Greenwood Plantation, which has been in her family since the 1790s. Motivated by her love of culture, she has reached a wide audience through articles published in the Los Angeles Times, Country Woman, New Orleans Magazine, and Country Road. She is also the author of Pelican's Audubon Plantation Country Cookbook, Bayou Plantation Country Cookbook, Acadian Plantation Country Cookbook, The Pelican Guide to Plantation Homes of Louisiana, and her memoir, Weep for the Living.

1. This week in Louisiana history. September 17, 1712. Antoine Crozat receives royal charter giving exclusive trading rights to Louisiana.
2. This week in New Orleans history. The Beatles at City Park Stadium. Wednesday, September 16, 1964. A sellout crowd of 27,000-plus New Orleanians, most of them young girls, filled City Park Stadium on Wednesday, September 16, 1964 to "meet" The Beatles.  General admission tickets sold for $5.00 ($4.32 plus taxes).  Opening the 8:00 P.M. show were New Orleans' own Frogman Henry, Jackie deShannon, and The Bill Black Combo.
         Mayor Victor H. Schiro issued a proclamation declaring the date “Beatles Day in New Orleans”.  Most news reports from the day fail to include that September 16,  1964 was Yom Kippur and many businesses were closed in observation of the Jewish holy day.  
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Natchitoches Meat Pie Festival
   September 15th, 2017 - September 16th, 2017
   Riverbank Stage
   Natchitoches Tourism,
   780 Front Street, Ste. 100,
   Natchitoches, LA 71457
   800-259-1714
   Website | Email
   Riverbank Stage
   This is the festival that celebrates Natchitoches' famous meat pies! Join us to celebrate these extremely tasty, hot homemade pies. Enjoy live music and dancing along the banks of the Cane River, kid activities, arts and crafts and more.
   
4. Postcard from Louisiana.  We listen to the Jackson Square All-Star Brass Band.

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225. Kent Wascom, part 2

225. Listen to part 2 of our interview with Kent Wascom. Kent has written The Blood of Heaven and Secessia. These are historical novels following a family from the Florida Parishes. They follow the adventures of Angel Woolsack, the son of a frontier Baptist preacher, and his descendants against the backdrop of Louisiana history.

1. This week in Louisiana history. September 10, 1935. Gov. Huey P. Long dies after assassination.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Hurricane Betsy was the first tropical cyclone in the Atlantic Basin to cause at least $1 billion (1965 USD) in damage.  It was the third tropical cyclone, second named storm, and second hurricane of the 1965 Atlantic hurricane season.  Betsy entered into the Gulf of Mexico and re-strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane on September 9. While approaching the Gulf Coast of the United States, Betsy peaked slightly below the threshold for Category 5 hurricane status. However, further intensification was halted after Betsy made landfall in Grand Isle, Louisiana later on September 9.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   4th Euro-Global Conference on Infectious Diseases
   September 7-9
   9:00 AM
   Venue information:
   Place de France Decatur Street and St. Philip Street New Orleans, LA 70116
   800-216-6499
   http://infection.conferenceseries.com/europe/
   Admission:
   http://infection.conferenceseries.com/europe/registration.php
4. Postcards from Louisiana. This week's postcard is from Alonda de Costa, street artist.

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224. Kent Wascom, Part 1

224. Listen to part 1 of our interview with Kent Wascom. Kent has written The Blood of Heaven and Secessia. These are historical novels following a family from the Florida Parishes. They follow the adventures of Angel Woolsack, the son of a frontier Baptist preacher, and his descendants against the backdrop of Louisiana history.

1. This week in Louisiana history.  September 2, 1772. The 'El Principe de Orange' "was struck by a hurricane...and wrecked at the entrance of the Mississippi River, where she quickly went to pieces, only six survivors."
2. This week in New Orleans history. On September 2, 1909, New Orleans was first linked by rail to Houston.  Amid celebrations and ceremonies the train left the New Orleans Terminal Station at 6:10 A.M.   On board were Ben R. Mayer representing the Mayor of New Orleans, F.B. McQueety, Secretery of the Baton Rouge Board of Trade representing the board, and other officials.  The first stop was at the Edenborn Depot (Gonzales. Louisiana) where large delegations from the board along with businessment in general awaited the train.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   82nd Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival
   August 31st, 2017 - September 4th, 2017
   Downtown Morgan City
   Downtown Morgan City
   715 Second Street,
   Morgan City, LA 70380
   985-385-0703 | 800-256-2931 | Fax
   Website
   Downtown Morgan City
   Tap your toes & tempt your taste buds at Louisiana's oldest state-chartered harvest festival. The four-day extravaganza of family entertainment includes continuous live music by local & national acts, a huge arts & crafts show and sale, a Childrens' Village, the Cajun Culinary Classic, the traditional Blessing of the Fleet and water parade . . . all with no gate fee!
4. Postcard from Louisiana. Bruce listens to street musician Ricky Paulin and chats about his music and stuff.

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Kent Wascom

Ricky Paulin

Ricky Paulin playing by the Cafe du Monde.
from B. Bryant Productions & Films on Vimeo.