302. Christine Koch Harris, part 2

302. Part 2 of our interview with Christine Koch Harris about her dissertation, Liminality in gender, race, and nation in Les Quarteronnes de la Nouvelle-Orléans by Sidonie de la Houssaye. This project examines themes of race, gender, and nation in a series of four novels by nineteenth-century Louisiana author Sidonie de la Houssaye. The series, called Les Quarteronnes de la Nouvelle-Orléans (The Quadroons of New Orleans), is based on the system of plaçage. Plaçage, a system of concubinage in which white men took women of mixed racial heritage (such as “quadroons”) as mistresses, becomes a source of conflict and contradiction in the series. The author sees plaçage as a tragic necessity for some educated and morally “upright” quarteronnes. For others, those quarteronnes depicted as libidinous and avaricious, it is a means of benefiting from the destruction of families from the upper echelons of white society.

1. This week in Louisiana history. March 3, 1964. John McKeithen elected as Governor.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Iberville and Bienville "Discover" the Mouth of the Mississippi. March 2, 1699. The celebration of Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) arrived in Louisiana with two Canadian brothers, Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d’Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville. Sent by Louis XIV to secure the territory of La Louisiane for France, the brothers’ expedition entered the mouth of the Mississippi on the evening of Monday, March 2, 1699. Their party continued upstream to a spot on the west bank (about 60 miles downriver from present-day New Orleans) and encamped. This was the following day, Tuesday, March 3, 1699, which was Mardi Gras day. In honor of this European holiday, expedition leader Iberville named the site Pointe du Mardi Gras and the connecting tributary Bayou Mardi Gras.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Cajun Country Courir de Mardi Gras
   February 9th, 2018 - February 13th, 2018
   Various Locations in Eunice, LA
   Downtown Eunice, 300 S. Second St.,
   Eunice, LA 70535
   337-457-7389
   Website | Email
       This unique five day celebration is not your typical idea of Mardi Gras with beads and doubloons. In fact you won't find these trinkets in sight, but instead, men and women on horseback donned in hand crafted wire masks, tall hats called capuchons, and very distinctive costumes. This one of a kind celebration begins the Friday before Mardi Gras Day, but the main event is the Courir de Mardi Gras procession or "chicken run" which involves chasing a live chicken to collect for a community gumbo, and silliness by revelers all day. Don't wait till Fat Tuesday to join in the fun. Throughout the weeked, experience the town's rural traditions with jam sessions, street dances, cooking demos, Mardi Gras exhibits and a special Liberty Theater show. Les Jeunes and L'il Mardi Gras runs for children are on Sunday as well as an old time boucherie (hog butchering).
       The Eunice Courir de Mardi Gras dates back from when the town was first established in the late 19th century. The Courir was abandoned for a few years during World War II, but in 1946 a small band of riders revived the tradition. Today, the Eunice Courir de Mardi Gras has more than 2,000 participants on the run, and it continues to increase each year.
   
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to the Sidewalk Swingers on Royal Street.

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301. Christine Koch Harris, part 1.

301. Part 1 of our interview with Christine Koch Harris about her dissertation, Liminality in gender, race, and nation in Les Quarteronnes de la Nouvelle-Orléans by Sidonie de la Houssaye. This project examines themes of race, gender, and nation in a series of four novels by nineteenth-century Louisiana author Sidonie de la Houssaye. The series, called Les Quarteronnes de la Nouvelle-Orléans (The Quadroons of New Orleans), is based on the system of plaçage. Plaçage, a system of concubinage in which white men took women of mixed racial heritage (such as “quadroons”) as mistresses, becomes a source of conflict and contradiction in the series. The author sees plaçage as a tragic necessity for some educated and morally “upright” quarteronnes. For others, those quarteronnes depicted as libidinous and avaricious, it is a means of benefiting from the destruction of families from the upper echelons of white society.

1. This week in Louisiana history. February 24, 1843. Bossier Parish created out of Natchitoches District, named for Pierre E. Bossier.
2. This week in New Orleans history. New Orleans first iIlluminated Carnival Bicycle Parade was held on February 23, 1887.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Krewe of Barkus and Meoux Mardi Paw Pet Parade
   February 24th, 2019
   12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
   RiverView Park
   601 Clyde Fant Pkwy,
   Shreveport, LA 71101
   318-752-2287
   Website
   The Mardi Paw Pet Parade sponsored by the local animal krewe will be held at Reves Marine Center in Shreveport on Sunday, February 24 at 12 p.m.  All animals are invited to participate. Animal costumes encouraged. Prizes will be awared. Free for spectators.
   
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to a brass band at Royal and Toulouse Streets.

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300. Erin Stewart Mauldin

300. We interview Erin Stewart Mauldin about her book, Unredeemed Land. "Unredeemed Land is the first book to place the Civil War and emancipation at the center of the history of southern agriculture. Mauldin reveals how landscape destruction and social upheaval intersected with environmental change during these events, ultimately creating the Cotton South. Unredeemed Land is a must-read for anyone interested in southern history and environmental studies" (Megan Kate Nelson). — "Trained as an Environmental Historian, my work explores the intersection of race, economic inequality, and environment in the 19th-century U.S. South, bridging the antebellum, Civil War, and Reconstruction periods. I borrow heavily from the natural sciences, geography, and environmental sociology to reframe the big questions of nineteenth-century southern history: slavery as capitalism, the impacts of the Civil War and emancipation on southern agriculture, economic stagnation in the shadow of 'King Cotton,' and, more recently, the twin processes of industrialization and urbanization."

1. This week in Louisiana history. February 18, 1699. Iberville sets out in search of the east fork of the Mississippi River.
2. This week in New Orleans history. On February 16, 1840, Margaret Haughery opened the first of four orphanages.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Krewe of Janus Mardi Gras Parade
   February 16th, 2019
   6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
   Streets of Monroe/West Monroe, LA
   Trenton St. in West Monroe, Louisville Ave and Downtown Monroe,
   Monroe, LA 71201
   318-323-0230
   Website
   The Krewe of Janus brings a family-friendly, traditional Mardi Gras Parade with marching units, floats, costumes and throws to Northeast Louisiana. This is an annual event with an average of 175,000 in attendance. The parade rolls at 6:00 p.m., starting in downtown West Monroe and crossing the bridge into Monroe. 2019 will be our 36th year.
   
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas.

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299. Kalamu ya Salaaam, part 2.

299. Part 2 of our interview with Kalamu ya Salaam. Kalamu is an American poet, author, filmmaker, and teacher from the 9th Ward of New Orleans. A well-known activist and social critic, Salaam has spoken out on a number of racial and human rights issues. For years he did radio shows on WWOZ. Salaam is the co-founder of the NOMMO Literary Society, a weekly workshop for Black writers.  

1. This week in Louisiana history. February 9, 1718. Bienville appointed Gov. of colony, replacing L'Epinay.
2. This week in New Orleans history. On February 9, 1979, officers of the New Orleans Police Department went on strike. The teamsters protested recognition of the local Fraternal Order of Police. Mayor Dutch Morial declared the stirke an illegal work stop.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   February 15th, 2019
   Shreveport Convention
   400 Caddo St,
   Shreveport, LA 71101
   518-828-6270
   Website
   Krewe De Les Femmes Mystique Grand Bal 2019 will be held at Shreveport Convention Center on Friday, February 15 , at 6:30 p.m ; Tableau presentation is at 7:30 p.m. Adult admission is $75. There will be a royal preview party from 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., cash bar, buffet and plenty of entertainment. The attire is black tie.
   
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce listens to the Tip Jar Junkies on Royal St.

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298. Kalamu ya Salaam, part 1

298. Part 1 of our interview with Kalamu ya Salaam (born March 24, 1947) is an American poet, author, filmmaker, and teacher from the 9th Ward of New Orleans. A well-known activist and social critic, Salaam has spoken out on a number of racial and human rights issues. For years he did radio shows on WWOZ. Salaam is the co-founder of the NOMMO Literary Society, a weekly workshop for Black writers.

1. This week in Louisiana history. February 5, 1883. First train service from New Orleans to California
2. This week in New Orleans history. Earth, Wind, & Fire's Al McKay is born February 2, 1948. Guitarist, songwriter, producer, former member of Earth, Wind & Fire, and the recipient of five Grammy Awards, Al McKay was born in New Orleans on February 2, 1948.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   February 8th, 2019
   6:30 pm - 12:00 am
   Sam’s Town Casino and Hotel
   315 Clyde Fant Pkwy,
   Shreveport, LA 71101
   318-382-2150
   Website
   Krewe des Ambassadeurs Grand Bal will be held at Sam's Town Casino and Hotel in Shreveport on Friday, February 8 at 6:30 p.m. Adult admission is $80. The event is black tie, with a cash bar and a band to entertain after the presentation.
   
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce & Kerr listen to a jazz trumpet in Jackson Square.

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297. Jason Berry

297. We interview Jason Berry, author of City of a Million Dreams: A History of New Orleans at Year 300. Berry orchestrates a parade of vibrant personalities, from the founder Bienville, a warrior emblazoned with snake tattoos; to Governor William C. C. Claiborne, General Andrew Jackson, and Pere Antoine, an influential priest and secret agent of the Inquisition; Sister Gertrude Morgan, a street evangelist and visionary artist of the 1960s; and Michael White, the famous clarinetist who remade his life after losing everything in Hurricane Katrina. The textured profiles of this extraordinary cast furnish a dramatic narrative of the beloved city, famous the world over for mysterious rituals as people dance when they bury their dead.

1. This week in Louisiana history. January 26, 1958. Ellen DeGeneres , comedian, who starred in the popular talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show from Metairie, LA.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Huey "Piano" Smith (born January 26, 1934, New Orleans, is an American rhythm and blues pianist whose sound was influential in the development of rock and roll. His piano playing incorporated the boogie styles of Pete Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons; the jazz style of Jelly Roll Morton and the piano playing of Fats Domino. Allmusic journalist, Steve Huey, also noted "At the peak of his game, Smith epitomized New Orleans R&B at its most infectious and rollicking, as showcased on his classic signature tune, "Don't You Just Know It."
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Opelousas Gumbo Cook-Off
   January 26, 2019
   603 E Landry St., Opelousas
   Website
   The annual Opelousas Gumbo Cook-Off held the last Saturday in January heats up with live music, a kids’ activity area, both silent and live auctions, food, drinks, dancing, and lots of gumbo. While this is a free event, the entry fee to participate in the cook-off is $50. Prizes are awarded for first place champion, second place, and third place. In addition, a specially designed Gumbo Cook-Off Champ Paddle will be passed from the reigning champ to a new contender. Winners of the cook-off will be announced at 4 p.m.
   
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce & Kerr interview some volunteers at the Fried Chicken Festival in New Orleans.

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296. James Lewis on Aaron Burr

296. James Lewis talks about his book, The Burr Conspiracy: Uncovering the Story of an Early American Crisis. In 1805 and 1806, Aaron Burr, former vice president of the newly formed American republic, traveled through the Trans-Appalachian West gathering support for a mysterious enterprise, for which he was arrested and tried for treason in 1807. This book explores the political and cultural forces that shaped how Americans made sense of the uncertain rumors and reports about Burr’s intentions and movements, and examines what the resulting crisis reveals about their anxieties concerning the new nation’s fragile union and uncertain republic.

1. This week in Louisiana history. January 21, 1736. Jean Louis, a sailor, died leaving 10,000 livres to found N.O. charity hospital.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Father Antonio de Sedella, better known as Pere Antoine, a Capuchin friar, passed away on January 19, 1829 amid the love and tears of the whole city. The beloved priest came to the province of Louisiana in 1779. He is supposed to have performed nearly one half of the marriage and funeral ceremonies for the inhabitants of the city, until his death, at the ripe old age of 90. He lies buried at the foot of the altar of the St. Louis Cathedral, of which he was the Cure (or pastor) for the parish, for nearly fifty years. The St. Louis Cathedral, an ancient and interesting edifice of New Orleans facing Jackson Square or “Place d’Arms” as it was known in those days, stands today on the very site where the first house of worship was erected by Bienville and his pioneers in 1718. It is filled with historic lore and has witnessed the principal events which occurred since the founding of the city up to the present time.
   
3. This week in Louisiana. 
   Krewe of Harambee Parade
   January 21st, 2019
   Downtown Shreveport
   Spring ST,
   Shreveport, LA 71101
   318-617-7886
   Website
   This family-friendly parade rolls through downtown Shreveport each year celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. It features marching bands, stilt-walkers, dozens of floats and more.
   
4. Postcards from Louisiana. Bruce & Lisa Walker talk to the granddaughter of Leah Chase at Dooky Chase. Yeah, the chicken was delicious.

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