104. Martha Serpas Interview, Part 2.

104.  Part 2 of our interview with poet Martha Serpas.  “Martha Serpas is the author of three collections of poetry, The Diener (LSU);  The Dirty Side of the Storm (W.W. Norton); and Côte Blanche (New Issues). Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Nation, Southwest Review, and Image: A Journal of the Arts and Religion, as well as in a number of anthologies, including the Library of America’s American Religious Poems, The Art of the Sonnet, and Bearing the Mystery: Twenty Years of Image. She holds degrees in English and creative writing from Louisiana State, New York University, and the University of Houston, and a master of divinity from Yale Divinity School. A native of south Louisiana, she remains active in efforts to restore Louisiana’s wetlands. Since 2006 she has worked as a trauma chaplain at Tampa General Hospital. She teaches in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston.”

1. This week in Louisiana history. May 16, 1932. In just 17 months, H. Long's new state capitol was completed, dedicated, and opened during the inauguration of Gov. O.K. Allen.
2. This week in New Orleans history. The Southern Baptist Convention founded the institution as the Baptist Bible Institute during the 1917 convention meeting in New Orleans. New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, or NOBTS for short, was the first institution created as a direct act of the Southern Baptist Convention and was located in the Garden District on Washington Avenue. The institutes's purpose was centered on missionary work, and initially established as gateway to Central America. On May 17, 1946, the SBC revised the institutes' charter to enable it to become a seminary, and the name was changed to New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Missions and evangelism have remained the core focus of the seminary.  The Seminary started as the Baptist Bible Institute and relocated to a more spaciouse campus during the 1950s to the current location in Gentilly after purchasing a 75-acre pecan orchard and transformed it into what is now a bustling campus over 100 buildings, including academic buildings, faculty and staff housing, and student housing.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   
   42nd Annual Greek Festival New Orleans
   May 22nd, 2015 - May 24th, 2015
   Holy Trinity Cathedral
   1200 Robert E. Lee Boulevard, New Orleans, LA 70122
   504-282-0259
   Website 

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103. Martha Serpas interview, part 1

103.  Part 1 of our interview with poet Martha Serpas.  “Martha Serpas is the author of three collections of poetry, The Diener (LSU);  The Dirty Side of the Storm (W.W. Norton); and Côte Blanche (New Issues). Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Nation, Southwest Review, and Image: A Journal of the Arts and Religion, as well as in a number of anthologies, including the Library of America’s American Religious Poems, The Art of the Sonnet, and Bearing the Mystery: Twenty Years of Image. She holds degrees in English and creative writing from Louisiana State, New York University, and the University of Houston, and a master of divinity from Yale Divinity School. A native of south Louisiana, she remains active in efforts to restore Louisiana’s wetlands. Since 2006 she has worked as a trauma chaplain at Tampa General Hospital. She teaches in the Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston.”

1. This week in Louisiana history. May 10, 1781. Formal surrender of Pensacola to Gov. Galvez.
2. This week in New Orleans history. At the Wednesday May 9, 1832 session of the Conseil de Ville (City Council) it was resolved “that the Mayor is and remains authorized to use the stores necessary to complete the sidewalks ‘City Carré Banquettes’ already begun. The paving material left over and that which shall hereafter be had from this should be exclusively used to pave Royal Street. Approved May 15, 1832 by D. Prieur, Mayor.”
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo
   May 15th, 2015 - May 17th, 2015
   Bayou St. John
   Intersection of Orleans & N. Jefferson Davis Parkway, New Orleans, LA 70119
   504-488-3865
   Website

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102. Interview with Maggie Heyn Richardson

102.  We interview Maggie Heyn Richardson about her book, Hungry for Louisiana, a book about our food and its relation to our culture.  "Richardson reveals the way that food sets a powerful tempo to life in the Bayou State, a place where eating locally and seasonally existed well before it was fashionable. Whimsically told and thoughtfully reported, the book provides a fresh look at eight of the state’s most emblematic foods: crawfish, jambalaya, snoballs, Creole cream cheese, filé, blood boudin, tamales, and oysters, revealing angles not reported elsewhere. Richardson takes readers on a journey into Louisiana farms, meat markets, restaurants, festivals, culinary competitions, roadside vendors and other spots where she interviews the men and women responsible for producing these memorable items as well as those who cook and enjoy them. An engaging look at the way food informs identity, Hungry for Louisiana will tug at the heartstrings of anyone who has ever lived in this bizarre and homespun state as well as those who want to know more about it."

1. This week in Louisiana history. May 4, 1970. T.H. Williams wins Pulitzer Prize for his biography, Huey Long.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Jennifer Quayle in the Times-Picayune (May 2, 1976): It's said that pralines were named after Cesar du Plessis Praslin (pronounced 'pralin') a grand marshal of pre-Napoleonic France. According to legend, it was Praslin's valet who suggesed his master's almonds be cooked with sugar to prevent indigestion.... The French brought the candy to the New World, ..., when they copied it (since almonds weren't readily available, Louisiana pecans were substituted.' Ms. Quayle goes on to suggest that house servants learned to make the candies from their mistresses and soon began to sell pralines on the streets of the Crescent City.  Many used the money they earned to buy their freedom.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Cochon de Lait Festival
   May 7th, 2015 - May 10th, 2015
   Cochon de lait Pavilion
   1832 Leglise Street, Mansura, LA 71350
   318-964-2152
   Website  

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101. Bill Loehfelm Interview

101.  This week we interview Bill Loehfelm about his detective novels.  “Bill Loehfelm is the author of four novels, most recently, The Devil in her Way, the next Maureen Coughlin adventure and Bill's first New Orleans-set novel, from Sarah Crichton Books. Meet Maureen for the first time in The Devil She Knows (2011).”

1. This week in Louisiana history. April 25, 1862. New Orleans falls to Admiral Farragut's US Fleet. April 24, 1877. Reconstruction ended in Louisiana.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Federal troops captured New Orleans on April 25, 1862. Having fought past Forts Jackson and St. Philip, the Union was unopposed in its capture of the city itself, which was spared the destruction suffered by many other Southern cities. However, the controversial and confrontational administration of the city by its military governor caused lasting resentment. This capture of the largest Confederate city was a major turning point and an incident of international importance. Because a large part of the population had Union sympathies (or compatible commercial interests), the Federal government took the unusual step of designating the areas of Louisiana under Federal control as a state within the Union, with its own elected representatives to the U.S. Congress.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.
   
   1. Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival Association
      May 1st, 2015 - May 3rd, 2015
      Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival
      1300 Rees St., 520 Parkway Dr, Breaux Bridge, LA 70517
      337-332-6655 | 337-332-5917
      Website
   2. Louisiana Crawfish Gatorfest
      This is the 1st Annual Louisiana Crawfish & Gator Fest @The Ike in West Monroe, La. This is the biggest event to hit NorthEast Louisiana in years. Perfect event to bring your family and friends to enjoy great food, carnival rides, shopping, and live entertainment. This will be a funfilled 4 day event for all to remember from all areas 0f the ArkLaMiss to come enjoy the best crawfish and experience live Gators for your entertainment. So please come support and enjoy so we can make this the biggest event to hit this area, and continue to bring this event back every year.
      Venue:    Ike Hamilton Expo Center Arena
      Address:    501 Mane Street
      West Monroe LA, 71292
      Phone:    318-325-9160
      Web:    lacrawfishgatorfest.com

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100. Interview with Ibrahima Seck about Bouki Fait Gombo, Part 2

100. Part 2 of our interview with Ibrahima Seck about his book, Bouki Fait Gumbo. "Through an in-depth study of one of Louisiana's most important sugar plantations, Bouki Fait Gombo traces the impact of slavery on southern culture. This is a thorough examination of the Whitney's evolution-- from the precise routes slaves crossed to arrive at the plantation's doors to the records of the men, women, and children who were bound to the Whitney over the years. Although Bouki Fait does not shy away from depicting the daily brutalities slaves faced, at the book's heart are the robust culinary and musical cultures that arose from their shared sense of community and homesickness. The release of this book coincides with the opening of the Whitney Plantation Museum, a 'site of memory dedicated to a fuller understanding of the facts of slavery, our national tragedy'." 

1. This week in Louisiana history. April 18, 1864. Battle of Sabine Pass takes place in Cameron Parish.
2. This week in New Orleans history. The Canal streetcar line reopened April 18, 2004, almost 40 years after its close.
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Festival International de Louisiane
   April 22nd, 2015 - April 26th, 2015
   downtown Lafayette, Louisiana
   444 Jefferson St, Lafayette, LA 70501
   337-232-8086 | 337-233-7536
   Website

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99. Interview with Ibrahima Seck about Bouki Fait Gumbo.

99. Part 1 of our interview with Ibrahima Seck about his book, Bouki Fait Gumbo. "Through an in-depth study of one of Louisiana's most important sugar plantations, Bouki Fait Gombo traces the impact of slavery on southern culture. This is a thorough examination of the Whitney's evolution-- from the precise routes slaves crossed to arrive at the plantation's doors to the records of the men, women, and children who were bound to the Whitney over the years. Although Bouki Fait does not shy away from depicting the daily brutalities slaves faced, at the book's heart are the robust culinary and musical cultures that arose from their shared sense of community and homesickness. The release of this book coincides with the opening of the Whitney Plantation Museum, a 'site of memory dedicated to a fuller understanding of the facts of slavery, our national tragedy'."

1. This week in Louisiana history. April 10, 1806. General Leonidas Polk’s birthday.
2. This week in New Orleans history. Treme, the television drama series created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer. which follows the interconnected lives of a group of New Orleanians in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, premiered on HBO on April 11, 2010.
3. This week in Louisiana.
   Bradshaw - Brooks Golf Tournament.  Join Louisiana Tech Athletics, Terry Bradshaw and Kix Brooks for the 11th annual Bradshaw-Brooks Golf Tournament at Squire Creek Country Club.
   April 12th, 2015 - April 13th, 2015
   Squire Creek Country Club
   289 Squire Creek Pkwy, Choudrant, LA 71227
   318-768-7000

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98. Inverview with photographer Deborah Burst

98.  We interview Deborah Burst, author of Louisiana's Sacred Places.  Louisiana’s Sacred Places takes you on a personal tour of Louisiana’s most solemn and revered locales. From New Orleans’ most telling portraits of eternal architecture to St. Roch Chapel’s chamber of miracles filled with relics of pain and suffering. Burst’s vivid photography and discerning eye bring the spirits and celestial wonder to life in every frame.

1. This week in Louisiana history. April 6, 1764. First Acadians actually arrived in Louisiana.
2. This week in New Orleans history. On April 4, 1812, the Territory of Orleans, which had been organized in 1804, was admitted to the Union as the 18th State. It was not contiguous to any other state, since Mississippi was not admitted until 1817, Arkansas until 1836, and Texas in 1845.
3. This week in Louisiana.
   April 5, 2015
   Poverty Point, Epps
   Tool Demonstation
   Time:    1:00-4:00pm
   Come and watch the rangers demonstrate the tools used by early inhabitants to build, hunt and create other articles used in their culture.
   Address:    6859 Highway 577
   Pioneer LA, 71266   
   Cost:    $4 per person
   Phone:    888-926-5492
   Web:   http://www.crt.state.la.us/parks/ipvertypt.aspx

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97. Interview with Richard Sexton about Creole World. Part 2.

97. Part 2 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 28, 1973. Lindy Boggs becomes first LA. women elected to US House of Representative. (Her husband Hale Boggs had died in a plane crash in Alaska.
2. This week in New Orleans history. On March 28, 1942, Delta Shipbuilding Co. in New Orleans launched its first Liberty ship, the SS William C.C. Claiborne, named after the first governor of Louisiana. Delta was one of the nine emergency shipyards established in 1941 by the United States Maritime Commission. Delta would launch a total of 187 Liberty ships (out of 2,710 produced overall) during the war.  The average time it took to build one of these massive ships was two months.
   
3. This week in Louisiana.Grambling State University Baseball vs La Tech
   March 31st, 2015
   Wilbert Ellis Field at R.W.E. Jones Park
   Main Street, Ruston, LA 71245
   318-274-4795
   Website  

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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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89. Interview with Ava Leavell Haymon, Louisiana's Poet Laureate, Part1

89.  Part one of our interview with Ava Leavell Haymon, Louisiana's Poet Laureate.  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 will premiere 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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88. Interview with Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

88.  We interview author and activist Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.  Dr. Dunbar-Ortiz has devoted her life to advocating for the rights of women, Native Americans, and indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere.  She joins us to discuss her most recent book, An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States. We focus our discussion on some of the unintended consequences of the Battle of New Orleans for the Native Americans who would have to deal with Andrew Jackson after he became President.

1. This week in Louisiana history. January 24 1936 Doug Kershaw born in Tiel Ridge, Louisiana
2. This week in New Orleans history.  Aaron Neville was born in New Orleans on January 24, 1941.  An R&B and soul singer and musician, he has had four top-20 hits in the United States (including three that went to number one on Billboard's adult contemporary chart and one that went to number one on the R&B chart) along with four platinum-certified albums. He has also recorded with his brothers Art, Charles and Cyril as The Neville Brothers and is the father of singer/keyboards player Ivan Neville.
3. This week in Louisiana. "Praying for a Miracle: The Catholic Church and the Battle of New Orleans"
   Old Ursuline Convent
   1100 Chartres Street New Orleans, LA 70116
   504.529.3040 http://www.stlouiscathedral.org/convent-museum
   Now through May 30, 2015
   10:00 AM - 4:00 PM CST
   Artifacts and documents related to the Battle of New Orleans, in which the Americans led by Andrew Jackson defeated the British in 1815.

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87. Interview with writer Maurice Ruffin, part 2

87.  Part two of our interview with Maurice Ruffin.  Maurice is an attorney in New Orleans who is also gaining prominence for his writing.  You can read one of his short stories here.

1. This week in Louisiana history. January 18 1962 Southern University closed following protests. Under pressure from state authorities, administrators at many publicly supported black colleges used expulsions and shut-downs to stop sit-ins and related activities. Later in the 1960s and 1970s, this became a common way of dealing with student disturbances.
2. This week in New Orleans history.  January 17, 2008.   Musician Delfeayo Marsalis was the keynote speaker for this year's Martin Luther King Holiday Celebration. Marsalis shared his thoughts on the struggles of African American people and the freedoms we enjoy today that were won by that struggle.  The Martin Luther King Celebration began with a joyous dance performed by Kendra Harris and members of African dance and drum collaboratives from around the city.
3. This week in Louisiana. "Photo-Unrealism"
   New Orleans Museum of Art and The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden
   1 Collins Diboll Circle,
   City Park
   New Orleans, LA 70124
   504.658.4100
        January 14-March 15, 2015
   10:00 AM - 6:00 PM CST
       Works from NOMA's permanent collection that highlight the abstract, unreal, and surreal in photography.

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