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The Reading Life with Anne Boyd Rioux

This week on The Reading Life: Susan talks with University of New Orleans English professor Anne Boyd Rioux, author of “Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters," as that venerable novel celebrates its 150th birthday - and Susan also talks with Chris Smith of the Jefferson Parish Library, about a self-publishing seminar on Saturday, August 25th. 

Here’s what’s on tap in the literary life this week:

Julia Reed signs “South Toward Home: Adventures and Misadventures in My Native Land,” Tuesday, August 21, at 6 p.m. at Garden District Book Shop.

The Great Books Discussion group discusses “Travels with Charley,” by John Steinbeck, Tuesday, August 21, at 7 p.m. at the East Bank Regional Library in Metairie.

Three local writers – Paul Heingarten, author of the science fiction novel “Settling Darkness,” Vicki Salloum, author of the novel “Waiting for You at Midnight," and Bruce Snow, author of the Katrina memoir “Can Everybody Swim?” – read from and discuss their work Thursday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m. at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

James Linn, curator at the National World War II Museum, discusses “The Pelican State Goes to War: Louisiana in World War II,” Thursday, Aug. 23, at 7 p.m. at the meeting of the Jefferson Parish Historical Society at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.

Anne Boyd Rioux discusses and signs “Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters,” Friday, August 24, at 6 p.m. at Latter Library.

The Nora Navra Branch of the New Orleans Public Library. 1902 St. Bernard Ave., will have an opening celebration with Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Friday, August 24, from 2-5 p.m. Celebrations continue with activities for all Saturday, August 25, from 11-4. Regular hours will be Monday-Thursday, from 10-8 and Friday-Saturday from 10-5.

The East Bank Regional Library presents A Self-Publishing Seminar for Authors Saturday, August 25 from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at the East Bank Regional Library in Metairie. There will be a webinar to talk about Pressbooks, Self-e, and Biblioboard at 9:30, followed by a talk by Gary Michael Smith on Design at 11. Chere Coen talks about Creating and Self-Publishing an eBook at noon. Then at 1, Kirsten Corby talks about The Decision to Self-Publish, followed by B.J. Bourg at 2 with an Introduction to Bookbub. Chris Smith closes it all out with a talk at 3 on Working with Libraries. If you’ve been thinking of self-publishing your book, here’s a great place to go for guidance.

Poets Carolyn Hembree, Anne Babson and Tiana Nobile read from their work Sunday, August 26 at 4 pm at TREO, 3835 Tulane Ave. to mark Women’s Equality Day and to benefit the New Orleans Abortion Fund.

The Reading Life in 2010, Susan Larson was the book editor for The New Orleans Times-Picayune from 1988-2009. She has served on the boards of the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival and the New Orleans Public Library. She is the founder of the New Orleans chapter of the Women's National Book Association, which presents the annual Diana Pinckley Prizes for Crime Fiction.. In 2007, she received the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities lifetime achievement award for her contributions to the literary community. She is also the author of The Booklover's Guide to New Orleans. If you run into her in a local bookstore or library, she'll be happy to suggest something you should read. She thinks New Orleans is the best literary town in the world, and she reads about a book a day.