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The Reading Life: Judge Freddie Pitcher, Jr., Richard McCarthy

Susan Larson talks with Judge Freddie Pitcher, Jr., about his new book, Breaking Barriers: A Vision from the Bench, and Richard McCarthy, co-author of Kuni: A Japanese Vision and Practice for Urban-Rural Reconnection.

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

There will be a discussion of Inclusivity in Entertainment; Uplifiting Black Voices featuring five participating authors: Caseen Gaines, author of “When Broadway Was Black,” Carell Augustus, author of “Black Hollywood,” Ali Kamanda and Jorge Redmond, author of “Black Boy, Black Boy,” and Eriq LaSalle, author of “Laws of Depravity,” Friday, January 27, at 6 p.m. at Octavia Books.

There will be a Mardi Gras Market Saturday, January 28, from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at Garden District Book Shop. Michelle Dumont signs “Phoebe Cakes the Bulldog: A Mardi Gras Tail” at 10 a.m. and appears with the title character. Matt Haines signs “The Little Book of King Cake” and “The Big Book of King Cake” at 10:45 a.m., and Madison Webb signs her “Mardi Gras i n New Orleans Coloring Book” at 11:30 a.m. And Yoni Goldstein, co-author of “I Wanna Do That! The Magic of Mardi Gras Marhing Krewes,”  will be at The Rink beginning at 12:30 PM with a marching krewe for guests to meet.

The BLK Book Festival takes place Saturday, January 28, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at City Park’s Pavilion of the Two Sisters. Featured guests include Mona Lisa Saloy, Farrah Rochon, and Alex Jennings; the event celebrates the work of more than 50 authors. Free, but pre-register at Eventbrite. Baldwin and Company will host Martinis & Manuscripts honoring festival authors Friday, January 27, from 6-9 p.m., at Baldwin & Co., 1030 Elysian Fields.

Emily Tamkin appears in conversation with Ilana Horowitz of Tulane University and signs “Bad Jews: A History of American Jewish Politics and Identities,” Sunday, January 29, at 4:30 p.m. at Blue Cypress Books.

Jumata Emill signs his thriller, “The Black Queen,” Tuesday, January 31, at 6 p.m. at Baldwin & Co. Books.

Rosalind Wiseman co-author with Shanterra McBride of “Courageous Discomfort: How to Have Brave, Life Changing Conversations about Race and Racism,” discusses and signs her book, Wednesday, February 1, at 6 p.m. at Baldwin & Co. Books. 

Students in the Willow School’s Creative Writing Certificate of Artistry program read from their work Wednesday, February 1, at 6 p.m. at Blue Cypress Books.

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.