Susan Larson talks with Irvin Weathersby, Jr., about his fascinating new book, “In Open Contempt: Confronting White Supremacy in Art and Public Space.”
Here’s what’s on tap in the literary life this week:
Tamron Hall signs “Harlem Honey: The Adventures of a Curious Kid,” Sunday, March 30 from 11 a.m. – noon at Garden District Book Shop.
Novelist Brenda Jackson signs “Spilling the Tea,” Tuesday, April 1, at 6 p.m. at Baldwin & Co.
James Beard Award-winners Nina Compton and Osayi Endolyn discuss and sign their new cookbook, “Kweyol/Creole: Recipes, Stories and Tings from a St. Lucian Chef’s Journey,” Wednesday, April 2, at 6 p.m. at Octavia Books.
Three literary festivals are winding down this weekend.
The 4th New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University ends Saturday March 29. Check out bookfest.tulane.edu for complete listings. The big event Saturday, March 30, is Family Day, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. with book giveaways sponsored by Scholastic and local authors on hand. Our picks: Bob Woodward discusses his book, “War” at 11:30 at McAlister Auditorium; Maureen Dowd discusses “Notorious: Portraits of Stars from Hollywood, Culture, Fashion and Tech,” with Ken Auletta, Saturday at noon, in the Kendall Cram Room in the Lavin-Bernick Center; and “From Bestsellers to Blockbusters: A Conversation with John Grisham + Michael Lewis, moderated by: Michael Lynton, Saturday at 2:30 in McAlister Auditorium.
The 39th Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival runs through Sunday, March 30. Check out tennesseewilliams.net for the complete schedule. Our picks: If you’re a lover of crime fiction, check out Saturday’s Diana Pinckley Prize programming, which celebrates 10 years of the award, a New Orleans-based endeavor. Our picks for the weekend: Friday, March 28, 4 – 5:15 PM—Empty Shelves: A History, Discussion, and Reading of Banned Books, with Maureen Corrigan, NPR’s Fresh Air book critic and Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Literary Criticism at Georgetown, Michael Cunningham, Margot Douaihy, and Jewelle Gomez. Included in the conversation will be readings from the panelists’ favorite banned books. Saturday, March 29, 11:30 – 12:45 PM—Here Come the Girls: What Crime Fiction Tells Us About the Lives of Girls and Women, with Maureen Corrigan, the distinguished book critic for Fresh Air, Megan Abbott, Alafair Burke, Gillian Flynn, and Laura Lippman, all previous winners of the Diana Pinckley Prize for Crime Fiction. Sunday, March 30, 10 – 11:15 AM—A Thousand Words Worth—The Relationship Between Photography and Writing, with writers Andy Young, Carolyn Hembree and Constance Adler and photographers Josephine Sacabo and Jennifer Shaw moderated by George Bishop, Jr.
The 22nd Saints and Sinners LGBTQ Literary Festival ends Sunday, March 30. Check out sasfest.org for complete schedule. Closing ceremonies Sunday include a tribute reading to the beloved author Dorothy Allison. Saturday, 10—11:15 AM—Practice Makes Perfect: How Writers Nurture Their Writing Habit, with Jonathan Alexander, Michael Cunningham, Jewelle Gomez, Joan Larkin, and Donna Minkowitz, Moderator: Elisabeth Nonas. And Saturday, March 29, 4—5:15 PM—To Be Young, Gifted, Queer and Black, with Christian Lee, Penda Smith, Malik Thompson, and Ashley Young, and moderator Karisma Price. Sunday, March 3o 2:30 – 3:45 PM—Two or Three Things I Know for Sure –a Tribute Reading for Dorothy Allison, with host Jewelle Gomez, with additional readings by Patricia Brady, Greg Herren, Thomas Keith, Susan Larson, and Elisabeth Nonas.
