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The Reading Life with Peter Cooley and Valentine Pierce

This week on The Reading Life: Start your summer off with some poetry, featuring former state poet laureate Peter Cooley, author of “World Without Finishing," and poet Valentine Pierce, author of “Up Decatur.”

Audio Extra:

V_Pierce_Outtake1_01.mp3
Valentine Pierce talks her photography

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

  • Susan Eaddy signs her baby book, “Poppy’s Best Babies, “Sunday, June 3 at 2 p.m. at Octavia Books.
  • The Graphic Novel Book Club discusses “Paper Girls, v. 4,”  by Brian K. Vaughan and “Sandman, v. 1,”  by Neil Gaiman, Monday, June 4, at 6 p.m. at Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop.
  • Claire LeGrand discusses and signs “Furyborn,” the first book in her Imperium trilogy, Wednesday, June 6, at 5 p.m. at Octavia Books.
  • Richard Rowley discusses and signs “Keys and Keynotes,” Thursday, June 7, at 7 p.m. at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie.
  • Romney Petite and Laurel Holden discuss and sign “The Girl Who Spoke with Spiders,” Friday, June 8, at 6 p.m. at Garden District Book Shop.
  • The Science Fiction Book Club discusses “Fat White Vampire Blues,’ by Andrew Fox, Saturday, June 9, at 10:30 a.m. at Octavia Books.
  • Patsy Burdine appears with her dog Moe to discuss and sign her children’s books “Miracle of Moe” and “Stella & Moe’s Big Adventure,” Sunday, June 10, at 2 p.m. at Garden District Book Shop.
  • “Poet is a Verb: How Poets Drive Change” is an open workshop for teen writers, conducted by Valentine Pierce, Saturdays at 2 p.m. at Alvar Library.
  • Summer reading programs are getting underway at area libraries, and they have something to offer children, teens and adults. Check out your local branch for the latest.

Coming up later this month:

The American Library Association meets here in New Orleans June 21-26. For information, check out ala.org. Featured speakers include former First Lady Michelle Obama at the opening ceremony, actress Viola Davis at the closing ceremony, poet laureate Tracy K. Smith and poet Jose Antonio Vargas, biographer Jonathan Eig, journalist Robert Fieseler, actress Sally Field, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, and Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden with National Archivist Richard Ferreiro.

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.