tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38219755388002656972011-04-21T16:05:19.693-06:00Blogging the 21st annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival: Mar. 28-Apr. 1, 2007Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.comBlogger591100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-24233561847173645812007-04-03T10:39:00.000-06:002007-04-03T10:47:55.099-06:00

Columnist Chris Rose, a panelist on this year's "Southern Culture on the Skids?" discussion, writes about the Stanley/Stella Shouting Contest in today's Times-Picayune.

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-14184689066231146872007-04-02T23:19:00.000-06:002007-04-02T23:25:46.405-06:00

Judy Merrill Larsen (whom I didn't get the chance to meet) had a blast in what sounds like her first visit to New Orleans. And thanks for spreading the word that the people in town are friendly, funny, and just plain nice...because they are.And then there's Amy Guth, whom I met briefly. I wish I knew that she was looking for vegetarian food, because I could've steered her around (I'm not

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-64304694673167600202007-04-02T17:21:00.000-06:002007-04-02T18:02:49.993-06:00

...so you end a literary festival with a party (free to the public, of course, with free food and free drink and free readings and free laughs, all those things that still flow like water in New Orleans, even after Katrina) in a building where the Louisiana Purchase was signed in 1803, and you fill it with a few dozen authors who range from a former Bourbon Street stripper to a distinguished

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-61855857802617493472007-04-01T23:03:00.000-06:002007-04-01T23:09:18.041-06:00

I've got other photos of the finalists in the Stanley/Stella Shouting Contest, the event that always closes out the TW Fest (this guy was the Grand Prize Winner, or the Big Stanley, or whatever you call it), but the Times-Picayune actually has a better slideshow, complete with sound.A few more photos and stories tomorrow. Right now I'm beat.

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-26126909089685227292007-04-01T22:20:00.000-06:002007-04-01T22:57:36.456-06:00

"I think people are spending too much time thinking about what they put in their mouths rather than what comes out. Stop eating so much! We’re become a generation of people chewing their cud, eating all the time! No. Eat your breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and be happy."--Mrs. Leah Chase, of Dooky Chase restaurantThis was the local legendary chef Leah Chase with Times-Picayune food editor Judy

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-17913316080120248042007-04-01T21:53:00.000-06:002007-04-01T22:18:43.774-06:00

Bev Marshall, author of Walking with Shadows, autographing her essay in Louisiana in Words. There is really nothing you need to know about Bev except that she's written three terrific novels, one as-yet-unpublished memoir that has gotten a lot of buzz around the South (and is currently being read in New York by several editors), and that she brought 9 pairs of shoes to the Festival.Leonard Earl

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-23574003672559030482007-04-01T21:28:00.000-06:002007-04-01T21:50:29.552-06:00

Got to the Festival this morning in time to hear the "Wild at Heart" panel, with Paula Morris moderating a discussion of women's memoirs with Judy Conner, Louise Shaffer, Emily Toth, and Haven Kimmel. It was pretty lively at times--not exactly antagonistic, bu I had the feeling that a couple of the panelists wouldn't be establishing longtime Sisterhood of the Traveling Typewriters style

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-56956118010060604652007-04-01T20:29:00.000-06:002007-04-01T20:35:32.768-06:00

Cheré Coen of the Lafayette Daily Advertiser wrote today about the launch party for Louisiana in Words, which was held Mar. 18 at the Maple Leaf Bar in New Orleans: Erlene Stewart of Lafayette, one of the many writers of Louisiana in Words, Pelican Publishing's collection of "one-minute" nonfiction entries that complete a day in Louisiana, attended the book release party March 18 at the Maple

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-38595756559015030272007-03-31T22:07:00.000-06:002007-03-31T22:24:53.542-06:00

Braved the millions of prom kids and wedding parties in the Quarter tonight--you couldn't walk down the street without having to dodge a limousine or a girl in a satin gown--to see Mirrors of Chartres Street: Faulkner in New Orleans/New Orleans in Faulkner.An old friend, Rob Florence--historian, playwright, cemetery tour leader, and about 80 other things--had adapted the vignettes that Faulkner

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-31759708264455222792007-03-31T17:20:00.000-06:002007-03-31T17:43:31.178-06:00

This afternoon brought "A Conversation with Yusef Komunyakaa," who read poetry and was interviewed by Dr. Henry Lacey, former vice-president of academic affairs at Dillard University, who has to be the one of the first moderators in the Festival's history to play the trumpet while his subject read poetry. Since Mr. Komunyakaa came up in Bogalusa, La., much of the conversation was spent discussing

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-72575565998285633262007-03-31T12:51:00.000-06:002007-03-31T17:45:16.026-06:00

Panelists Margaret Sartor (Miss American Pie) and Haven Kimmel (A Girl Named Zippy).Just heard a reading by the wonderful Haven Kimmel (A Girl Named Zippy) and walked with her back to the Bourbon Orleans. She's as charming as her books, and in the space of five minutes filled me in on a) the two men who have proposed to her since she arrived in New Orleans; b) the three times she's lived here;

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-4051348870810399142007-03-31T10:19:00.000-06:002007-03-31T12:51:07.071-06:00

Local blogger Ernie the Attorney attended Michael Lewis' panel on Thursday and had more thoughts on what Lewis had to say about Ray Nagin and the state of the city.

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-52772439703628611582007-03-30T22:28:00.000-06:002007-03-30T22:49:30.331-06:00

48 hours of little to no sleep (hello, insomnia) and I finally crashed this afternoon after my last panel. Missed the dinner with John Mariani at the Windsor Court, missed the reception for Calvin Trillin at Brennan's, missed the birthday party for Marva Wright at the Ritz-Carlton...all of which looked fantastic (especially the Trillin reception). Frankly, the amount of panels and parties seems

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-67479837309253863962007-03-30T16:33:00.000-06:002007-03-30T16:55:23.555-06:00

Professor Helen Taylor; Charles Reagan Wilson of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture; writer Michael Swindle; columnist Chris Rose; and moderator Josh Clark.“Some people would probably like to secede from the U.S., but a lot of others would argue that the U.S. has seceded from us," said moderator Joshua Clark at the "Southern Culture on the Skids?" panel, which was one of those TW events

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-24741724117583211652007-03-30T16:05:00.000-06:002007-03-30T17:01:41.545-06:00

Moderator Bev Marshall and authors Mark Powell, Ron Rash, and Sharyn McCrumb.The first thing they established on the Appalachian writers' panel this morning is that the region is properly pronounced apple-latcha, not appa-laytcha. In a town with street names like Tchoupitoulas, people understand the import of getting it right.Sharyn McCrumb read an engaging snippet of her novel St. Dale, and kept

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-90511301338478393342007-03-29T22:53:00.000-06:002007-03-29T23:34:55.057-06:00

Tonight there was a party at the former residence of TW, now owned by Dr. Brobson Lutz. It was one of those French Quarter places that's very modest from the street, and opens up to country-club expanses inside: courtyard after courtyard. Lots of local folks and visitors there, and if I took your picture tonight and it's not here, you should be thanking me instead of cursing me; the gods of

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-20096267371857109632007-03-29T18:55:00.000-06:002007-03-29T19:01:37.518-06:00

Another blogger, Dangermond, attended the Michael Lewis panel this afternoon and recorded Mr. Lewis' thoughts on what's holding the city back post-Katrina. It's well worth a read if you haven't figured it out from the fiendishly clever clue on the left.

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-75143886259830172152007-03-29T17:18:00.000-06:002007-03-29T17:40:34.802-06:00

"What kind of drugs are you on?"That was the first question asked at the Barry Gifford master class this afternoon, which was moderated by New Orleans filmmaker and teacher Mari Kornhauser. The subtitle for the panel was "Translating Life to the Screen," so naturally there was a lot of talk about movies; Gifford was interesting, funny, and articulate, but I would've rather heard about his books (

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-24020322916920070582007-03-29T16:42:00.000-06:002007-03-29T17:51:33.319-06:00

Got a note this a.m. from Mary Beth Lasseter of the Southern Foodways Alliance:John Egerton, a guest at the TW festival in NOLA, has been reading your blog and suggested that I get in touch with you to let you know of a special event planned for Sunday night, April 1, after the festival. Several guests of TWF, including Egerton and Calvin Trillin, will join the Southern Foodways Alliance to

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-65542056594314586532007-03-29T10:19:00.000-06:002007-03-29T10:57:13.557-06:00

So far, so good; the organizers are walking around looking sanguine, whether that's really how they feel or not. This is the scrum at the checkin table. Somewhere in there is executive director Paul Willis, associate director Karissa Kary, v.p. Doug Brantley, LouAnn Morehouse, and program assistant Marika Christian. Marika was a longtime Festival attendee who just up and moved to New Orleans one

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-84650938941617293712007-03-28T20:08:00.000-06:002007-03-29T05:13:56.817-06:00

Currently sitting at Riche in the Harrah's hotel with about six other journalists in town to cover the Fest...folks from Philadelphia, Lexington, Washington D.C., and parts farther afield: Corinna Metcalf from The Washington Times, Joseph Blake (formerly of the Philadelphia Inquirer), the married travel and antiques writers Angela Wibking and Virgil Fox, the former New Orleans travel writer Patti

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-45471075602715575332007-03-28T15:49:00.000-06:002007-03-28T16:10:13.761-06:00

Before spending four days immersed in books, I decided to walk on the wilder side of New Orleans with a visit to the Audubon Zoo. Years ago, the zoo was a local and national disgrace, but today it's one of the best zoos in the nation, with beautiful plantings everywhere. And thanks to the heroic staff, they only lost a few animals during Hurricane Katrina.In fact, you wouldn't even know there'd

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-56990322832731856252007-03-28T08:06:00.000-06:002007-03-28T08:10:09.428-06:00

Tonight's the kickoff party for the TW Festival. The major donors and swellelegant folks will be getting together at the Palm Court Jazz Café for dinner, drinks, and music. I'll be spending the day at the Audubon Zoo and then checking into my hotel. Having dinner with some visiting journalists at Riche, the new Todd English restaurant in Harrah's, and then plan on checking out 528, the jazz club

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-4908366576265572822007-03-27T21:33:00.000-06:002007-03-27T21:41:47.150-06:00

From the Festival organizers:Online ticket sales for the 2007 Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival have ended. To purchase tickets, please visit the Festival box office in the lobby of the Bourbon Orleans Hotel (717 Orleans St. at Bourbon). The box office will be open Thursday-Sunday, 9 am-5 pm. Event availability information will be updated regularly and is available by calling the

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-82592358714520413632007-03-27T12:28:00.000-06:002007-03-27T12:49:38.401-06:00

Chris Rose is a columnist for The Times-Picayune, who underwent a metamorphosis from Britney-chronicler to Outraged Man of the City after the levees collapsed. Since then, he's been shortlisted for the Pulitzer Prize and become a contributor to both PBS' NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and NPR's Morning Edition, and his book of post-K essays, 1 dead in attic, has raised more than $25,000 for New Orleans

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-22398088825349828222007-03-27T00:15:00.000-06:002007-03-27T14:53:49.991-06:00

It's no secret that the French Quarter has two rather well-known recent transplants. Made a couple of movies, I gather. Heard something about them starting a family, too.After lunch today, I walked past their new house, which has its own history; it was once owned by the New Orleans record producer Cosimo Matassa, who used it as a recording studio. Fats Domino recorded "It's Raining" and "Walkin'

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-81207744067703094892007-03-26T18:52:00.000-06:002007-03-26T18:58:28.835-06:00

Fri., Mar. 30, 5:30 pm: "A Fireside Chat with John Mariani" is sold out. Sun. Apr. 1: The winner of the 2006 Festival One-Act Play Competition, Cary Pepper's Small Things, has been moved from noon to 11:00 am.

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-47870336910196035962007-03-26T08:14:00.000-06:002007-03-26T08:29:40.515-06:00

In the earlier profile of Richard Ford, one of the leading lights at this year's Festival, I mentioned that I wasn't sure if Ford and his wife were staying in New Orleans. Thanks to a commenter named Teresa, I discovered that it seems he is, and he's helping with hurricane recovery in a truly hands-on way: as a volunteer "carpenter, painter, and jack of some trades," working on the first houses

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-58728968804472106382007-03-26T08:10:00.000-06:002007-03-26T08:13:59.309-06:00

Tennessee Williams was born March 26, 1911 in Columbus, Mississippi...which would make him 96 this year.

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-69893709076756603152007-03-25T14:00:00.000-06:002007-03-25T14:36:26.521-06:00

If there's one good reason to come to town a few days before the Festival, it's to squeeze in a few more meals and a little more sightseeing. Yesterday I hit Liuzza's, a Mid-City institution that got creamed by Katrina and finally reopened last July. It's classic New Orleans blue-collar Italian fare--shrimp-and-artichoke soup, gumbo, po-boys, red beans, and all the comfort foods that mean so much

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-39929453754877897912007-03-25T09:25:00.000-06:002007-03-25T09:41:37.186-06:00

Susan Larson, books editor of The Times-Picayune, has done her usual excellent job chronicling the dozens of events on the schedule at this week's Festival. (The T-P's mystery critic, Diana Pinckley, will also be interviewing Sharyn McCrumb on Friday afternoon.) And Cheré Coen of The Daily Advertiser in Lafayette, La. has her own preview of the Fest as well.Susan also has a rundown for Friday's

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-44688319884921674742007-03-24T08:12:00.000-06:002007-03-24T09:14:19.248-06:00

A look at some of the personalities at the TW FestRichard Ford is one of America's preeminent modern novelists, but a lot of people don't associate him with New Orleans--or, for that matter, with the South. He was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and lived for years in the French Quarter (his wife, Kristina, was head of the city planning commission for eight years until Mayor Ray Nagin came along).

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-27090855566861924392007-03-23T08:46:00.000-06:002007-03-23T19:18:26.688-06:00

David Cuthbert of The Times-Picayune has an extremely entertaining Tennessee-themed Q&A with filmmaker and panelist John Waters in today's paper. Waters has written the introduction for Memoirs, the TW biography that's just been reissued by New Directions Publishing.There's also a great roundup of stories on the Festival's theater offerings, including Jeremy Lawrence in "Everybody Expects Me to

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-7900216235079197062007-03-22T09:56:00.000-06:002007-03-22T10:54:48.524-06:00

Missed the 2006 TW Fest? Get up to speed with archival CDs from the first post-Katrina Festival. They're $10 apiece, and there are dozens to choose from at the Festival's online CD store.

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-49290458436288201862007-03-22T00:56:00.000-06:002007-03-22T00:14:49.779-06:00

Spring--early spring--is the very best time of the year to come to New Orleans, as people seem hellbent on getting outside before it gets hellishly hot (which it always does before the end of April; 'spring' is more a seasonette than a season here). And the flowers always seem to be at their best during the time of the Festival--the azaleas are going crazy, and I saw rivers of crimson-and-clover

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-24094881962967712652007-03-21T17:13:00.000-06:002007-03-21T17:42:16.573-06:00

Annette Cardona, who played the role of Perla in the 1996 off-Broadway production of one of Williams' last plays, The Red Devil Battery Sign, has been added to the Festival lineup. (And I'd be remiss not to note that Ms. Cardona also originated the role of Cha-Cha DiGregorio, 'the best dancer at St. Bernadette's...with the worst reputation' in the film version of Grease.)She'll be appearing in

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-51458995280871901392007-03-21T09:15:00.000-06:002007-03-21T17:13:28.759-06:00

I arrived in New Orleans last night about midnight. My luggage did not. Fortunately I had my one-quart Ziploc bag with no more than 3 oz. of essential liquids and gels on my person rather than in my suitcase...Will it be found in time for the Festival? Or will I be covering it in a T-shirt and gym shorts?Edited to add: Man and bag are one again. Thanks, American Airlines!

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-84310149385082865882007-03-20T10:40:00.000-06:002007-03-20T09:42:57.068-06:00

Last weekend, National Public Radio's "Weekend Edition" had a feature on Tennessee Williams' Notebooks, which have been collected in a new volume by scholar Margaret Bradham Thornton. Actor Rick Foucheux read them aloud; you can listen to the broadcast here.

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-57014502647589637602007-03-20T09:34:00.000-06:002007-03-20T09:40:27.714-06:00

By the grace and mercy of the U.S. airline system, I'll be pulling into the New Orleans airport tonight at an ungodly hour and flopping at the house of some friends in Metairie. Dinner will be eaten in the concourse of the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, where I'll have my choice of Popeyes or Subway and be dreaming of a muffuletta from Napoleon House.

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-62210043545102195682007-03-19T15:20:00.000-06:002007-03-19T14:36:24.416-06:00

A look at some of the personalities at the TW FestJohn Waters is a director, a writer, and one of the most hilarious people in the world. Even if you didn't grow up watching Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, and his other cinema outrages, you've probably seen Hairspray (either the film or the Broadway musical, which has been turned into a film again). Two years ago, I was lucky enough to interview

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-90110129715526299912007-03-19T14:11:00.000-06:002007-03-19T14:15:19.805-06:00

More panel and panelist changes...New Orleans as a Home for Writers ... StillIn 1987, at the first Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival, a group of writers gathered on a panel to discuss the distinctive elements that make New Orleans congenial to their creative spirits. Is it Mardi Gras, the weather, the Sazeracs, or the jazz? Join original panelists as they share how the Crescent

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-36875998573744716242007-03-18T12:40:00.000-06:002007-03-18T11:46:51.308-06:00

Not an official Festival event, but running concurrently with it: The Marigny Theatre is presenting Tenn Times 3, three one-acts by you-know-who. The program (which opened last Friday) consists of "Fat's Man's Wife," "Adam & Eve on a Ferry," and "And Tell Sad Stories on the Death of Queens." Director Glenn Meche is blogging daily about the production; read all about it.Tenn Times 3: Three

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-42858120475581370122007-03-18T11:51:00.000-06:002007-03-18T12:20:32.487-06:00

The Baton Rouge Advocate has a nice story about the Festival today by its books editor, Greg Langley. Among the things he says:The Tennessee Williams/French Quarter Literary Festival is a great opportunity to go back to New Orleans, help out with the city’s recovery a little and get a whole lot back. It’s a high-profile literary event that spotlights the best of New Orleans. If you live in The

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-37976816605014758532007-03-17T18:31:00.000-06:002007-03-17T18:35:30.360-06:00

All performances of The Last Madam have been cancelled, due to actress Grace Zabriskie being unable to attend. Ticket holders will be contacted directly. Amy Guth has replaced Earnest Hill in the Saturday Writers Read panel A Conversation with Yusef Komunyakaa has been moved to Saturday at 2:30 pm New Orleans as a Home for Writers ... Still has been moved to Saturday at 11:30 am

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-21872790313710623682007-03-17T13:34:00.000-06:002007-03-17T18:26:09.773-06:00

Marika Christian from the Festival writes:I wanted to let you know that Grace Zabriskie had to cancel due to a medical issue ... We are working to either refund tickets for The Last Madam, or offer tickets to different theater performances ...However, at the last minute we were notified that Annette Cardona would like to attend. She played Anthony Quinn's daughter in the documentary that traces

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-32180352961303803172007-03-16T13:50:00.000-06:002007-03-16T12:59:02.953-06:00

A look at some of the personalities at the TW FestSharyn McCrumb is one of America's leading writers about Appalachia, specifically about the lives of people in the Tennessee and North Carolina mountains, in what is known as the "Ballad" series. She's also written nine mystery novels about forensic anthropologist Elizabeth MacPherson, and a couple of science-fiction spoofs--including the

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-76616067705421656692007-03-15T12:55:00.000-06:002007-03-15T13:01:32.880-06:00

Now you can save room in your luggage for books and mail-order souvenirs from the Festival's online store.T-shirts, baseball jerseys, messenger bags, mugs, aprons, clocks, hats, cups, and totes are all available...even dog clothes. (Mint juleps still available onsite only.)

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-82676724030247369882007-03-14T12:25:00.000-06:002007-03-17T18:24:04.667-06:00

Edited to add: Due to illness, Grace Zabriskie will not be attending the Festival.A look at some of the personalities at the TW FestGrace Zabriskie, a New Orleans-born actor, is coming home to perform the role of the infamous French Quarter madam Norma Wallace in Carl Walker and Jim Fitzmorris' The Last Madam, an adaptation of Chris Wiltz' biography of Wallace.Zabriskie is one of those character

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-86677874364677283622007-03-13T13:30:00.000-06:002007-03-13T14:17:07.307-06:00

The winning play in the 2007 One-Act Play Contest is Weird by Brett Ryback of Los Angeles. The University of New Orleans Department of Film, Theater, and Communication Arts presents a staged reading of Weird on Sunday, April 1st at 10:00 am at Muriel’s Cabaret, Le Petit Théâtre, followed by a full production of last year’s winning play, Cary Pepper's Small Things, at 11:00 am. Brett will also

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-70340547910159607682007-03-12T20:34:00.000-06:002007-03-12T19:41:10.392-06:00

A look at some of the personalities at the TW FestOkay, I fell half-in love with Haven Kimmel 20 pages into her astonishing memoir, A Girl Named Zippy, and immediately went out and found her debut, She Got Up Off the Couch. Both were tales of growing up in the Midwest in a weird family, and both would be greatly appealing to anyone who enjoyed Augusten Burroughs' Running With Scissors (the

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-61603709847913320462007-03-11T15:16:00.000-06:002007-03-11T15:22:08.135-06:00

Come finish off the Fest with some free food and drink over Jackson Square after a panel discussion for the release of Louisiana in Words! Many of the 110 authors involved in the much anticipated anthology will be there to sign, read, chat and celebrate, including John Biguenet, Andrei Codrescu, Bev Marshall and many others.Never before has a book sought to capture a state with words like this.

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-52686531573301241162007-03-11T15:09:00.000-06:002007-03-17T18:26:09.774-06:00

A few alterations to the printed schedule (which can be downloaded here in PDF format):There will be no Sunday performance of The Last Madam Amy Guth has replaced Earnest Hill in the Saturday Writers Read panel A Conversation with Yusef Komunyakaa has been moved to Saturday at 2:30 pm New Orleans as a Home for Writers ... Still has been moved to Saturday at 11:30 am

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-12435370615072440352007-03-10T18:25:00.000-06:002007-03-10T18:28:13.301-06:00

A look at some of the personalities at TW FestMichael Lewis went to Newman. I didn't know that, but in New Orleans where you went to high school trumps all; it probably means more, locally, than the fact that he went to Princeton and then the London School of Economics. He hit the big time with Liar's Poker, which was one of the big three 1980s go-go greedfest stories that seemed to sum up the

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-87374001353391885262007-03-09T16:00:00.000-06:002007-03-09T16:04:00.612-06:00

Susan Larson, longtime book editor of The Times-Picayune, has a short article up about this year's Fest. There's sure to be more coverage at nola.com before Mar. 25.

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-22920121547595758382007-03-08T19:18:00.000-06:002007-03-08T21:05:41.080-06:00

A look at some of the personalities at the TW FestYusef Komunyakaa was born in Bogalusa, La. (a couple hours' drive north from New Orleans) and served in the Army during the Vietnam War--two experiences that inform his Pulitzer Prize-winning poetry (he won in 1994 for his collection Neon Vernacular: New and Selected Poems). One of his most famous poems, "Facing It," is a meditation on the Vietnam

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-61298757033497278362007-03-07T10:58:00.000-06:002007-03-08T21:04:40.117-06:00

A look at some of the personalities at the TW FestCalvin Trillin is a staff writer at The New Yorker, with more than 25 books to his credit (the ones I've read have been about family and food - he's a great food writer). His first book, published in 1964, was a look at the integration of the University of Georgia; his latest book, About Alice, is a look back at his late wife, partner, and

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-3967698168238874472007-03-06T21:57:00.000-06:002007-03-06T22:00:42.721-06:00

Patti Nickell, another New Orleans expatriate, has a nice story in the Lexington Herald-Leader about this year's TW Fest. She's scheduled to be there too.

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-45814240728149518552007-03-06T19:31:00.000-06:002007-03-17T18:26:09.775-06:00

The official Fest schedule came out today - you can download a copy here.And it looks great! Besides the panel discussions, there's a lot of theater this year, as well as food events, parties, etc.I'm still going through it, but a few quick first impressions...THU. MAR. 29 - Master classes with Barry Gifford and Michael Lewis. Gifford has written more than any three authors you could name - plus

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3821975538800265697.post-32648445495161676192007-02-24T16:19:00.001-06:002007-03-06T20:24:14.781-06:00

I'm going to New Orleans at the end of March for the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival, and I've decided to liveblog the event for those who want to be there but can't attend.The Festival is always a blast--besides the panels, interviews, booksignings, and such, it wouldn't be New Orleans without lots of parties (both planned and impromptu), food, and liquor (they sell mint juleps

Kevin Allmannoreply@blogger.com0