Where is Richard Ford? Right here, as it turns out

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 to be rebuilt in the Lower Ninth Ward.

The homeowners, Josephine Butler and Gwendolyn Guice, moved back in during the last week of February, in an event clogged with politicos and covered by The New York Times. Mr. Ford addressed the crowd there, and here's a transcript of his statements. I was particularly struck by this:

I want to just say this to Ms. Butler and Ms. Guice. There's a lot of cheap talk we hear every day about whether this community will come back, can come back, should be allowed to come back. But if it's going to come back, that will depend a lot less on politicians' talk, or land developers' greedy plans, or on "the economy" (whatever that means); and instead it will depend on people like you two, who let their feet and their hearts and their determination do their talking, and who know that "community" is not just a word on a sign.