Ceremony
Louisiana Writer Award Ceremony
Honoring James Wilcox
with Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne
Rebecca Hamilton, Presiding
Readings and Book Talks
Robert Olen Butler, A Small Hotel
Kenneth Holditch, Tennessee Williams and the South
Skip Horack, The Eden Hunter
David Madden, Abducted by Circumstance
James Nolan, A Romp through the Ruins: The Comic Noir Novel Higher Ground
Melinda Palacio, Ocotillo Dreams
Luis Urrea, Into the Beautiful North
M. O. Walsh, The Prospect of Magic: Stories
Sally Wolff, Ledgers of History:
William Faulkner, an Almost Forgotten Friendship, and an Antebellum Plantation Diary
Made possible through a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
Angus Woodward, Americanisation: Lessons in American Culture and Language
Reggie Scott Young, One Book, One Festival: Of Love and Dust
Discussions
Andre Dubus II: Honoring the Writer, Remembering the Man
Andre Dubus II, a Louisiana born-and-bred writer of prose, both fiction and nonfiction, is remembered in particular for his way with a short story. He is also known for his strong Catholic faith and a difficult life marked by an accident that, in time, left him wheelchair bound. In this panel his sister, Kathryn Dubus, and son, acclaimed writer Andre Dubus III, talk about the man beyond the biography as well as the essays and fiction that continue to draw admiration twelve years after his death. Katheryn Krotzer Laborde, writer and Managing Editor of Xavier Review Press, moderates.Best of LSU Fiction: The Literary Heritage of LSU
Moira Crone and James Wilcox
with MaryKatherine Callaway and Judy Kahn moderatingBest of LSU Fiction: The Heritage Continues
James G. Bennett, John Ed Bradley, Laurie Lynn Drummond and Olympia Vernon
With Nolde Alexius moderatingBetween Song and Story: A Conversation about New Forms of the Essay
Novelist John Biguenet and poet and essayist Sheryl St. Germain discuss strategies drawn from poetry and fiction that contemporary essayists use to structure and deepen their writing, using examples from the just-published essay anthology, Between Song and Story: Essays for the Twenty-First Century.Blindness and Insight: Women's Struggles
Pamela Binnings Ewen, Dancing on Glass
Minrose Gwin, The Queen of Palmyra
with Christina Vella moderatingCountry Roads: Regional Writing Winners
Join executive editor James Fox-Smith, and guest judge of the contest, Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne, as they introduce the winners of Country Roads’ tenth annual short story contest: Ava Barrett, Robert Clanton, Sam Irwin and Margaret Schlaudecker.Debut Novels
David Armand, The Pugilist’s Wife
George Bishop, Letter to My Daughter
Brandon Hebert, My Own Worst Enemy
Katie Wainwright, Cuba on My Mind
Mark Yakich, A Meaning for WifeDon’t Quit Your Day Job: Acclaimed Authors and the Day Jobs They Quit
Sonny Brewer, Tim Gautreaux and Barb Johnson
Made possible in part through a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the HumanitiesFiction after the Deluge: Two Post Katrina Novels
Laura Ellen Scott, Death Wishing
Rosalyn Story, Wading Home: A Novel of New OrleansHistorical Fiction and Fictional History
Stephen Estopinal, El Tigre de Nueva Orleans
D. K. Midkiff, New Orleans BesiegedJim Wilcox
In discussion with Roy Blount JrMining Cajun Country for Comedy
Lou Dischler, My Only Sunshine
Ken Wheaton, The First Annual Grand Prairie Rabbit FestivalThe New Currencies: Poetry and Storytelling:
Or, What Comes after the Decline of the Dollar
Andrei Codrescu discusses his new books, Whatever Gets You Through the Night: A Story of the Arabian Entertainments and The Poetry Lesson.Non-Traditionally Published Louisiana Authors
Christee Gabour Atwood, In Celebration of Elastic Waistbands: Episodes of Imperfection, Insanity, and Occasional Enlightenment
Nancy Duplechain, Dark Bayou
Rodney Hennigan, My Father’s Gift: A Louisiana Outdoor Legacy
LaTonya Jones, Southern Discomfort: A Novel
Randy Walsh, 12 Days in October: A Time Traveling Experience
With Ronald Gauthier moderatingThe Pen Is Mightier than the Sword: Addressing Social Issues in Fiction
Christa Allan, Edge of Grace
Greg Herren, Sleeping AngelSecrets of the Zona Rosa
"What is Zona Rosa? And what does it mean? These are the questions people ask me more than any others," begins Rosemary Daniell's book, Secrets of the Zona Rosa. And how did a little writing group in Savannah, Georgia, lead to Zona Rosa workshops throughout the U.S. and in Europe? In this presentation, founder, leader and award-winning author Rosemary Daniell, whom Pat Conroy called "one of the great writing teachers I have seen at work in the country," shares the methods that have helped more than 80 Zona Rosans become published authors.Speaking of Books
WWNO’s Susan Larson (The Reading Life) and Fred Kasten (The Sound of Books) and WRBH Reading Radio for the Blind and Print Handicapped hosts Sherry Lee Alexander and Ted O’Brien (Writers Forum) discuss their radio broadcasts and webcasts devoted to books, writers, and readers.Screening
Walker Percy: A Documentary Film
Rhoda Faust, Mary McCay and Win Riley
In a rare television interview in 1980, Walker Percy said his concerns as writer were with “a theory of man, man as more than organism, more than consumer––man the wayfarer, man the pilgrim, man in transit, on a journey.” This program looks at Percy’s own journey, and is framed as a narrative about his life and ideas.