Louisiana Book Festival: Programs

Readings and Booktalks

Lawrence J. Cohen and Anthony T. DeBenedet,
      The Art of Roughhousing: Good Old-Fashioned Horseplay, and Why Every Kid Needs It
Ann B. Dobie, Civil Changes: Civil Service in Louisiana
Andre Dubus, III, Townie: A Memoir
Colleen Fitzpatrick, Dead Horse Investigation: Forensic Photo Analysis for Everyone
Ed Poole and Susan Poole,
      Hollywood on the Bayou: Over 1,000 Films Made in or About Louisiana
Shellie Rushing Tomlinson,
      Sue Ellen’s Girl Ain’t Fat, She Just Weighs Heavy: The Belle of All Things Southern
      Dishes on Men, Money, and Not Losing Your Midlife Mind
Seymour Topping and Audrey Topping,
      On the Front Lines of the Cold War: An American Correspondent’s Journal
      from the Chinese Civil War to the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam
      Made possible through a grant from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities

Discussions

Baton Rouge Past and Present
Annabelle M. Armstrong, Historic Neighborhoods of Baton Rouge
Cynthia Campbell, Insiders’ Guide to Baton Rouge
Mark E. Martin, Historic Photos of Baton Rouge

Cruise of the Pintail: A Journal
In 1932 young Fonville Winans (1911–1992) set out on the waterways of south Louisiana searching for adventure and fortune. Robert L. Winans and James R. Turner discuss the journal that recounts, in Fonville’s own words, how the now-renowned photographer and two friends ventured out on untamed Louisiana waters aboard a leaking, rudderless sailboat, the Pintail. With Donna Britt moderating

Developing a Culture of Disaster Preparedness
Russel L. Honoré

An 18-Year Odessy from Death Row to Freedom
Join author Ronald Gauthier and Louisiana Civil Rights Museum Project Director Turry Flucker as they discuss the case of John Thompson who was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1984.

Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735-1835
Tana Coman, Sarah R. Doerries, Elizabeth Ogden and Jim Zietz with the Historic New Orleans Collection explore the era before mass production and ease of transport began to homogenize furniture design across America with this comprehensive catalogue of furniture forms produced in the upper and lower Mississippi River valley.

How to get your Book Published
How does an aspiring author get their book in print and find a publisher? Should an author self publish? Use the eBook format? What are some of the new approaches writers are using to take their books public? Jim Brown, owner of The Lisburn Press which recently published the new biography of Gov. Edwin Edwards, will offer advice and tips for authors who want to get published.

The Intimate Art of Memoir:
Breaking Down the Barriers between Our Readers and Ourselves
What leads outstanding authors, already lauded in other genres, to turn to memoir to tell their own stories? What special challenges did they face in the process? And how do they feel their memoirs differ from their other works? Rosemary Daniell, Andre Dubus, III, Minrose Gwin and Mark Richard discuss the importance of this form in their lives, and its context within their bodies of work.

The Library of Congress and Its Center for the Book Network
John Cole

Render unto Rome: An Investigation of Epic Financial (and Religious) Intrigue
Jason Berry

Sallie Farrell, Second State Librarian of Louisiana--A Tribute
Florence Jumonville looks at the life and work of Sallie Farrell. As Louisiana's second State Librarian (from 1962 to 1975), Farrell was instrumental in strengthening our State Library and building our exemplary system of parish libraries. Her innovation, dedication, and hard work have influenced the lives of generations of Louisiana readers who have never heard her name.
A Writer’s Journey Home
Author Mark Richard (Fishboy, Charity, and The Ice at the Bottom of the World: Stories) discusses his new memoir, House of Prayer No. 2: A Writer’s Journey Home, lauded by the New York Times and Entertainment Weekly, with Cara Blue Adams and Jessica Faust, editors at The Southern Review, where a Pushcart Prize-winning excerpt from the book originally appeared. Richard’s entertaining and compelling memoir discusses growing up in the South and his later travels, which took him to New York, Texas, and beyond. This program is presented in memory of Jeanne Leiby—author, former editor of TSR, and friend of the Louisiana Book Festival—who originally envisioned this discussion and invited our special guest to this year’s festival. We’re pleased to welcome him home.