Tuesday, June 26, 2018

New Orleans Up Stairs Lounge fire revisited June 27

“Reclaiming the Fire,” a free event on Wednesday, June 27, will commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire, which claimed 32 lives on June 24, 1973, in a second-floor gay bar at 141 Chartres St. in the French Quarter. The Historic New Orleans Collection and the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana present this panel of historians and witnesses discussing how the event shaped the LGBT+ community locally and nationally.

Participants include:
  • Royd Anderson, director of the documentary “The UpStairs Lounge Fire” (2013);
  • Clayton Delery, award-winning author of “The Up Stairs Lounge Arson: Thirty-Two Deaths in a New Orleans Gay Bar, June 24, 1973” (McFarland, 2014);
  • Clancy DuBos, the journalist whose story “Blood, Moans: Charity Scene” ran on the front page of the Times-Picayune the morning after the fire;
  • Robert W. Fieseler, author of “Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation” ( Liveright, 2018);
  • and Frank Perez, president of the LGBT+ Archives Project and co-author of the forthcoming book “Southern Decadence in New Orleans” (LSU Press).
The event will also feature a reading and book signing for Fieseler’s book, which retails for $26.95 and will be available for sale at the event through The Shop at The Collection.

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Fieseler will also sign “Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation,” published by Liveright Publishing Corp., at 6 p.m. Friday, June 29, at Octavia Books of New Orleans.

Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "Emilie," book one of The Cajun Series, "Ticket to Paradise," book one of The Cajun Embassy series and "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Louisiana's Addie Broussard pens adorable children's book about a unique Portugal bug, offers giveaway

Louisiana author Addie Broussard was visiting Portugal when she discovered a fascinating little insect furiously digging in the sand. It resembled a bee but dug like a dog. Watching the insect, she came up with a fun children’s book idea.

The book follows Cora and schoolmate Manny traveling to the Praia do Carvalho beach in Portugal where after creating a sandcastle that resembles their cat, they discover an insect they dub the “Beedog.” Once they return home, they search online and find out the insect’s origins. The two share their findings in school the next day.

“Beedog,” with charming illustrations by Joyeeta Neogi, explain how children can spot insects, research them on the internet using identification techniques and offers more information on the sand wasp, as well as other wasps, in the back of the book. There are also two printable resources included in the book and a link to a video of a live sand wasp doing his thing and yes, he does dig like a dog.
 
This entertaining and educational book for children ages 4-8 has received great reviews and been a hot seller on Amazon. It’s also a handy complement to STEM education and home-school projects.

And...Addie is giving away a signed copy of the book, a bug kit and a Frisbee. Enter the contest here.

About the author
Addie Broussard is an avid traveler, and once went on a solo journey to 15 countries in one year. When she encounters something unique, she writes about it. Addie began her writing journey when she was just nine years old, with a book called "Doggienauts." That book has been updated and is set for publication in 2018. Addie is currently a full-time traveler and she considers home where her suitcase is.

About the illustrator, Joyeeta Neogi
Joyeeta Neogi is a children’s book illustrator who has worked with international authors and publishers. Her engagement with worldwide clients and multicultural themes has allowed her to create captivating original animal and child characters. Her art captures the expressions, movements and vibrancy of life within simple compositions to bring the author’s story to life. In her free time, Joyeeta is busy with painting and music. She loves to paint in oil and acrylic and has also developed a passion for watercolor.

For more information on Broussard and her books, visit http://twoumbrellasplease.com/.

Thursday, June 21, 2018

Fourth Annual JPL Mystery Readers / Writers Literary Festival

Four professionals – a physician, nurse, police officer and author – will make presentations at the fourth annual JPL Mystery Readers / Writers Literary Festival at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, June 23, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie. The purpose of the seminar is to connect readers and writers of crime fiction with medical and crime prevention professionals who can add veracity and provide basic information about real-life crime scenarios. The festival is intended not just for mystery writers but for readers as well. This event is free and open to the public. There is no registration.

9:30-10:45 a.m. – Physician William Hill, Suicide and PTSD
William Hill, PsyD, works for Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care where he is a Suicide Prevention Manager. The office works closely with mental health and primary care providers to coordinate care for veterans deemed high risk for suicide. This includes managing the high-risk list to ensure that veterans are being seen within the high-risk protocol guidelines, and consulting with providers on complex cases where suicide risk is a concern. 

11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. – Nurse Anne Troy, Forensic Nursing
Anne Troy, FNP-BC, is a licensed Family Nurse Practitioner at the Audrey Hepburn Care Center and an expert in the field of Child Abuse Pediatrics. She is a graduate of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. She has served as an Assistant Professor for the LSU School of Nursing since 1993. Troy has been a trained Darkness to Light facilitator since 2010. She has extensive professional education in the field of child abuse. 

12:30 to 1:45 p.m. – Officer Michael Verrett, Homicide Investigation and Police Sketching
Michael Verrett retired with 25 years with the Baton Rouge Police Department where he spent 16 years as a homicide detective and a police sketch artist. He is one of the most decorated detectives in the history of the department with more than 90 percent clearance rate having investigated more than 200 homicides and many more attempted murders. He is a graduate of the FBI Facial Forensic Course, and he has assisted federal, state, and local agencies by providing more than a hundred sketches.

2 p.m. – Author Constance Adler, Guided Meditation and the Creative Process
Constance Adler is the author of the memoir "My Bayou, New Orleans Through the Eyes of a Lover."  Her stories have appeared in numerous publications that include Oxford American, Utne Reader, Spy Magazine, Bayou, and Blackbird. Her profile of Mardi Gras float designer Henri Schindler in Gambit Weekly was honored by the Louisiana Press Association with a first place award in feature writing.  She lives near Bayou Saint John in New Orleans.


For more information regarding this presentation, contact Chris Smith, Manager of Adult Programming for the library, at 504-889-8143 or wcsmith@jefferson.lib.la.us.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Tuesday Ebook Spotlight: 'Splinters from a Storm'

Jamie Huval of Arnaudville offers his fiction debut with “Splinters From A Storm,” a tale of one woman, a scandalous romance, and a gruesome murder that all come together during the deadliest storm in American history. The paperback sells for $14.99 but ebook downloads are only $4.99.

Here’s the book description:
Mrs. Devereaux holds the answer to a 64-year-old secret. It’s a secret all of the citizens of Galveston desperately wish to know. Did Ida Devereaux kill her husband on the eve of the deadliest storm in history? Or was it her neighbor’s husband? Or the man she was having an affair with? When a television interview goes awry, a young woman knocks on Mrs. Devereaux’s door the following morning, wanting to know if she had indeed murdered her lover in cold blood that dreadful night. With no choice but to open Pandora’s box, Mrs. Devereaux is forced to divulge family secrets and relive the horrors of her past.

“Splinters from a Storm” is a gripping tale of lust and indulgence, murder and betrayal, and unconditional love and true forgiveness. It will pull at the very heart of its readers and make them wonder, are things really black and white, or do we live in a world of gray? How can one secret affect the lives of so many? Can good people do bad things, and if so, can they be redeemed?


Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "Emilie," book one of The Cajun Series, "Ticket to Paradise," book one of The Cajun Embassy series and "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.

Sunday, June 17, 2018

Summer book releases

Teresa Toulouse and Barbara C. Ewell look for elusive intersections between particular spaces, stories and cultural performances in the Crescent City in “Sweet Spots: In-Between Spaces in New Orleans,” published by the University of Mississippi Press. The book contains a dozen essays from a range of disciplines contributed by Carrie Bernhard, Scott Bernhard, Marilyn R. Brown, Richard Campanella, John P. Clark, Joel Dinerstein, Pableaux Johnson, John P. Klingman, Angel Adams Parham, Bruce Boyd Raeburn, Ruth Salvaggio, Christopher Schaberg and Beth Willinger. Toulouse is professor of English at University of Colorado, Boulder, and she previously served as professor of English and director of the American studies program at Tulane University in New Orleans. She and Ewell will discuss and sign their book at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 17, at Garden District Book Shop of New Orleans.


Caleb Johnson of Alabama discusses his new book “Treeborne” with Katy Simpson Smith while serving up a Treeborne-inspired menu by Nate Barfield from Turkey and the Wolf beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 19, at Turkey and the Wolf, 739 Jackson Ave. in New Orleans. Daniel Wallace, bestselling author of “Extraordinary Adventures” and “Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions” said this about “Treeborne,” published by Picador: "I can’t remember the last time I read a book I wish so much I’d written. ‘Treeborne’ is beautiful, and mythic in ways I would never have been able to imagine...I can’t say enough about this book.” Johnson’s novel has been named one of Southern Living's “Best New Books Coming Out Summer 2018.”

Alex Cohen, a 26-year-old Jewish Bostonian, is living in southern China where his father runs their family-owned shoe factory in Spencer Wise’s novel, “The Emperor of Shoes,” published by Hanover Square Press. Alex reluctantly assumes the helm of the company, but as he explores the plant he realizes his employees are exploited, regulatory systems are corrupt and his father is engaging in bribes. When Alex meets a seamstress named Ivy, his sympathies begin to shift. Wise will be in conversation with Kent Wascom discussing “The Emperor of Shoes” at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 20, at Garden District Book Shop of New Orleans. Spencer will sign books after the discussion.

In the aftermath of a flood that washes away much of a small Tennessee town, evangelical preacher Asher Sharp offers shelter to two gay men in “Southernmost” by Silas House, published by Algonquin Books. In doing so, Sharp starts to see his life anew—and risks losing everything: his wife, locked into her religious prejudices; his congregation, which shuns Asher after he delivers a passionate sermon in defense of tolerance; and his young son, Justin, caught in the middle of what turns into a bitter custody battle. Publishers Weekly called “Southernmost” “[A] suspenseful narrative about a father and son navigating personal and spiritual upheaval . . . [that] will leave readers floored. House’s fine moral drama pleasingly mixes spiritual reflection and a story of personal healing.”
House is the author of five novels, including “A Parchment of Leaves.” He is a frequent contributor to the New York Times and a former commentator for NPR's All Things Considered. House is the winner of the E. B. White Award, the Nautilus Award and other honors. He will discuss and sign copies of the book at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 21, at Garden District Book Shop of New Orleans. 

On a humid summer day, Chateau de Sully, a Boeing 707 chartered to bring home more than 100 of Atlanta’s most prominent citizens, crashes in Paris shortly after takeoff in Hannah Pittard’s new novel, “Visible Empire” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). It is the second-deadliest disaster in the history of aviation and overnight the city of Atlanta changes as those left behind are faced with renegotiating their lives. The Los Angeles Times said this about the book: "Captivating...[Pittard] brings her kaleidoscopic perspective to a catastrophe on an epic scale...With her keen eye for social markers and a deft weave of intersecting storylines, Pittard exposes social fissures and tensions over race and class, and how power and privilege play out in the shadows of grief.”

Pittard is the author of four novels, including “Listen to Me,” a New York Times Editors' Choice. She is winner of the 2006 Amanda Davis Highwire Fiction Award, a MacDowell Colony Fellow, a consulting editor for Narrative Magazine, and an associate professor of English at the University of Kentucky, where she directs the MFA program in creative writing. She will discuss and sign copies of “Visible Empire” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 26, at Garden District Book Shop of New Orleans.

Matthew Griffin and Nick White will be in conversation with Katherine Fausset discussing their books, “Hide,” and “Sweet and Low,” respectively at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 27, at Garden District Book Shop. “Hide” concerns falling in love in the aftermath of World War II, when a gay taxidermist and a veteran are forced to cut all ties with their discriminating North Carolina textile town and share a life of quiet self-sufficiency for decades until one of them falls terminally ill, forcing the other to reckon with the consequences of their isolation.

Melissa Daggett looks at the American Spiritualism Movement in New Orleans with a new book published by the University Press of Mississippi. In “Spiritualism in Nineteenth-Century New Orleans,” she delves into the many neighborhoods of the city that were fertile ground for the movement’s development — the Creole Faubourgs of Treme and Marigny, among others. Daggett will discuss and sign the book at 6 p.m. Thurtsday, June 28, at Octavia Books of New Orleans.

Robert Fieseler will sign “Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation,” published by Liveright Publishing Corp., at 6 p.m. Friday, June 29, at Octavia Books. Kirkus Reviews said this of the book: “Fieseler's work is an essential piece of historical restitution that takes us from 1973 to 2003, when homosexuality was finally decriminalized in Louisiana. Powerfully written and consistently engaging, the book will hopefully shed more light on the gay community's incredible and tragic journey to equality. A momentous work of sociological and civil rights history.”

O’Neil de Noux of New Orleans is a writing machine. He’s working on his seventh novel at press time but here’s one to grab now. “Dame Money” takes readers back to 1951 New Orleans where private eye Lucien Cave gets four cases at once. There’s a serial burglar hitting French Quarter hotels, two murder cases and criminal vandalizing a nearby neighborhood. Of course, there’s plenty of threats, gunplay, police corruption, sex and violence – New Orleans style. 

Lana Laws Downing has just published Jon Teel, a story of an abused biracial mystery child and a wealthy widow who happen to intersect in a small town in South Louisiana. Downing is the author of “Heaven and High Water: Fictional stories based on the early life of Alfreda Felterman Laws, 18 stories of fiction and fact woven together to recreate life as her mother remembered it in a remote logging camp on the shores of Lake Verett in the Louisiana cypress swamp in the 1920s. She will be signing books from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 19, at Shadowlawn in Franklin, the house that was used as the model for her book cover.

In other news

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden announced that E. Annie Proulx, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Shipping News” and the short story “Brokeback Mountain,” will receive the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction during the 2018 Library of Congress National Book Festival on Sept. 1. Hayden selected Proulx as this year’s winner based on the recommendation of a jury of previous winners, distinguished authors and prominent literary critics from around the world. The prize ceremony will take place during the National Book Festival at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.



Louisiana Book News is written by award-winning author Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances and mysteries under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Her first book in each series is FREE to download as an ebook, including "Emilie," book one of The Cajun Series, "Ticket to Paradise," book one of The Cajun Embassy series and "A Ghost of a Chance," the first Viola Valentine mystery.