August Louisiana literary events

Events are spotlighted daily on our Facebook page so follow along and don’t miss the many literary events happening throughout Louisiana.

Aug. 1

Carolyn Kolb, a local historian, journalist and educator, will discuss “The History of Hurricanes,” at 7 p.m. at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie. This event is free and is open to the public. There is no registration.

Aug. 2

New York Times Bestselling Author Kimberla Lawson Roby will sign copies of her books at 6 p.m. at Baton Rouge Community College's Magnolia Pavillion Theatre in Baton Rouge.

Historian Justin A. Nystrom celebrates the launch of his new book, “CREOLE ITALIAN: Sicilian Immigrants and the Shaping of New Orleans Food Culture,” at 6 p.m. at Octavia Books of New Orleans.

Aug. 9

Stephen Rea will discuss his new book, “World Cup Fever, A Fan’s Guide to the Stars, Teams, Stories, Controversy, and Excitement of Sports’ Greatest Event,” at 7 p.m. at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie. This event is free and is open to the public. There is no registration.

Aug. 10

Julie M. Thomas read and signs copies of her children’s book, “Poncho’s Rescue” at 4 p.m. at Conundrum Books in St. Francisville. In 2016, a devastating flood displaced tens of thousands of people and animals in and around Louisiana’s capital city. Three times more rainfall fell than during Hurricane Katrina—causing catastrophic damage to nearly 150,000 homes. Yet amid this unprecedented and chaotic event, volunteers banded together to help ensure the safety of countless people and animals. The inspiring true story of Poncho the baby bull’s rescue celebrates the bravery and kindness typical of these volunteers.

Aug. 11

Sisters in Crime meet from 10 a.m. to noon at the Robert E. Smith library on Canal Boulevard in New Orleans. The speaker will be Rainer Wittich, author of “Because They Can.”

Aug. 13

Inman Majors signs copies of “Penelope Lemon: Game On!” (LSU Press) at 6 p.m. at Union Avenue Books in Knoxville. “Don’t plan on getting anything done once you pick up the funniest book of 2018,” writes Charlotte Lit. “Major’s tale of a recently divorced 40-year-old woman struggling to make a life for herself and her 10-year-old son is a hilarious page-turner.”

Aug. 14

Master Gardening Series presented by the Lafayette Parish Master Gardeners will be 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at East Regional Library in Metairie. Today’s talk is “Pruning Shrubs.”

Aug. 16

John Lawson reads from his collections of poetry at 6 p.m. at Conundrum Books in St. Francisville.  

Aug. 17-19

Geek’d Con, an annual fan convention, will return to the Shreveport Convention Center with more than 10,000 attendees browsing vendor booths, meeting celebrity guests, attending panel discussions and more. Read more here.

Aug. 18

Mississippi Book Festival with panels, food, authors, art and much more in Jackson, Miss.

St. Francisville Main Street merchants offer an open house of sorts with Polos and Pearls, which will be from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. through St. Francisville’s historic district. There will be live music, refreshments and more. Conundrum Books will host cookbook author Nancy Tregre Wilson, author of "Mémère’s Country Creole Cookbook Recipes and Memories from Louisiana's German Coast.” Rosie Politz will also read from her book, "Key Moments."

Aug. 21

Linda Vinsanau, president of the Master Gardeners of Greater New Orleans, will present “Backyard Chickens and Eggs” at 7 p.m. at the River Ridge Library, 8825 Jefferson Highway, Jefferson.

Aug. 22

Judy Newman, a retired speech language pathologist, will present a seminar on laughter yoga at 7 p.m. at the Jane O’Brien Chatelain West Bank Regional Library, 2751 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey. Laughter yoga is a practice involving prolonged voluntary laughter. It is based on the belief that voluntary laughter provides the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. Laughter yoga is done in groups, with eye contact, jokes and playfulness between participants. Newman was a speech language pathologist for 32 years, the last 21 in Avondale for the Jefferson Parish Public School System. She retired in 2015. For the last eight years, she has been helping children and adults improve their health with laughter yoga. She has presented for various health and business organizations, including the Louisiana-Mississippi Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, FestiGals, and the National Stuttering Foundation.

Aug. 23

James Linn, curator at the National World War II Museum, will present “The Pelican State Goes to War: Louisiana in World War II,” at 7 p.m. at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon, Metairie. Linn’s presentation occurs as part of the regularly scheduled meeting of the Jefferson Parish Historical Society. Linn joined the National WWII Museum staff in 2014 and serves as a curator. In addition to leading tours at the museum in New Orleans and abroad, and working on the museum's permanent exhibits, Linn recently curated the museum's special exhibit: “The Pelican State Goes to War: Louisiana in World War II.”

Aug. 25

“The Letter You Saved: A Creative Writing Workshop” for teens and adults at all writing levels will be 1-4 p.m. at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in Lafayette. Bring along a letter, email, or text message that will be used to develop a poem or a scene for a play. To register, contact Paige@acadianacenterforthearts.org or call 337.233.7060.

Aug. 30

Heather Grahams’ Writers for New Orleans Conference, through Sept. 2, 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.

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