Juleps in June to honor Calhoun, McCormick

One Book One New Orleans (OBONO) will host Juleps in June from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, June 28, at the home of Honorary Chair Leah N. Engelhardt.

"This year, One Book One New Orleans is taking a deeper look at how the arts can contribute to social justice," wrote OBONO Executive Director Dr. Megan Holt in a press release.  "Our Juleps in June honorees, photographers and activists Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick, embody this mission."

Both born in the Ninth Ward, Calhoun and McCormick have documented the soul of New Orleans and a vanishing Louisiana: the last of the sugar cane workers, the dockworkers, the sweet potato harvesters, and the displacement of African Americans after Katrina. They photograph the traditions of black church services and religious rituals; community rites and celebrations such as parades and jazz funerals; and the cruel conditions of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

Calhoun and McCormick will be signing their new book, “Louisiana Medley,” at Juleps in June, an event aimed at raising awareness and resources for members of the community who lack access to books. Ticket sales benefit OBONO's literacy outreach efforts and its annual festival, Words and Music.

Guests will enjoy desserts from the Cupcake Collection, empanadas from Empanola, a Jazz Trio from the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and more. Guests will be automatically entered for door prizes, and there will also be a prize for the best hat. Of course, the mint juleps will be flowing.

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.