Southern Science
Backyard Science & Discovery Workbook: South
by Erika Zambello
After the long months of quarantine, plus the cold winter weather, spring is finally here and kids of all ages will be excited to return to some outdoor fun. “Backyard Science & Discovery Workbook: South,” is chock full of experiments, activities and games to enjoy in your local park or even your own backyard. Kids and families will learn about birds, habitats, animals, insects and more that are specific to Louisiana and surrounding Southern states from North Carolina to Oklahoma. Unlock your hidden scientist and inspire learning with this treasure trove of natural adventures. 112 pages, $14.95.
Personal Poetic
Wild Juice: Poems
by Ashley Mace Havird
Shreveport writer and poet Ashley Mace Havird debuts her fourth collection of poems with “Wild Juice,” in which she explores themes that take the reader from various sea coasts to the deep South and into surburbia. Havird challenges with poems that tackle loss on both a personal and global scale. Climate change, aging and life losses are the universal issues her poems address with wry wit and irony. Her poems and stories have appeared in “Shenandoah,” “The Southern Review” and “Virginia Quarterly Review.” 78 pages, $17.95.
Tales from the River
They Called Us River Rats: The Last Batture Settlement of New Orleans
by Macon Fry
Along the banks of the Mississippi River, just alongside of the city of New Orleans, lies the batture. It is at once shore and river, an area between the tides and the levee that is in constant flux with the weather. This is the home of the outsider community that for generations has lived in houses raised on stilts, boats and rafts and has passed along their stories to tight-knit groups of friends and relatives. Author and batture resident Macon Fry has collected stories from the hardy, inventive, ramshackle community in which he lives. This is their story of living on the edge while urbanization and changing climates continue to pull them away from the place they call home. 176 pages, $25.
Past and Present
The House Uptown: A Novel
by Melissa Ginsburg
When 14-year old Ava’s mother dies, she soon finds herself on a train to live with her maternal grandmother, Lane, an eccentric New Orleans artist who is the opposite of everything Ava knows. Lane struggles with her lost relationship with her own daughter as she now must navigate raising her granddaughter, all while letting go of a past that haunts her. Set among the colorful backdrop of New Orleans, the two learn how to live and love together, across generations. 256 pages, $26.99.
