BOOKS
Poetry l In her poetry collection, The Dirty Side of the Storm, Martha Serpas lets her words glide over the waters of the south Louisiana coast. Serpas’ poetry inhabits the mysteries of nature and spirituality, all with the backdrop of the bayou country water and land, before and after the storm.
Fiction l “What happens in New Orleans stays in New Orleans,” is a common phrase for tourists and decadent locals alike. However, with New Orleans Noir, a collection of dark fiction edited by Julie Smith, what happens in New Orleans can happen from the safety of your favorite reading chair. Works by Ted O’Brien, Patty Friedmann, James Nolan, Jeri Cain Rossi, Christine Wiltz and others delve into the often salacious and definitely gritty pockets of our city, from the French Quarter to completely gutted homes.
Fiction l South Louisiana native DeLauné Michel found some time between being an award-winning short story author and founding producer of Spoken Interludes, a salon-style reading series for writers of all backgrounds, to publish her first novel. Aftermath of Dreaming is set within modern Los Angeles and New York and follows jewelry designer Yvette Broussard as she attempts to forget a looming lost love and focus on a new man, a successful career and familial chaos.
Non-fiction l Seven award-winning journalists teamed up with The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit and nonpartisan investigative reporting organization, and the Louisiana State University Press to release City Adrift: New Orleans Before and After Katrina. This investigative work delves into the heart of the disaster to expose emergency un-preparedness from environmental, structural, political and social perspectives. Through interviews with first responders, politicians, evacuees and numerous other New Orleanians, these professional journalists, including Pulitzer Prize-winner John McQuaid, investigate what went wrong and how to ensure it never happens again. City Adrift also includes some of the most vividly disturbing photographs from the storm.
Science and Nature l Fishing enthusiasts, grab your gear. With the help of illustrations from Duane Raver, authors Jerald Horst and Mike Lane present the colorful and easy to navigate Angler’s Guide to Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. A few fishing trips with this book and you’ll be able to identify the color of a Common Snook, the tastiness of a Rainbow Running and the origins of a Whitebone Porgy.
Please send submissions for consideration, attention Morgan Packard, to 110 Veterans Blvd., Ste. 123, Metairie, LA 70005.
