What Makes a New Orleans Literary Event?
Steve Beisner -- August 27, 2009
"We do things a little different, here," a woman said to me as we crowded into the Latter Library. That pretty much sums up a lot of life in New Orleans, and certainly the One Book One New Orleans party provided evidence of that. I've heard deeper thinkers than myself talk about New Orleans' penchant for celebration of the commons. Maybe that's it. In any case it was great to see so many people come out for a Wednesday afternoon library party.
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Of course, it wasn't only literary matters that brought out the crowd. The library building itself is a gorgeous old home in a parklike setting in the city's Garden District. There was gumbo, beer, wine, a beautiful late summer afternoon, and a chance to be with others who love calling New Orleans "home." |
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Susan Larson, writing in the Times-Picayune last year quoted an unknown source as saying "We read to know we're not alone." It's no wonder then that the recent history of New Orleans has brought renewed popularity to events which bring this diverse city together. The subject of this year's One Book One New Orleans reading program is Gumbo Tales: Finding My Place at the New Orleans Table," by Sara Roahen. It's a cultural and culinary journey by a woman who came to New Orleans from Wisconsin and fell in love with her adopted home's food and its cultural peculiarities. |
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We arrived about five minutes before the scheduled time and found the restaurant people still setting up. I had not been inside the Latter Library since before Katrina, so I ducked inside just to look around for a moment. Five minutes later I came back out and stood at the top of the front steps amid a large and growing crowd. People were already eating gumbo, drinking wine and beer, laughing, and generally having a very New Orleans literary time... partying, in other words. |
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In a play off the title of the book the event was promoted as a Gumbo Tasting Tour with some of New Orleans' finest gumbo from restaurants like Dooky Chase, Mr. B's, Redfish Grill, Bourbon House, Acme Oyster House, and Felix's. There was bread provided by Leidenheimer Bakery, complementary wine, beer donated by NOLA Brewery, and a one-of-a-kind cake from Sucré! All this for ten dollars "suggested donation." |
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The Latter Library building needs maintenance: much of the old landscaping was destroyed by Katrina. The roof tiles need repair and inside and out there are signs of neglect. It's hard to argue for giving the building priority when New Orleans has so many more basic post-Katrina needs, but it's a shame, nevertheless. |
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Though such a literary event would be considered notewory, maybe even spectacular, in most places, the truth is that in New Orleans such gatherings remain a normal part of city life. As only a part-time resident of the city, I'm perhaps more sensitive to the everyday beauty of such things; I notice them more. I find it encouraging that on this fourth anniversary of Katrina's destruction, and amid the frustrations and setbacks of rebuilding, New Orleanians hold onto their culture so ferociously. |