TENNESSEE WILLIAMS & NEW
ORLEANS LITERARY FESTIVAL WELCOME TO THE FESTIVAL!
EXECUTIVE BOARD
President
Peggy Scott Laborde
President-elect
Lawrence Henry Gobble
Vice President
Sara W. Woodard
Treasurer
Terry Verigan
Secretary
Brad Richard
Members At Large
Sara Barnard
Amelia W. Koch
Kim Vaz-deville Dear Friends,
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
C. Morgan Babst
Patricia Brady, Ph.D.
Beau Bratcher
Lisa D’amour
Janet Daley Duval
Joel Fredell, Ph.D.
Matthew Griffin
Christy Harowski
Megan Holt, Ph.D.
David Hoover
Susan K. Hoskins
David Johnson
Errol Laborde, Ph.D.
John Lawrence
Mary Niall Mitchell, Ph.D.
Cathie Choppin Weinstein
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Paul Willis
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Tracy Cunningham
VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR
Karissa Kary
SCHOLARS CONFERENCE CHAIR
Robert Bray, Ph.D.
FESTIVAL PUBLICIST
Marian Hawk
MEDIA ADVISOR
Ellen Johnson
CONTEST COORDINATOR
Teresa Jacobson
FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHER
Ride Hamilton
FESTIVAL VIDEOGRAPHER
The Bend Media
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Ron Goldberg
WEB DESIGNER
Cherry Cappel
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Toan Nguyen
ORIGINAL FESTIVAL LOGO
Arthur Nead
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Our 34 th annual Festival promises to be one of
our most exciting and engaging literary affairs
ever. We’re especially pleased to feature an original
portrait of our patron saint, Tennessee Williams,
by artist Timothy Cummings as the cover of
our program book. Timothy’s art captured our
attention in 2017, as he was completing a French
Quarter artist residency through the My Good
Judy Foundation for artists seeking to produce
a body of work in New Orleans that addresses
culture-making from an LGBTQ perspective.
Timothy was inspired by Tennessee Williams as he
painted the people and cultures he encountered
here, saying that Williams’ works offered “a magical
telling of the spirit of this place.” His art has graced the covers of several program books for Saints +
Sinners, and we were thrilled when he agreed to create an original portrait of Tennessee for our 2020
cover. Timothy began sending us photos of his work in progress in November. We loved the initial image,
and we were fascinated to witness Timothy’s artistic process as he continued to add to the portrait until it
fully captured what he wanted to portray. (see both below)
Photo by Ride Hamilton
We explore a similar artistic process in our annual Tribute Reading this year, which features early works by
Williams that interconnect and find their final form later in more fully fleshed out pieces. For example,
images and characters in a 1939 poem he drafted during his first New Orleans visit titled “Vieux Carré”
later appear in short stories, essays, one-acts, and finally his full-length play Vieux Carré from 1977, nearly
forty years later.
Our Festival programming process is much like that of an artist or writer. We start with inspiration from
contemporary writers who have new works coming out. We receive intriguing proposals from other
writers, scholars, directors, actors, musicians, and culinary artists, and the program begins to take shape.
By late fall, ideas and themes become actual events with confirmed speakers, and by January we’re sending
it to the publisher. We’re excited to unveil the final product, and we hope it entertains you, enlightens you,
and feeds your soul just what it is longing for.
Perhaps it will be the appearance of legendary actress Kathleen Turner, or our opening night spectacle
set in NOLA and infused with the spirit of Tennessee Williams. Maybe it will be learning from an
accomplished writer like Colm Tóibín or discovering a debut writer whose work fills a void in your reading
life, being swept away by a theatrical performance, or discovering another hidden New Orleans gem.
Whatever you long for this weekend, we hope you find it here.
All the best,
Paul J. Willis and Tracy Cunningham
Important Reminders
The Tennessee Williams/
New Orleans Literary Festival
is a 501(c)(3) non-profit,
tax-exempt organization.
Contributions are deductible
according to the provision
of current tax laws. Because of
variations in attendance, the
purchase of a Festival panel
pass cannot guarantee seating for
every panel discussion. Seating is
on a first-come, first-served basis
but is generally available. Please
note that during the Festival, many activities may be recorded for archival and/or commercial purposes.
By attending Festival events, you hereby grant to The Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival
and others permission to photograph and record you visually and orally for various TV and/or film
productions. You grant universal rights for any reproduction of your image, likeness, or voice, throughout
the Festival weekend.
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS & NEW ORLEANS LITERARY FESTIVAL