Friday & Saturday
2:30 – 3:45 PM—Writer’s Craft Session
ON THE TRAIL OF A SERIAL KILLER: FROM ARTICLE TO
BOOK TO SCREENPLAY
Ethan Brown discusses the nearly decade-long process of writing
and reporting on the Jeff Davis 8 case that culminated in the 2019
Showtime documentary series Murder in The Bayou. Eight women
from Jefferson Davis Parish, Louisiana, were murdered between 2005
and 2009 and disposed of in canals, dirt roads, and rural areas in the
parish and neighboring Acadia Parish. Nearly 15 years after the first
body was discovered in a canal, all of the homicides remain unsolved.
Ethan’s work on the case comprises a long-form investigative piece for
Medium/ Matter in 2014, a book for Scribner/Simon and Schuster in
2016, and the Showtime series.
The Historic New Orleans Collection, $25, Combo Pass, or VIP
Pass
2:30 – 3:45 PM—Literary Discussion
THE CRAFT OF THE SHORT STORY
While lengthy novels and sprawling epics are enjoyable reading
experiences, there is something uniquely different about short
stories—and not just their length. Often, short stories can be weirder,
stranger, or just more stylized than their longer counterparts. Many
talented authors have used the concise nature of short fiction as an
opportunity to showcase their true prowess as writers, with their
personal styles emerging in this brief format. Short fiction writers
Michael Carroll, Jac Jemc, Leigh Camacho Rourks, and Maurice
Carlos Ruffin discuss the creation of their short stories and the
development of their personal styles. Moderated by Jewelle Gomez,
author of the ground-breaking Gilda Stories.
Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom, $10 or Literary
Discussion, Combo, or VIP Pass
3:30 – 4:30 PM—Special Event
100 YEARS OF BROUSSARD’S
Join author Alexandra Kennon for a lively discussion about the rich
history of Broussard’s Restaurant, which celebrates its centennial in
2020. Enjoy happy hour drinks and hors d’oeuvres while learning
about the French Quarter’s most contemporary “Grande Dame”—
from tales of former owners to current ghosts, and how Chef Jimi
Setchim puts contemporary twists on traditional menu items to
keep this classic updated and fresh. Kennon will be signing copies of
her book Classic Restaurants of New Orleans, which features thirteen
of the Crescent City’s most historic restaurants, po-boy shops, and
14 TENNESSEE WILLIAMS & NEW ORLEANS LITERARY FESTIVAL
neighborhood staples, along with interviews and recipes following the
event.
Broussard’s Restaurant, $15 or VIP Pass
4 – 5:15 PM—Literary Discussion
COLM TÓIBÍN IN CONVERSATION WITH MAUREEN
CORRIGAN
Colm Tóibín is a master of many literary forms: the grand novel (The
Master, Nora Webster, Brooklyn); essays (Nine Ways to Kill Your Mother:
Writers and Their Families and Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know: The
Fathers of Wilde, Yeats, and Joyce); and stories (Mothers and Sons). As
a chronicler of Irish immigration to America, he is without parallel.
Who better to talk with him about that than NPR’s Fresh Air book
critic, Maureen Corrigan, author of Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading:
Finding and Losing Myself in Books, and So We Read On: How The
Great Gatsby Came to Be and Why It Endures. Don’t miss this thrilling
meeting of the minds.
Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom, $10 or Literary
Discussion, Combo, or VIP Pass
SATURDAY, MARCH 28
9 AM – 4 PM
Box Office (Queen Anne B) and Book Fair (Queen Anne A) at the
Hotel Monteleone.
See sections on Theater Offerings and Walking Tours. Use the
schedule grids and map to plan your best day at the Festival.
8 – 9:15 AM—Special
Event
BOOKS AND
BEIGNETS
With the death of Toni
Morrison in 2019,
American literature
lost one of its most
gifted and influential
writers. Our annual
breakfast book club pays
tribute to her by taking
up her 1987 novel,
Beloved, which many
scholars hold to be her
most impressive work.
Reimagining true events,
the book focuses on a
woman who escapes
slavery but wrestles
with its legacies and her
own decisions as she seeks healing and self-acceptance. Attendees are
invited to read—or reread—this seminal work, with the suggested
edition being the standard paperback (ISBN 978-1400033416).
Muriel’s Restaurant will serve coffee and beignets to accompany the
discussion. Southern literary scholar Gary Richards again facilitates.
Muriel’s Jackson Square Restaurant, $25 or VIP Pass