Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival 2021 online The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival was, understandably and not surprisingly, online this year. While it was not the same as past festivals where one rushed from one event to another and enjoyed the experience of seeing celebrities and plays live, it was a laudable attempt to keep the festival … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards April 6, 2021
Arts & Culture
Under The Gaydar: Let Me Take A #Selfie
The selfie craze has caught on like wildfire. This new photo phenomenon is nothing new, however; in fact, I dare say it has been around since there have been cameras. Remember setting a timer on the camera and jumping into the frame right before the buzzer went off, hopefully capturing the moment without cutting off anyone’s head? Now the stress and exercise has been removed … [Read more...] about Under The Gaydar: Let Me Take A #Selfie
Women’s History Month: Lesbians and Misogyny
In Louisiana in the 1970s, a number of organizations advocated on behalf of women’s issues. Not the least of these were the Baton Rouge and New Orleans chapters of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the Louisiana Women’s Political Caucus (LWPC). In New Orleans, many feminist activists were lesbians, which was not necessarily the case in other parts of the … [Read more...] about Women’s History Month: Lesbians and Misogyny
Trodding the Boards March 23, 2021
Stop Kiss presented by Loyola University’s Department of Theatre Arts & Dance She Kills Monsters presented by Tulane University’s Department of Theatre and Dance Given that their schedules were made up months in advance and independently of each other, it seems like it was just a coincidence that Tulane’s and Loyola’s theater departments presented two contemporary … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards March 23, 2021
Bartender of the Month: March 2021
I cannot express the happiness in my soul to be able to start writing this column again. It has been a year since I was able to sing the praises of some of the hardest working people in the hospitality industry. Whether you call them bartenders, mixologists, bar chefs, or servers of happiness, these people spend their time creating an atmosphere of festivity, … [Read more...] about Bartender of the Month: March 2021
Trodding the Boards March 9, 2021
Brighton Beach Memoirs at 30 by Ninety Theatre through March 14 I remember seeing Brighton Beach Memoirs at the then-recently rechristened Neil Simon Theatre and being a bit underwhelmed by it. I’m not sure if it was because my expectations were too high after its rave reviews and Tony Awards or because the charms of this intimate family dramedy got lost in the upper reaches … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards March 9, 2021
Book Clubs Are The New Bars
I am about to pour myself a glass of wine and settle down in front of my computer to log into the New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders (NOAGE) Book Club for February Zoom meeting. We are discussing our book of the month, A Star Is Bored by Byron Lane, a witty novel about an assistant to a famous movie star and their complex relationship and adventures together. … [Read more...] about Book Clubs Are The New Bars
Book Review: New Orleans Vampires: History and Legend
New Orleans Vampires: History and Legend. Marita Woywod Crandle. Haunted America/ History Press, 2018 (2nd ed.). 112 pages. $21.99. New Orleans has a reputation as a home for creatures of the night. Popular books, movies and television shows have cemented the city’s connection to vampires in the public’s imagination. In New Orleans Vampires: History and Legend, Marita Woywod … [Read more...] about Book Review: New Orleans Vampires: History and Legend
Under the Gaydar
With COVID still making its horrible mark on the world, a life spent in quarantine has become the norm for the last year. Quarantine fatigue and the holidays created quite the unforgiving combination this Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. Our numbers have risen and people’s nerves are fraught. Trust me, I understand your pain. I consider myself a social animal so this … [Read more...] about Under the Gaydar
Book Review: Flower of Iowa
Flower of Iowa. Lance Ringel. Distant Mirror Press, 2020. 578 pages. $36.00. Lance Ringel’s Flower of Iowa is an expansive novel that is sure to please lovers of historical fiction. The novel is set against the turbulent backdrop of France during the final months of World War I. The setting, the writing, and the story are reminiscent of Hemmingway’s A Farewell to Arms, but … [Read more...] about Book Review: Flower of Iowa
