The book review is one of my favorite columns to write for many reasons, but the main one is it gives me the chance to discover new authors and explore genres I normally do not read. This is definitely true of my book for August - Firsts: Coming of Age Stories by People with Disabilities. Edited by Belo Miguel Cipriani, this book highlights some of the best writers … [Read more...] about Firsts: Coming of Age Stories by People with Disabilities
Arts & Culture
Aaron Korch Wants You to Rethink Those Fire Breathing Dragons for Provincetown’s Carnival Parade
Aaron Korch is the Creative Director of Provincetown’s weeklong Carnival extravaganza – this year themed to the queer flora and fauna of an Enchanted Forest. He’s also one of the founding minds behind the costumed nightlife revelry, Fagbash. As Provincetown hits peak season, Aaron explains the ideation process for the town’s most attended event, why fire-breathing dragons are … [Read more...] about Aaron Korch Wants You to Rethink Those Fire Breathing Dragons for Provincetown’s Carnival Parade
Dr. Peter Putnum and Houma’s Connection to Stonewall
Across the street from the historic Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village in a small gated area called Christopher Park, stands the Gay Liberation Monument—a sculpture depicting a seated lesbian couple and a gay male couple standing. The couples are innocently yet affectionately touching each other. If you’ve made a pilgrimage to Stonewall, you’ve undoubtedly seen the … [Read more...] about Dr. Peter Putnum and Houma’s Connection to Stonewall
New Orleans Hot Happenings August 13, 2019
Southern Decadence is right around the corner and there are so many events leading up to the big weekend. You can feel the excitement in the air. Here’s just a sampling of some exciting happenings. (If you have a fundraiser, party, show or event coming up and would like to be listed in the calendar, please email me at ledgemgp@gmail.com). Weekly … [Read more...] about New Orleans Hot Happenings August 13, 2019
Party Down August 13, 2019
As Southern Decadence approaches its home stretch and events reach a fever pitch, it was quite a two weeks. Not everything I did, however, revolved around a decadent celebration. In fact, my two weeks can be summed up easily -- boys, birthdays, booze and bayous! I was off to the races so to speak on Monday when I participated in the NOAGE (New Orleans Advocates for … [Read more...] about Party Down August 13, 2019
Book Review: What Rough Beast
What Rough Beast. Robert Dole. Austin Macauley Publishers, 2017. 126 pages. This is a strange, odd mess of a book. Hot and shitty? Not necessarily—but certainly weird and peculiar. What Rough Beast is marketed as a novel but it’s more of a novella, sort of. The first half reads like notes for a memoir. The second half is formatted … [Read more...] about Book Review: What Rough Beast
Cat Lady
When you’re down, you relate to the Cat Lady. Perhaps a little too much. I first crossed her path before I knew she was the Cat Lady, in the wintertime around dusk. I’d just moved to New Orleans with my husband, formally, and we were running low on funds. Rather than have one of those pathetic marital arguments about bills, overheard through the walls of our shotgun, Ryan … [Read more...] about Cat Lady
An Interview with “Photographer of the Year” Arthur Severio
I first became aware of Arthur Severio’s talents when he decided to convert his French Quarter hair salon into a fully-functioning art gallery to exhibit local artists and develop his own skills as a photographer. Over the years, his persistence has paid off and won him many accolades including selection for the Louisiana Contemporary exhibition in 2016 and more recently … [Read more...] about An Interview with “Photographer of the Year” Arthur Severio
1850 House
Few places offer the chance to experience the lifestyle of our ancestors of more than 150 years ago. The 1850 House is one of these rare places, offering a glimpse of upper-middle-class life in antebellum New Orleans, the most prosperous period in the city’s history. The 1850 House doesn’t represent any single family’s house. Rather, it reflects mid-19th century prosperity, … [Read more...] about 1850 House
Trodding the Boards August 13, 2019
100 Years of Women in Blues at Teatro Wego! through August 25 It only seems like a 100 years since Dorian Rush has graced our local stages. So it’s a treat to have her back in her new solo show 100 Years of Women in Blues which delivers just what it promises, a marvelous overview of the women who were the founders and torchbearers of this uniquely American art … [Read more...] about Trodding the Boards August 13, 2019