Peauxdunque at Words and Music

Posted on November 22, 2013 by tadbartlett

The Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society’s annual Words and Music conference will take place from December 4 through December 8, centered at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. In just two weeks, a fantastic line-up of writers and scholars will convene with top agents and editors to discuss writing, publishing, and this year’s conference theme, “Faith and the Search for Meaning as Inspiration for the Arts.”

At 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 4, six members of Peauxdunque have been invited to join in a reading of new works related to the conference theme. Terri Stoor, Emily Choate, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, J.Ed. Marston, Cassie Pruyn, and Tad Bartlett will present readings alongside award-winning poet and non-fiction author, Rodger Kamenetz, and the associate editors of the Double Dealer, Caroline Rash and Geoff Munsterman. The readings will be at the Presbytere, at the corner of St. Ann and Chartres. A cash bar and complimentary cocktail snacks will be available, and a showing of Walker Percy, a new documentary film by Win Riley, will follow.

J.Ed., Terri, Tad, Emily, and Maurice will be reading during the Faulkner Society's annual Words and Music Conference on December 4, 2013.

J.Ed., Terri, Tad, Emily, Maurice, and Cassie (not pictured) will be reading during the Faulkner Society’s annual Words and Music Conference on December 4, 2013.

Our take on The Tilted World

Posted on September 29, 2013 by tadbartlett

This is an unauthorized account of the history of Tom Franklin and Beth Ann Fennelly in the development of the Peauxdunque Writers Alliance. And this is also to tell the rest of you why you must go out and buy The Tilted World, the novel collaboratively written by Tom and Beth Ann that goes on sale on October 1. First, the review. Then, an explanation – a history, if you will – of why we’re devoting space to The Tilted World on the website of the PWA. Following that, some important dates.

The Tilted World

Tom (Smonk, Hell at the Breech, Poachers, and Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter) and Beth Ann (Great With Child: Letters to a Young Mother, Tender Hooks, Unmentionables, and A Different Kind of Hunger) have teamed up for that rarest of artistic collaborations: the successful collaboratively written novel. The Tilted World is the result of that project, seamlessly melding Tom’s travels in the violent and yearning heart of raw characters with Beth Ann’s gift for the lyrical and precise exploration of fierce human experience.

The Tilted World takes place primarily in and around the fictional Mississippi town of Hobnob, at the time of the great flood of 1927. The book traces the path of Dixie Clay into her marriage to moonshiner-extraordinaire Jesse Swan Holliver, an initially passionate relationship that diminished into a hard-fought business proposition after the loss of their only child. Jesse sold the shine, while Dixie distilled the most highly sought-after spirits in the region (the descriptions of Dixie’s craft might make the driest reader thirst for a nip of her goods). At the same time, Tilted World traces another path, that of revenue agent Ingersoll, dispatched with his partner Ham to the area of Hobnob, first to investigate the disappearance of two other revenue agents and then to investigate rumors of a plan to blow the levee to take pressure off downriver New Orleans. When Ingersoll comes across a crying infant at the bloody scene of a violent armed robbery, his own past as an unwanted orphan drives him to find a welcoming home for the baby, leading him to Dixie’s front porch. From that point (at the business end of Dixie’s rifle), Ingersoll’s and Dixie’s paths are inextricably linked, swirling around each other in tighter and tighter concentrices until they are bound to intersect in a place where the world is upside-down and mostly drowned.

Along the way, Tom and Beth Ann take us through a world where moonshine whiskey flows as fast as the swollen river, where no one can tell the difference between those who’ll do anything to save their town from those who have been corrupted by money and drink to sell the town down the river, a real world with strong women, crooked men, camaraderie, betrayal, and love. The book travels through taverns, general stores, the front lines of the first Great War, explosions, deluges, inundations, orphanages, Chicago blues joints, Alabama backwoods, Mississippi hard-scrabble cropland and backswamp. No line is delivered in tired or expected prose. No words are wasted.

It’s a fast and beautiful ride. Buy it. Read it.

Tom, Beth Ann, and Peauxdunque

Early, before there was a Peauxdunque, I first met Tom at the Words and Music Conference in New Orleans right after his novel Smonk came out. Smonk is a violent carnival of a word-ride (or a word carnival of a violent ride), a mind-blower. But it was a great introduction for me to a writer who grew up and wrote about the places near and around where I grew up, both of us from similar podunks in the central Alabama woods and riverplains.

A couple years later, not long after Peauxdunque was born, Peauxdunque denizen Maurice Carlos Ruffin was a finalist in the short story category of the William Faulkner-William Wisdom competition, which Tom was judging. After he picked someone else as the winner and Maurice as the first runner-up, I accosted Tom in the middle of Royal Street late one morning during the Words and Music conference. I’d intended it as a joking, friendly thing, but I’d had a couple bloody maries, and I could tell from the look in Tom’s eyes that my intentions weren’t being served and that it was possible I was a crazy person. When Beth Ann judged the final round of the essay category the next year, where I had a terrible essay as a finalist, I did not repeat the performance when the piece didn’t place. (I also don’t intend to repeat the performance at this year’s conference, where Beth Ann judged the final round of the poetry category and a beautiful poem by Peauxdunquian Cassie Pruyn was chosen second-runner-up and Peauxdunque’s J.Ed. Marston also had a finalist piece.)

A couple years after the incident on Royal Street, as the PWA really started to grow up, P’dunque’s Terri Stoor, J.Ed., and I were in Tom’s workshop at the Oxford American Summit for Ambitious Writers in Petit Jean, Arkansas, where we met soon-to-be members Emily Choate and Susan Bennett Vallee. A couple years after that, Terri, J.Ed., Maurice, Emily, and I were in a workshop led by Beth Ann at the Yokshop Conference in Oxford, Mississippi. Seemingly at every step in the development of Peauxdunque, Tom, Beth Ann, or both, were there.

Some important dates

Catch up with Tom and Beth Ann on their book tour this fall:

Tuesday, October 1st
OXFORD, MS
The Powerhouse Community Arts Center
“Tilted and Pickled” Book Release Party
with John Currence
413 S. 14th Street
Oxford, MS
6pm

Wednesday, October 2nd
JACKSON, MS
Lemuria Books
4465 I-55 N
Jackson, MS
5pm

Thursday, October 3rd
GREENWOOD, MS
Turnrow Book Company
304 Howard Street
Greenwood, MS
5:30pm

Friday, October 4th
MEMPHIS, TN
Burke’s Book Store
936 S. Cooper Street
Memphis, TN
5:30pm

Tuesday, October 8th
NEW YORK, NY
The Strand Bookstore
828 Broadway

New York, NY
7pm
*Joint signing with Bill Cheng,
author of SOUTHERN CROSS THE DOG

Wednesday, October 9th
DECATUR, GA
Dekalb County Public Library
Georgia Center for the Book
215 Sycamore Street
Decatur, GA
7pm

Thursday, October 10th
RALEIGH, NC
Quail Ridge Books & Music
3522 Wade Avenue
Raleigh, NC
7:30pm

Friday, October 11th – Saturday, October 12th
NASHVILLE, TN
Southern Festival of the Books
Tennessee Humanities Council
301 6th Avenue North
Nashville, TN

Wednesday, October 16th
BIRMINGHAM, AL
Alabama Booksmith
2926 19th Place S
Birmingham, AL
4pm

Thursday, October 17th
LITTLE ROCK, AR
South on Main
(Reading, Performance & Signing)
1304 Main Street
Little Rock, AR
7pm

Friday, October 18th
CLARKSDALE, MS
Seven Chimneys Farm
145 Delta Avenue
Clarksdale, MS
7pm

Saturday, October 19th
GREENVILLE, MS
The Weatherbee House
Signing during the “Hot Tamale Festival”
509 Washington Avenue
Greenville, MS

Tuesday, October 22nd
CHICAGO, IL
The Book Cellar
4736-38 N Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
7pm

Wednesday, October 23rd
HIGHLAND PARK, IL
Highland Park Public Library
494 Laurel Avenue
Highland Park, IL
7pm

Thursday, October 24th
MILWAUKEE, WI
Boswell Book Company
2559 N Downer Avenue
Milwaukee, WI
7pm

Wednesday, October 30th
BRUCE, MS
Jesse Yance Memorial Library
314 N. Newburger Avenue
Bruce, MS
12pm

Friday November 1st – Saturday, November 2nd
BATON ROUGE, LA
Louisiana Book Festival
701 N. 4th Street
Baton Rouge, LA

Thursday, November 21st
NEW YORK, NY
The Century Club
7 West 43rd Street
New York, NY
*Concert & Reading*

Friday, November 22nd
MONTGOMERY, AL
Capitol Books & News
1140 E. Fairview Avenue
Montgomery, AL
5pm

Sunday, November 24
MOBILE, AL
Ben May Main Library
Bernheim Hall 701 Government Street
Mobile, AL
2pm

Saturday, November 23rd
GROVE HILL, AL
The Gift Gallery
135 North Jackson Street
Grove Hill, AL
12pm

Tuesday, November 26th
FAIRHOPE, AL
Page & Palette
32 S. Section Street
Fairhope, AL
6pm

Friday, December 6th
NEW ORLEANS, LA
Words & Music Festival
624 Pirate’s Alley
New Orleans, LA

Saturday, December 8th
NEW ORLEANS, LA
Garden District Books
2727 Prytania Street

Cassie Pruyn second runner-up in Faulkner-Wisdom competition; and an interview

Posted on September 26, 2013 by tadbartlett

Peauxdunquian Cassie Pruyn’s beautiful poem, “Two Places,” was named second runner-up by judge Beth Ann Fennelly in the poetry category of the 2013 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Competition! Congratulations to Cassie! Also at the conclusion of judging, Peauxdunque’s J.Ed. Marston was a finalist in the poetry category with his piece, “Steel on Wood”; and Tad Bartlett was a finalist in the short story category with his story, “Riding in Cars at Night.”

Link to the full listing of competition winners and finalists.

Also, Peauxdunque’s Emilie Staat (last year’s gold medal winner in the essay category of the Faulkner-Wisdom Competition) was recently interviewed by Hothouse Magazine. You can read that great interview here.

Stark Nature reading October 3rd

Posted on September 19, 2013 by tadbartlett

Peauxdunquian Maurice Carlos Ruffin will join a stellar line-up of writers at the Stark Nature reading on October 3rd. Maurice joins extraordinary poet Carrie Chappell, as well as Margaret Wrinkle, Chloe Lee, Chris Lawson, and Daniel Lang. They’ll be at the Marigny Opera House, 725 St. Ferdinand Street, NOLA, beginning at 7 p.m. A $15 fee is the suggested cover.

Productions, books, and travels: A Peauxdunque update

Posted on June 12, 2013 by tadbartlett

We’ve been quiet on this site, but that doesn’t mean we’ve been quiet in real life.

Peauxdunquian Helen Krieger is busy with preparations for the production of Season 2 of Least Favorite Love Songs. The KickStarter campaign for the production has ten hours left. While you wait for Season 2, you can watch Season 1 here.

Peauxdunque founder Amy Serrano‘s latest poetry collection, Of Fiery Places and Sacred Spaces, is now available from Barnes & Noble. Amy has also learned that her twenty-page essay and photo project, From Punta to Chumba: Garifuna Music and Dance in New Orleans, on Garifuna women and culture, commissioned by the Louisiana Division of the Arts, will form part of a 5-10 year traveling exhibit on the diverse cultures and folkloric traditions that live within Louisiana.

Tom Carson, of course, continues to keep on top of things for The American Prospect and GQ, with his latest articles on HBO’s documentary, Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, and on the Joss Whedon’s adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing.

In traveling news, five Peauxdunquians attended this past weekend’s Yokshop Writers’ Conference in Oxford, Mississippi, workshopping with and learning from Beth Ann Fennelly, Josh Weil, Sean Ennis, Scott Morris, and M.O. Walsh, as well as drinking and hanging out with new friends alive and dead. Peauxdunquians in attendance were Terri Shrum Stoor, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Emily Choate, J.Ed. Marston, and Tad Bartlett.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

For another great slideshow of Peauxdunquians in action, head over to P’dunquian Emilie Staat‘s Jill of All Trades blog, where her latest “All Things Brag” post includes a collection of images from the Sunday Shorts Reading Series, featuring readers from both Peauxdunque and the Melanated Writers Collective.

Award-winning weekend; and one last Sunday Shorts

Posted on May 13, 2013 by tadbartlett

At the annual awards banquet for UNO’s Creative Writing Workshop, Peauxdunquian Maurice Carlos Ruffin was presented with the Joanna Leake Prize for Fiction Thesis, awarded to the best fiction collection by a graduating MFA student, for his collection, It’s Good to See You’re Awake. In addition, great friend of Peauxdunque Che Yeun received the Ernest Svenson Fiction Award for her fantastic story, “Yuna.”

Che Yeun, winner of the 2013 Svenson Award for Fiction; and Maurice Ruffin, winner of the 2013 Joanna Leake Award for Fiction Thesis.

This weekend also held the third in the month-long series of Sunday Shorts short story readings at the Red Star Galerie at 2513 Bayou Road, featuring readings by members of the MelaNated Writers Collective and Peauxdunque. Terri Shrum Stoor and Jeri Hilt both read captivating stories to a standing-room-only audience. The last in the series is this Sunday, May 19, at 8 p.m., featuring readings by MelaNated’s Danielle Gilyot and Peauxdunque’s Tad Bartlett.

Terri Shrum Stoor reading at Sunday Shorts, May 12, 2013. Photo by Wayne Edelen.

Sunday Shorts are halfway home

Posted on May 6, 2013 by tadbartlett

MelaNated Writers Collective and Peauxdunque Writers Alliance are halfway done with the Sunday Shorts Reading Series. In the dynamic art space of Red Star Galerie at 2513 Bayou Road, we’ve heard some fantastic stories read to an audience itself packed with some of the best writers in the city.

On April 28, L. Kasimu Harris waxed eloquent on the tribulations of being dumped in the digital age; while Sabrina Canfield wove a hypnotic spell about trains and baseball and distorted connections. On April 5, superhero Maurice Carlos Ruffin brought the house down with a chapter from his novel in progress; while jewel bush transported the room to the world of Layla in poignant, small-town Louisiana, where consequences of human fragility can be incredibly universal. And Gian Smith has provided incisive spark as he has led a Q&A session after each reading.

Two more nights in the Series, with award-winners galore taking Shorts to new heights: on May 12, a special Mother’s Day night treat with readings from Jeri Hilt and Terri Shrum Stoor. Then the Series wraps up on May 19 with Danielle Gilyot and Tad Bartlett. Doors open each night at 8, with readings starting at 8:30. Free admission.

Book release, another competition finalist, and more Sunday Shorts!

Posted on April 30, 2013 by tadbartlett

Tonight at Garden District Books, Bill Loehfelm has the release party for his fourth novel (first set in New Orleans and second in the Maureen Coughlin series), The Devil in Her Way. Book signing, reading, discussion, wine, and cheese start at 5:30 p.m. Bill was on the slate of readers for our inaugural Yeah, You Write! reading, reading from the first Maureen Coughlin novel; word on the street is that this new one is even better.

In other news, we’re excited to learn that Peauxdunquian Joselyn Takacs‘ story, “The New River,” was named a finalist in Narrative Magazine’s Winter 2013 Story Contest! Congratulations to Joselyn!

In Sunday Shorts news, the first installment, featuring readings from L. Kasimu Harris and Sabrina Canfield, went exceedingly well. Following each readings was a Q&A led by Gian Smith, which got to the heart of each writer’s storytelling process in a fascinating exchange with the writers and the audience. This week, May 5, show up to Red Star Galerie at 8 p.m. to hear readings and answers from jewel bush and Maurice Carlos Ruffin.

Sunday Shorts starts in four more days! Plus, more Peauxdunque recognition …

Posted on April 24, 2013 by tadbartlett

The Sunday Shorts Reading Series starts this Sunday, April 28, at Red Star Galerie at 2513 Bayou Road. MelaNated Writing Collective denizen (and Peauxdunquian) L. Kasimu Harris kicks off the series with his fine new short story work, and the opening session of the series will be capped off by the hypnotic fiction of Peauxdunque’s Sabrina Canfield. Doors open at 8, readings start promptly at 8:30, and will include Q&A with the authors following each reading. Check out the Reading Series’ Facebook event page here.

L. Kasimu Harris (photo by Kate Cauthen).

Future installments of the series will feature jewel bush and Maurice Carlos Ruffin on May 5; Jeri Hilt and Terri Shrum Stoor on May 12; and Danielle Gilyot and Tad Bartlett on May 19.

In other Peauxdunque news, this week Tad Bartlett’s short story “Riding in Cars at Night” was included on the Honorable Mention list for the February 2013 Glimmer Train Short Story Award for New Writers. Tad will be reading at the Sunday Shorts series on May 19.