Octavia Books | Peauxdunque Writers Alliance

Peauxdunque keeps going out in the world, y’all, in so many ways.

Tomorrow night, Nordette Adams will be in the line-up of poets reading at the Why There Are Words event at Octavia Books, from 6 to 8 p.m.! Poets will be presenting works on the theme of “Grace,” and Nordette will be part of a line-up em-ceed by Liz Green and also featuring Tom Andes, Jessie Morgan Owens, Brad Richard, Josie Ann Scanlan, and Rodrigo Toscano.

Anne Babson adds to her publications list with the publication of poems in 2 Bridges Review, which will publish Anne’s poem “What They Don’t Tell the Young”; and in Australia’s The Blend International, which will publish Anne’s poems, “Buenos Aires 1952” and “Ansterdam.”

On from poets to politics, Amy Conner‘s political essay, “All Life is Sacred–Except Yours,” was published earlier this month by both PolitiZoom and 360 News Digest.

And Lavinia Spalding‘s long-form travel essay, “Meet the Revolutionary Women Strumming their Way into the World of Flamenco Guitar,” about the tocaoras in Spain, has been published in Afar.

Peauxdunque, despite its moniker, is a bustling place these days!

First up, tomorrow the Words and Music writers’ conference, put on by the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society, kicks off at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans. On the opening day, Thursday December 7, Tad Bartlett will chair a “Words and Music Writers Alliance” session at 3 p.m., featuring a remembrance of Peauxdunque founding member Terri Sue Shrum, and readings of new works by Peauxdunquians Emily Choate, J.Ed. Marston, Alex Johnson, and others. Please come join us, and stay for the rest of this excellent conference!

And last week featured two different recognitions of Peauxdunquians’ work by The New York Times! First, The New York Times Book Review featured a stellar review of The Best Women’s Travel Writing, Volume 11: True Stories from around the World, edited by Peauxdunquian Lavinia Spalding. “The latest book’s editor, Lavinia Spalding, hungry for travelers who ‘go with an open heart’ and have ‘the inclination to practice human kindness, a sincere intention to build pathways of understanding and a willingness to be transformed,’ read nearly 500 submissions before settling on the 31 stories that make up this diverse collection.” Then, the NYT featured “Kings of the Confederate Road,” the essay and photo feature collaboration by Tad Bartlett, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, and L. Kasimu Harris published by The Bitter Southerner, in its weekly “What We’re Reading” round-up.

On the grand old wireless contraption known as the radio, Peauxdunquian poet (and historian!) Cassie Pruyn was featured on NPR’s The Reading Life, discussing her brand new, just released lyrical history book, Bayou St. John: A Brief History. Cassie will also be reading and signing her newest book at Octavia Books on Sunday, December 10, at 2 p.m. (513 Octavia Street, NOLA).

Finally, there’s a slew of new publication news coming out of Peauxdunque for upcoming fiction and non-fiction: Tad‘s short story, “Porches,” will be published in January 2018 by Gris-Gris literary journal. Andrew Kooy has two upcoming publications: his short story “clap your hands” will run in an upcoming issue of Apex, and his nonfiction piece “George, WA” will run in the June 2018 issue of Bird’s Thumb. Finally, James Drew Jordan will see two of his stories–“The Man Who Played with Satchmo” and “Starland, Washington”–run in New South.

WHEW!