The Faulkner Society’s annual festival, Words & Music, a Literary Feast in New Orleans combines the three most important facets of Faulkner Society’s mission: providing realistic assistance to developing writers, staging entertaining and enlightening programming for dedicated readers, and creating literary initiatives for those at risk for illiteracy. The overall theme for Words & Music, 2017  is:



War & Collateral Damage as Inspiration for the Arts

monteleoneThe theme covers a lot of ground from writing about the wars of history to contemporary conflagrations in global hotspots such as the Middle East and the literary art that has been inspired by war and its impacts.

The primary venue is the National Literary Landmark, Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal Street, (504) 523-3341. The hotel has reserved rooms under the bloc Words & Music/Faulkner Society at a special conference price, first come, first serve. We urge you too book now if you think your are going to attend at want to stay at the festival hotel, as our bloc is not large. Also, getting to New Orleans could pose problems if you wait until last minute to make airline reservations.  There is a lot going on in New Orleans the festival weekend, so we advise you to act now to secure your room and transportation.

CONTINUING EDUCATION & ENTERTAINMENT
FOR DEDICATED READERS

The Faulkner Society’s year-round calendar of events for readers are designed as opportunities for the members of the general reading public to continue their adult education through reading good literature, presented in the framework of literary themes. Beginning on Thursday, December 7, a series of discussions by some of the best writers and scholars of our time will explore how transforming art is inspired by the evil of war and its impact on us all.
It is through the vehicles of newly released works of fiction as well as classics by great thinkers of the past, that readers can travel out of time to discover new places, cultures, mindsets to discover, perhaps, along the way the light of epiphanies and redemption in their own lives.

REALISTIC ASSISTANCE FOR WRITERS

Writers seeking to improve their work and get it published will have an array of opportunities waiting for them. Professional literary agents and editors will review the work of registered writers in advance and then meet with their assigned writers for one-on-one consultations during Words & Music. These agents and editors will combine with highly acclaimed authors and scholars to present Master Classes and Workshops on critical aspects of successful writing, both fiction and non-fiction. These presentations will begin on the afternoon of  Thursday, November 10th.

Wednesday, December 6, 2017
INSPIRING YOUNG WRITERS,  CREATING DEDICATED READERS FOR THE FUTURE

10:30 a. m. — Venue TBA
Master Class for Students & Teachers

The program will begin with presentation of the winner and runner-up of the High School Short Story category of the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition by this year’s judge, novelist George Bishop, Jr.
Additional details of the program will be posted shortly.

Thursday, November 10, 2016

NEW ORLEANS, MON AMOUR

8:00 a. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
CAFÉ AU LAIT & CROISSANTS
Continental breakfast is served daily from 8 a. m. to 10 a.m.

8:00 a. m. — Queen Anne Mezzanine
REGISTRATION DESK OPENS

8:30 a. m. —
BOOK MART OPENS
The Words & Music Book Mart will once again be operated by Faulkner House Books, a major sponsor of the Faulkner Society, Words & Music, and BIG READ. The Book Mart will have one or more books by each presenter appearing during the festival. Author signings will take place in the Book Mart after each discussion session .

8:30 a. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Faulkner Society/Words & Music  Co-Founder Rosemary James and others will welcome guests of the festival.

9:00 a. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom
NEW ORLEANS, MON AMOUR
Each year, the Thursday events celebrate new works of literature by percywalkerwithoblatestoryNew Orleanians or books using New Orleans as a setting. Our traditional Thursday programming name, New Orleans, Mon Amour, honors the late Walker Percy for his compelling novels set mostly in New Orleans and his memorable essay, New Orleans, Mon Amour, about our City and how she stacks up against other cities, such as New York and Philadelphia in the North, for instance, or Mobile, close by on the Gulf Coast. .

9:15 a. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone
by Megan Holt, Ph.D., who teaches in the English Department at Tulane and is a project leader for the One Book, One New Orleans literacy initiative.

 

 

10:40 a. m. — Intermission, authors will sign in Book Mart.

11:00 a. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom

10:10 a. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom
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10:30 a. m. — Intermission, authors will sign in the Book Mart

10:45 a. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom

11:45 a. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom

12:10 p. m. — Intermission, Authors will sign in the Book Mart

LITERATURE & LUNCH:
WAR & COLLATERAL AS INSPIRATION FOR THE ARTS

Vietnam, A 20th Century Cross To Bear; Vietnamese Refugees, God’s Gift To Louisiana
The work of fiction writer Robert Olen Butler is proof positive of the way in which war has  of turning on itself and giving us  surprises to treasure. Bob Butler, who served in Vietnam and has returned to Vietnam since, won the Pulitzer Prize for A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain, his masterful collection of short fiction centering on Vietnamese families, many of them boat people, found themselves in Louisiana after the fall of Saigon and who have enriched the culture of New Orleans, adding to the rich ethnic diversity of our city, that voluptuous diversity which is at the heart of the city’ siren call. More recently, he has revisited the transforming event of his life in his new novel Perfume River.  Bob Butler, whose college degree was in drama, is among those rare great fiction writers who also are good performance readers. The event will begin with his reading from A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain and end with his reading from Perfume River.  Later in the festival, Bob Butler, who literally can write fiction about even the most esoteric subjects for any market, will do a two-hour workshop on the differences between literary and mass market fiction and how to write for all markets successfully. Bob will sign at the end of the event. His books may be ordered in advance from Faulkner House Books, 524-2940, or purchased at the event.
12:30 p. m. — Arnaud’s The Creole Cottage, 813 Bienville St., Cash Bar Opens
1:00 p. m.  — Lunch is Served
1:30 p. m.  — Program Begins


NOTE
:
Reservations absolutely must be made and paid for in advance of all Literature & Lunch sessions, as we must give cash deposits and final counts in advance. Without an advance paid reservation, you will not be admitted. Event winners, faculty and sponsors,  are our guests, but absolutely must RSVP in advance. For tickets, e-mail faulkhouse@aol.com or call
(504)524-2940, Faulkner House Books, which accepts our credit card charges. Checks can be mailed to Faulkner Society, attention: Literature & Lunch, 624 Pirate’s Alley, NOLA 70116 to arrive by November 30.

 

BOOK MART REOPENS
3:00p. m. — Hotel Monteleone
MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUES BEGIN
3:00 p. m. — Hotel Monteleone, Orleans Room

WORKSHOP
3:00 p. m. — Hotel Monteone, Queen Anne Ballroom
The All Important Query Letter

johnnie_bernardLiterary agent Johnnie Bernhard will conduct a one-hour workshop. Ms. Bernard is with the Loiacono Literary Agency. Following the initial one-hour presentation,  Ms. Bernhard will conduct one-on-one query letter critiques.  Each writer will receive a private, 15-minute consultation.  Writers  registering for a query critique will send Ms. Bernhard a word-doc 12 pt. Times-New Roman letter submission as an e-mail attachment with “Words & Music Query Critique” in the subject line. The submitted letter must contain a one paragraph bio and contact info of the writer within the query letter, genre and word count of the subject must be included in the query letter. Query critiques are $25 each, limited to the first 10 writers who register in advance of Words & Music. Send 1 hard copy with check made out to Words & Music and mailed to Faulkner Society, 624 Pirate’s Alley, New Orleans, LA. Electronic submissions should be e-mailed to Johnnie Bernhard, Johnnie.B@llallc.net  by the deadline for submitting, November 4, 2016, 7 p.m.

Concurrent Programming
QUERY LETTER CRITIQUES
4:00 p. m. Hotel Monteleone, Orleans Room

Literary Agent Johnnie Bernhard Private Consultations
Will meet with writers who have registered for individual query letter critiques one at a time in the Orleans Room.

WORDS & MUSIC WRITERS ALLIANCE
4:00 p. m. Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom
The Annual Meeting of the Words & Music Literary Alliance
Readings on the 2016 Theme: The Dark Side of Literature & Life
Authors with new work are invited to read at this event. Writers who wish to read at this event must sign-up at Faulkhouse@aol.com.  Writers must be prepared to set the scene for their work and do a reading within a five-minute total time frame per writer. Deadline for signing up is October 31. Please submit copy of material to be read. Writers will be accommodated on a first come, first serve basis. Among those who have signed up to date are fiction writer Amy Conner, who will be reading from her recently completed novel Lost, Stolen or Strayed: The Emancipated Year; poet
Stacey Balkun, who will be reading from her new chapbook, Lost City Museum, and well known Canadian environmental activist, Leslie Daniels, reading from her non-fiction book, Boundaries; Steve Putnam,
who will be reading from his novel Academy of Reality; Daniel deVisé, who will be reading from his non-fiction
book, Andy & Don Andrea Panzeca, who will read from her debut chapbook, Rusted Bells and Daisy Baskets.

Concurrent Programming

MASTER CLASS: 2016 AGENTS & EDITORS MEETING
6:00 p. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom

How to Get an Agent, the Right Agent, and Working with an Editor
Jeff_Kleinman_photoLiterary Agent Jeff Kleinman, partner in Folio Literary Management will lead this session with his special brand of hi-jinx to get the Editors and Agents pumped up and ready to enjoy Words & Music, 2016, while concurrently giving registered writers the low down on  selling their books and getting them into print. Joining Jeff will be 2016’s participating agents: Johnnie Bernhard, Brandi Bowles, John Cusick, Deborah Grosvenor, and Mollie Jaffa; with editors: Brenda Copeland, Wendy Jacobs, Christine Pride, and Maya Ziv. (Andra Miller will not be joining the festival until Friday.)

 

WORDS & MUSIC: BIG READ
6:00 p. m. — Main Library, New Orleans Public Library, Duncan Plaza,

Masters of Mexican Short Fiction
david-johnson
This session will be led by David Johnsonwho for 24 years Executive Editor and Art Director of Louisiana Cultural Vistas (LCV), the quarterly magazine of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities (LEH). The program will feature the noted Mexican Journalist, author, and editor Jorge F. Hernandez, who compiled the superb anthology of the best of Mexican short fiction of the 20th century. Hernandez currated, edited and introduced the book, Sun, Stone, and Shadows, which is the focus book of the Faulkner Society’s 2016 BIG READ presented in cooperation with the New Orleans Public Library, the Latin American Library of Tulane University, Jefferson Parish Public Library, and other partners.

WORDS & MUSIC WELCOME PARTY
7:30  p. m. — 9:00 p. m.

Faulkner House, 624 Pirate’s Alley. (Pirate’s Alley runs between Jackson Square and Royal Street.) Hosted by Faulkner Society Co-Founders, Rosemary James and Joseph DeSalvo. Drinks and Hors d’Oeuvres. Included in festival packages.
portrait_joe_and_rosemary

Faulkner Society Co-Founders

FREE EVENING
For dinner after the welcome cocktail party? We suggest Muriel’s, Doris, Tableau, the Gumbo Shop, all in the walking distance neighborhood. Brennan’s on Royal Street, Criollo in the Hotel Monteleone, Mr. B’s (directly across from the Hotel Monteleone).  If you want a quickie with lively banter from the waiters, good hamburgers and fries, try The Camellia Grill on Chartres Street, corner of Toulouse.

Friday, November 11, 2016

CAFÉ AU LAIT & CROISSANTS
8:00 a. m. — Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom
Continental Breakfast with remarks about day’s events.

MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUES CONTINUE
8:30 a. m. — Orleans Room

WORKSHOP
8:30 a. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom

carrie-brown_john-brown_juleps-in-june
John Gregory Brown Holds Forth about his new book, A Thousand Miles from Nowhere, at Juleps in June

Epiphany & Redemption: Characters & Climax
This workshop will be led by novelist John Gregory Brown, author of critically acclaimed novels, including his most recent, A Thousand Miles From Nowhere. Invited to join John for this session is literary editor Christine Pride. Participating writers are asked to submit a maximum of five pages dealing with a principal character or climax scene. Writers should include full contact info and e-mail to Faulkhouse@aol.com by October 24. The first 10 writers who submit will have their work discussed during the workshop. All writers who have purchased a tuition or sponsor package are eligible to audit the workshop.
Note: originally this was the title of one of our proposed three-day workshops. We cancelled all the three-day workshops and are presenting shorter versions of the same materials.

10:00  a. m. — Book Mart, Bonnet Carre Room
Intermission. Authors will sign in the Book Mart

MASTER CLASS: NON-FICTION
10:15 a. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom
Narrative Non-fiction That Works…and Why?
No Different Than Fiction:
Grabber Opening, Compelling Story About PeoplDeborah Grosvenor Readinge You Can Believe In, and Wherever Possible…
A Dash of Humor!

This session will be led by literary Deborah Grosvenor, whose career has included placement of some spectacular successes in both non-fiction and fiction and her theory is that the best non-fiction reads like great fiction…with great openings, fully developed characters, and a plot that moves well. It doesn’t hurt if the author can throw in some humor, if possible, a lot of humor!  Joining her will be her client, Daniel deVisé, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and non-fiction author of Andy & Don, and Franz Wisner, New York Times bestselling author of Honeymoon With My Brother and the recently released How the World Makes Love, a look at dating, marriage, sex, and romance around the planet. Joining them will be Adriana Paramo, winner of 2016 Narrative Non-Fiction Book category of the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition, for her book, How to Eat Ali’s Mother, selected by Dan deVisé, who judged the competition. Authors will read brief illustrative passages from their work during the session.

11:30 a. m.
Intermission —Authors will sign in the Book Mart

PUBLISHING: PUTTING YOUR PASSION INTO PRINT
11:45 a. m. — Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom

adelicia-cover_frontDoing It Yourself & Getting To Do It Your Way
This session will be led by author and literary consultant Shari Stauch and will feature Joyce Blaylock, a career teacher anjean-lafitte-cover-high-resd author of the beautifully published new book, Adelicia, an historical novel about one of the old South’s most interesting women, literally hot off the presses; author, entrepreneur, and entertainer Morgan Molthrop, whose new publishing endeavor is his entertaining new book of non-fiction, Jean Lafitte’s Pirate Code: 17 Strategies for Acquiring Untold Fortune From America’s First Laissez Fair Capitalist; and William Lobb, debut author of The Third Step, self-published through The Third Step, self-published through Gatekeeper Press.

Joyce worked on Adelicia literally for years and got tired of waiting for her book to see the light of day. She worked with a Nashville printer and graphic designer Bill Kersey to get the look of the book she wanted. Molthrop worked successfully on Wall Street until the recession in the wake of the Bush Administration knocked the props out from under his job, so he came back to his native New Orleans and re-invented himself, creating a publishing company and joining forces with a tourist event company.

third-step_-05-641x1024William, whose path to sobriety gave him a passion for the written word, found self-publishing to be a rewarding option. Shari, after a successful career as a professional pool player, several books about the sport and the creation of a magazine for the pool industry, created Where Writers Win, specializing in services for writers, to help other authors put their passion in print and find their audience of readers!

Shari will be available on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for one-on-one consultations with aspiring authors.

12:45 p. m.
Intermission — Authors will Sign in Book Mart

LITERATURE & LUNCH
l:00 p. m. — Cash Bar Opens
1:15 p. m. — Lunch is served

alihot-eudora-welty_richard-ford
The late Eudora Welty with Richard Ford. Photograph by Rosemary James

The Purple Hat Celebration of New Orleans Noir
This event celebrates publication of New Orleans Noir, the new anthology of short fiction, which includes Eudora Welty’s marvelously mysterious story, The Purple Hat, reputedly inspired by and set in the Hotel Monteleone’s famous Carousel Bar. Faulkner Society co-founder Rosemary James will use Ms. Welty’s famous piece as a jumping off point to introduce a discussion of “noir” as the favored literary form for lots of contemporary writers as well, including New Orleans native T. M. (Toni McGee) Causey, whose new southern gothic novel, The Saints of the Lost and Found is a compelling read. Toni is invited to discuss Noir literature and just why “noir” is such a popular genre of literature, especially here in New Orleans. Invited to join her is: Bill Loehfelm, author of the marvelous detective series featuring a Staten Island cocktail waitress turned NOPD cop, Maureen Coughlin. The latest in the series is: Let the Devil Out. One of the stories featured in New Orleans Noir is Mussolini and the Axeman’s Jazz by Poppy Z. Brite, the pen name of New Orleanian Billy Martin, who will join the conversation. Ladies are requested to wear purple head adornments for the event; gentlemen can find a wide array of purple hats, too, starting with baseball caps and trilbies, or purple ties, ascots, pocket handkerchiefs, or other purple accessories. Purple Hat cocktails, created by the Monteleone’s mixologist, will be served.

2:45  p. m. —
Intermission. Authors will sign immediately after the program.

THE AESTHETICS OF LITERATURE
3:15 p. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom, Hotel Monteleone

The Art of Creating Literature for Young People…
Don’t Talk Down to Them!

Literary Agents John Cusick and Molly Jaffa will explore the world of
literature for children, young adults, and adults in their lives. Joining
them will be professional literary editor, Wendy Jacobs, who works freelance for a number of major publishers as well as individuals. She is a writer, too, and currently is working on a book for children and a  collection of Russian Fairy Tales for the young at heart, regardless of age. Sanem Ozdural, who writes speculative fiction for adults—including LiGa (short for
Life Game) and her latest, The Dark Shall Do What the Light Cannot—recently has
turned her talents to work on similar fiction for young people.

4:15 p. m.
Intermission

WORKSHOP: MEMOIR
4:30 p. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom
franz-hi-resTelling Your Story, Yes, But Making It Read Brandi-BowlesLike a Novel
Featuring Franz Wisner, author of the bestselling memoir, Honeymoon with My Brother and his more recent memoir, How the World Makes Love. Invited to join Franz are literary agents Jeff Kleinman and Brandi Bowles. Writers may send in a submission of not more  than one page double-spaced of the title and opening scene of a memoir. Submit in advance to Faulkhouse@aol.com by November 3 .  The first six submissions received will be reviewed during the session.

5:45 p. m. — Book Mart

Intermission — authors will sign in Book Mart

THE AESTHETICS OF LITERATURE
6:00 p.m. — Queen Anne Ballroom
The Art of Creating Memorable Characters
This session will be led by novelist George Bishop. It will feature Literary Editor Maya Ziv and Joyce Blaylock, author of the new novel, Adelicia, which tracks a single absorbing character with real history as the framework for an imagined life.  George is author of The Night of the Comet and Letter to My Daughter. A career teacher herself, Blaylock first became fascinated with Adelicia because of tales about her told by one of her teachers when she was very young. The resulting book owes its reader appeal to Blaylock’s careful research over several years, tracking down source material in Tennessee, Louisiana, and France. Maya Ziv represents such authors as Chloe Esposito, whose work centers on a central character, Alvie Knightley: star of the Mad, Bad, and And Dangerous to Know trilogy.

7:00  p. m. —
Bar Opens

BIG READ: BORDER OF THE DAMNED
7:15 p. m. —

damned-borderAmerica’s Problem That Mexico is Suffering and Its Influence on Literature…North and South of the Border

This event will star American author Nicholas Mainieri and Mexican-born authors Jorge F. Hernandez and Yuri Herrera—Gutierrez. Nick Mainieri’s debut novel, The Infinite, released concurrent with Words & Music, 2016, is the story of an undocumented Mexican girl living in New Orleans with her father and a New Orleans boy, two millennials, who, through no fault of their own, get caught up in the violence of the drug Cartel; it is a story as old as love but cast in 21st century settings: Louisiana, Texas-the Border, and Mexico. Yuri Herrera is burning it up internationally with his fiction revolving largely around what he has described as “the American problem that Mexico is suffering,” the voracious addictions and demands for drugs by Americans, fueling the violence inflicted on Mexicans by the Cartel, further inflamed by the 250,000 guns being sold over by border by U. S. companies to arm the Cartel. His novel, Signs Preceding the End of the World, translated into English by Lisa Dillman, won the prestigious Best Book in Translation for Fiction this year. Later this month, he will be awarded one of Germany’s top prizes for literature, the Anna Seghers Prize, by the Berlin Academy of the Arts. And he is being written up favorably for both this book and the just released translation of his novel, The Transmigration of Bodies. He’s being complimented in all the right places. The much lauded London Review of Books, for instance devoted a full page to him, exploring Herrera’s style, full of lyrical, sometimes rap-like, often made-up language, somewhat reminiscent of William Faulkner’s experimental prose. Jorge Hernandez, the noted Mexican journalist and author, is the curator, editor, translator, and introducer of Sun, Stone, and Shadows, the focus book for the Faulkner Society’s 2016 BIG READ literary initiative underwritten in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. It is a collection of the best of Mexican short fiction of the last Century, including work by such masters as the late Carlos Fuentes, who often commented on how he and other Mexican writers had been heavily influenced by Faulkner. Hernandez, who currently lives in Madrid, writes for Spain’s important newspaper, El Pais.

The authors will sign following their discussion.

8:45 p. m.
Intermission

JAZZ AFTER HOURS AT  TABLEAU
9:15 p. m. — Tableau, corner of Chartres and St. Peter; enter through  Chartres Street Door;
stairs will be there as you come in; take stairs to second floor. 

Rhythm & Blues New Orleans Style
Our annual  Jazz After Hours will take place at a new venue, Tableau, which is located  in the historic Le Petit Theatre Building, recently completely renovated by Dickie Brennan, a member of the famed Brennans family of restaurateurs, to provide a wonderful theatre on one side and a great restaurant on the other side. The party will be on the second floor in “The Green Room” reached from the second floor salon space, which opens to a balcony overlooking Jackson Square. The music for the evening will be under the direction of author and music critic Ben Sandmel, who also is a first class drummer. The event will include food and wine. Click Here for the delicious Tableau menu which will be prepared for the event.

Saturday, November 12, 2016

CAFÉ AU LAIT & CROISSANTS

8:00 a. m. — Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom
Continental Breakfast, Announcements

MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUES CONTINUE
8:00 a. m. — Orleans Room

BOOKMART OPENS
8:00 a. m. — Bonnet Carre Room

Concurrent Programming

WORKSHOP: HISTORICAL FICTION
8:15 a. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom
carrie-brown-copy
Bringing the Long Dead Back to Vibrant Lifeandra_miller_editor-ballantine
This session will be led by novelist Carrie Brown, author of seven widely acclaimed books of historical fiction, including her most recent books, The Stargazer’s Sister and The Last First Day, and a collection of short stories, The House on Belle Isle. Invited to join Carrie for this session is Andra Miller, who recently moved from Algonquin to Ballantine, where she now is Executive Editor. Participating writers are asked to submit a maximum of five pages dealing with an historic event or characters of the past. Writers should include full contact info and e-mail to Faulkhouse@aol.com by October 24. The first 10 writers who submit will have their work discussed during the workshop. All writers who have purchased a tuition or sponsor package are eligible to audit the workshop.

Note: originally this was the title of one of our proposed three-day workshops. We cancelled all the three-day workshops and are presenting shorter versions of the same materials.

9:45 a. m.
Intermission. Carrie Brown will sign in Book Mart

GETTING YOUR WORK IN THE HANDS OF READERS
10:00 a. m. —
It’s All About Connections… And Book Clubs… and Readers!

The session will be led by Literary Consultant Shari Stauch and will feature Bren McClain, this year’s winner of the Faulkner Society’s Gold Medal for Best Novel in Progress, and the famous Pulpwood Queen Kathy L. Murphy. All three of these women have valuable experience in the business of promoting literature and they can help you promote your own.

PLUS: What will the next great read be? Kathy Murphy clues you in on her picks and why!

11:00 a. m. — Book Mart, Bonnet Carre Room
Intermission – authors will sign in the Book Mart

MASTER CLASS: SHORT & SHORTER FICTION
11:15 a. m. —Queen Anne Ballroom
When Does a Short Story Become a Novella and a Novella Become a Novel?
Literary editor Brenda Copeland is invited to introduce this session with remarks about the market for short fiction and how to break into it. The session will feature National Book Award winner Julia Glass, who won that prize for the novel Three Junes, which began life as a short story, went on to be a novella, Collies, which won the Faulkner Society’s gold medal for Novella, and then became a novel. Ms. Glass will hold forth on the distinctions in fiction and what characterizes a piece of fiction as one thing or another. Invited to join her are the winner of the Faulkner Society’s 2016 Gold Medal for Novella, selected by Julia, Andrew Plattner, and the 2016 Gold Medal winner for Short Story, Paul Negri, his second Faulkner – Wisdom Gold Medal. Paul won for Novella last year. Joining them will be Dan Turtel, First Runner-up for Novella, selected by Julia, and First Runner-up for Short Story, selected by National Book Award winner, Adam Johnson.

12:30 p. m.— Bonnet Carre Room
Intermission. Julia Glass will sign in the Book Mart

FAULKNER & FRIENDS
12:45 p. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom

Artist William Spratling, William Faulkner’s Landlord in New Orleans
Penny Morrill, Ph.D., is the biographer of William Spratling, who was among the fine
artists who with their designs rejuvenated the silver industry in Mexico were responsible
for a design renaissance south of the border. When Sherwood Anderson and his wife—living in a small apartment in the Pontalba—got tired of having Faulkner under foot, they suggested that he go around the corner and see if Bill Spratling could rent him a room.  He could and did and the two became fast friends. The cover on this year’s program for Words & Music and also on the cover of the 2015-2016 edition of the Society’s online journal, The Double Dealer, is a previously unpublished drawing by Spratling depicting the departure of Faulkner and Spratling from New Orleans for their European tour.  Dr. Morrill recently presented the drawing to Tulane University’s Latin American Library, the Society’s partner in BIG READ and related events this year. The library has given the Society permission for this use of the drawing for the journal and program. During this session, Dr. Morrill will talk about Spratling, his experiences as an artist during the 1920a Bohemian heyday of New Orleans and his relationship with Faulkner. Following a Q. & A. session, Dr. Morrill will join us for lunch.

LITERATURE & LUNCH
1:15 p. m. Riverview Room, Roof, Hotel Monteleone
Cash Bar Opens
1:30 p. m.
Lunch Served
good-depression-era-photo
Class in America:
White Trash & Black Achievment

Nancy Isenberg, New York Times bestselling author of White Trash:The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America, and Christina Vella, just named Louisiana Author of the Year by the State Library of Louisiana and Louisiana Festival of the Book and author of George Washington Carver: A Life will share billing with noted historian Andrew Burstein, Ph.D., who will introduce and moderate this session. These fine writers approach new projects and the writing of them by analyzing history and its characters and zeroing in ongeorge-washington-carver-1 trends or characters that have not been given the attention they deserve.  Isenberg’s White Trash is a compelling treatise on the concept that the divisiveness of contemporary America is class-driven and that the seeds of divisiveness were sewn in earliest days of the Republic. Vella’s Carver biography examines the life an extraordinary genius who became one of the most beloved figures of American history in spite of two strikes against him at birth, economic class and racial bias.  Burstein’s most recent book, Democracy’s Muse: How Thomas Jefferson Became an FDR Liberal, a Reagan Republican, and a Tea Party Fanatic, All the While Being Dead, is a great treatise on beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to selecting political heroes. These  historians have a lot in common: research integrity and good storytelling, both with a talent for weaving into their narratives those little snippets of detail that bring history out of dusty archives into the realm of pleasurable reading.

3:00  p. m. — Riverview Room
Intermission — Authors will sign after their presentation

3:15  p. m. Queen Anne Ballroom
MASTER CLASS: GET OFF YOUR DUFF AND DO IT!
The Joys and Sorrows of the 30-day Novel

Chris Baty founder of NaNoWriMo in his Berkeley apartment.
Chris Baty, founder of NaNoWriMo, in his Berkeley apartment.

Tackling National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this November? Or looking for a way to inject some fun into your fiction? Join NaNoWriMo founder Chris Baty for this talk, where he’ll lay out the creative benefits and challenges of bashing out a book in 30 days. Along with a quick overview of NaNoWriMo and its growth from a “handful of over-caffeinated goofballs” into the world’s largest writing event, Chris will offer some practical strategies for surviving (and thriving) during your month of literary abandon. He also will be carrying out several activities with participating writers. Baty’s Master Class is included in Writers Tuition Pass, Sponsors Pass, and Saturday Day Pass.

4:45 p. m. — Book Mart, Bonnet Carre Room
Intermission. Chris Baty will sign in the Book Mart

THE MUSE ON THE MISSISSIPPI
5:00  p. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom

The Dark Side of Literature & Life in Verse
Led by the widely published poet Peter Cooley, Poet Laureate of Louisiana, and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Tulane University, will lead a discussion of how poets reflect the Society of their times. He will read and then introduce Carolyn Hembree, Jade Hurter, Jaymes Bullet, Christopher Romaguera, who will read from their current work relating to this year’s Words & Music theme.

6:00 p. m. — Bonnet Carre Room
Intermission, authors for both poetry sessions will sign in Book Mart

6:15 p. m. —Queen Anne Ballroom
Dreams As Poetry’s Muse  for the Ages
This session will be led by bestselling poet, non-fiction writer and dream analyst, one the best minds of our time, Rodger Kamenetz, author of The Missing Jew, To Die Next to You, and other poetry collections as well as his highly acclaimed non-fiction work such as Burnt Books, The History of Last Night’s Dream, and The Jew in the Lotus. The session will feature prize-winning poet Mark Yakich, editor of New Orleans Review, and author of the new book, Poetry: A Survivor’s Guide, in which he reinvents both the reading and the writing of poetry, a great guide for poetry lovers and those who want to love it but are afraid of it. The two will discuss the role of dreams in poetry and read some of their latest lines, then introduce the winner of the Faulkner Society’s 2016 Gold Medal for Best Poem selected by Mark, Nancy DaFoe, who will read her winning work.

7:15 p. m. — Intermission

FAULKNER FOR ALL
The Black-tie Annual Meeting of the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society

faulkner-medal-fade
7:30 p. m. — Royal Suites B, C, & D, Ground Floor,
Hotel Monteleone

Part I —Cocktails & Gold Medals
During the Cocktail Hour the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society will recognize finalists in the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competion and present gold medals and cash prizes to winners of eight categories of creative writing: Novel, Narrative Non-Fiction Book, Novella, Short Story, Novel-in-Progress, Essay, Poetry, and Short Story by a High School Student.

8:45 p. m.
Intermission
9:00 p. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom, East Mezzanine, Hotel Monteleone
Part II
Tiaras & Bow Ties, Dinner, Dancing

The toastmaster for the second half of Faulkner for All is New Orleans author, entrepreneur, and the_pulpwood_queens_tiara_wearing_book_sharing_gmorgan_molthrop-in-tuxentertainer, Morgan Molthrop, author of the new fun book, Jean Lafitte’s Pirate Code. Morgan, a season courtier, as only New Orleans can produce, will be presenting the Pulpwood Queen, Kathy Murphy (formerly Kathy Patrick), who has wowed the literary world by instigating a worldwide phenomenon, The Pulpwood Queen’s Book Clubs, now numbering 700 Book Clubs worldwide.  In Kathy’s honor, the attire for the evening is Bow Ties and Tiaras, the more original, the better. Queen Kathy will give you the lowdown on making reading fun, as outlined in her terrific book, The Pulpwood Queen’s Tiara-Wearing, Book-Sharing Guide to Life. And don’t stint on the imagination when selecting your tiaras and bow ties as Queen Kathy will be picking her favorites for prizes. And we will be presenting our ALIHOT Awards (A Legend In His/Her Own Time) for literature and service to the arts.

Sunday, November 13, 2016
CAFÉ AU LAIT & CROISSANTS

8:30 a. m — Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom
Continental Breakfast, Announcements

MANUSCRIPT CRITIQUES CONCLUDE

8:30 a. m. — Orleans Room
Concurrent programming

THE AESTHETICS OF LITERATURE
8:45 a. m. — Queen Anne Ballroom
The Biographer’s Art:
The Facts, Of Course, But Great Storytelling is the Real Name of
the History Game

Featuring terrific biographers Nancy Isenberg, Andrew Burstein, and Christina Vella Among the noteworthy biographies bh Dr. aaron-burrIsenberg and her husband and frequent writing partner, Dr. Andrew Burstein, is Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr, a critically-acclaimed biography strongly contesting the linear image Burr has been given as the villainous assassin of Alexander Hamilton. The book focuses on Burr’s progressive and heroic activism during the Revolution, his artistry as a lawyer and orator, and the ways in which his accomplishments and patriotism were deliberately negated by his contemporary rivals.  Dr. Isenberg’s new bestselling history, White Trash, traces the development of America’s cthomas-jeffersonlass system, while one of Dr. Burstein’s recent works is right on point for  today’s political climate: Democracy’s  Muse:  How Thomas Jefferson Became and FDR Liberal, A Reagan Republican, and a Tea Part Fanatic, All While Being Dead.

Dr. Vella published George Washington Carver: micaela-almonaster_baroness-pontalbaa Life last year and received high critical acclaim for both her research and her storytelling talents.  Her editor? None other than Dr. Burstein. Also a stand-out achievement is Intimate Enemies: The Two Worlds of the Baroness de Pontalba, Michaela Leonarda Almonaster de Pontalba was the sponsor of landmark architectural complexes in her native Louisiana, as well as in France, her home for sixty-seven years. She conceived the Pontalba Buildings in New Orleans as two magnificent blocks of row houses facing each other on Jackson Square. Dr. Vella’s most recent biography, George Washington Carver: a Life, delves into the life of one of America’s most beloved figures and she has gotten high marks for telling it right and entertaining serious readers at the same time. in.  Dr. Vella’s biography of Kemal Ataturk, Ataturk and the Unveiling of Turkey, is in publication now.

For more on these two outstanding biographers, see the 2015-2016 edition of the Faulkner
Society’s on-line journal, The Double Dealer.

9:45  a. m. —Book Mart
Intermission —Authors will sign in Book Mart

THE AESTHETICS OF LITERATURE

10:15 a. m. —  Queen Anne Ballroom
The Art of Speculative Fiction as Vehicle for Social Commentary
Featuring novelists Moira Crone, author of The Not Yet, and Sanem Ozdural, author of LiGA and her latest The Dark Shall Do What the Light Cannot, with literary agent Katherine Fausset.

11:15 a. m. — Book Mart Bonnet Carre Room
Intermission — Authors will sign in Book Mart

LITERATURE & LUNCH: THE LAST WORD!
11:30 a. m.
Let’s End on a Laugh, Tickling the Funny Bone…
This session will be led by Roy Blount, Jr., one of America’s memorably funny men who always manages to come up with a unique twist on any situation  that captures his fancy.

12:30  p. m.Book Mart
Intermission – Authors will sign

So long, ooh long..until, 2017!

 

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