RRPQ December Newsletter

Best-Seller "Water For Elephants" to Be 2011 Film

Water for Elephants Trailer
Uploaded by teasertrailer. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

Reminder: RRPQ December Meeting!

The December RRPQ Meeting will be on Thursday, Dec. 16th at Monjuni's on La. Avenue, 6:30pm. We will be discussing the book The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. See you there!

Queen Kathy's Newsletter - The Pulp, December

The Pulp December

Queen Carey's Homage to Book Festivals, Pg. 5

Open publication - Free publishing - More louisiana

RRPQ November Newsletter

RRPQ November Newsletter

Book Signing At The Book Merchant- Nov. 20

Poet Julie Kane will be signing copies of the WONDERFUL book, New Orleans: What Can't Be Lost at 11:30am at the Book Merchant in Natchitoches on Saturday, Nov. 20. This remarkable book of 88 short stories is a love story to the city of New Orleans and what it means to live and love the Crescent City. Trust me, this book is one that every Louisianan should own!

Julie Kane is the author of the poetry collection Jazz Funeral.

The Book Merchant

512 Front Street

Natchitoches, LA

To Kill A Mockingbird with the RRPQ

On Tuesday, November 16, Queen Carey, Queen Michelle, and her mother (and potential member) Debbie attended the matinee screening at the Robinson Film Center of the classic To Kill A Mockingbird starring the one and only Gregory Peck...the theater was packed. We were there from the beginning when Scout went rolling inside of a tire onto the Radley's front steps all the way to the end, when Scout, dressed in a ham costume watched her brother be saved by the likes of Boo Radley himself (Robert Duvall's first acting role). Afterwards we attended the luncheon upstairs in Abby Singer's Bistro where we dined on roast beef, sweet potatoes, green beans, and yummy brownies...a true Southern feast in more ways than one. For more photos see RRPQ Photos on the sidebar.

REMINDER - November Meeting Thursday Night!

November RRPQ Meeting

This Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010

6:30pm

Monjuni's Italian Cafe

We will be discussing Karen Essex's book Dracula in Love and voting for Pulpwood Queens' books of the year. Don't miss it!

Reminder - To Kill A Mockingbird at the Robinson

Just a reminder!

To Kill A Mockingbird will be showing at the Robinson Film Center in downtown Shreveport for one day only for special groups. To get your ticket, click here. Show your RRPQ pride and wear your pink t-shirts for photo ops.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

10:30am

$14.00 for show and luncheon

The Pulp - Official Pulpwood Queens Newsletter

The Pulp - November

Just Announced: The Official 2011 Girlfriend Weekend Program!

2011 Girlfriend Weekend Official Program

Books Alive 2010

It's almost time for the Christian and Inspirational Book Festival, BOOKS ALIVE, November 12-14, 2010! As we ready for the big event which will be held at the First United Methodist Church of historic Jefferson, Texas, Kathy will be showcasing an author a day!

Get your tickets today! ! Those who pre-register and pay will receive a FREE BOOK courtesy of Beauty and the Book, Kathy's Hair Salon/Bookstore. This event was created as a total fundraiser for Kathy's church to help fund it's wonderful mission and outreach programs.

Authors include:

Sam Bracken & Echo Garrett (My Orange Duffel Bag)

Missy Buchanan (Living with a Purpose in a Worn Out Body)

Red River Pulpwood Queen - Judy Christie (Hurry Less, Worry Less; Green novels)

Dr. Mark Green (A Night With Saddam)

Karla K. Morton (Redefining Beauty)

Carla Stewart (Chasing Lilacs: A Novel)

Online Writing Class With Queen Connie!

Red River Pulpwood Queen Connie Cox will be teaching an online class through Passionate Ink online writing chapter called And Then What Happened–Constructing Scenes and Sequels that Keep Your Story Moving Forwardwhich pretty much describes the class.

If you want to write, but don’t know how to start. Or you’ve started your story and don’t know how to keep it going, this is for you.

Online classes start November 8th. Lessons are posted once a week through December 5th for a total of 4 lessons with daily online feedback. Lessons are conducted through a private, by-invitation-only email loop.

Cost: $15 for Passionate Ink Members, $20 for non-members
To Pay Online : Using PayPal (PayPal), send payment to
workshops@passionateink.org
with “WORKSHOP – What Happened” as the subject. In the “message” section, include Your Name and Email Address. Or email me for instructions if you want to pay by check.

All Hallow's Read - A Trick Or Treat Alternative

Give a book this Halloween instead of sugary candy!

This new website All Hallow's Read, provides all of the details on how to share the gift of reading this Halloween. Simply give one child a scary book instead of a fist full of candy...simple as that. Download cute gift tags directly from the site. So start a new tradition that you can be proud of!

Acadiana Book Festival

Saturday, October 30, 2010

8:00am-5:00pm

Cite des Arts, Lafayette, LA

Program includes complete schedule and author bios! (My bio is on pg. 14)

Acadiana Book Festival Program

Southern Living And Fannie Flagg

Fannie Flagg, the beloved writer of Fried Green Tomatoes, is set to be a guest at the 2011 Girlfriend Weekend...to the delight of many, many Pulpwood Queens.

In the meantime, with the upcoming release of her new book I Still Dream About You, the November issue of Southern Living Magazine has done a wonderful job of showcasing her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Read the interview with Fannie about her newest protagonist, Maggie, and even read an excerpt from the book!

Read the article here.

To Kill A Mockingbird - 1 Day Only Event!

To Kill A Mockingbird

Robinson Film Center

10:30 am

November 16, 2010

A special screening of To Kill A Mockingbird will be shown at the Robinson Film Center in downtown Shreveport on November 16 for seniors and special groups. The Red River Pulpwood Queens have been given permission to attend this one day only event! If you would like to attend, please let me know so that we can plan it as a group. Tickets will go on sale soon! Plan for lunch at Abby Singer's Bistro upstairs.

Skype Interview - A Smashing Success!

Yesterday evening, October 15, was the scheduled Skype interview with author Helen Simonson for Kathy Patrick's upcoming show Beauty and the Book. (The premiere episode will be unveiled at the 2011 Girlfriend Weekend!)

Several of the regular Red River PQ's were unavailable for the interview, however, Queens Connie, Judy, and Leslie were on hand to join me for almost an hour as the Skype conversation was being recorded.

Author Helen Simonson of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand, was such a team player and provided detailed and informative answers to our Queens' many interesting questions. It was exciting to find out that Helen will, indeed, be participating in the 2011 Girlfriend Weekend! So everyone get your books ready to be signed!!

I thank you very much to the ladies who participated, to Helen Simonson for humoring us through all of our questions and camera issues, and to Queen Kathy Patrick for allowing us such a great opportunity!

Video: Karen Essex with the Pulpwood Queens

Video from the Victorian Dinner with Karen Essex. She discusses her inspirations and life. Afterwards, several guests perform an impromptu play that Karen adapted just for this occasion. (See Author Video to see Part 2)

RRPQ October Newsletter

Red River Pulpwood Queens October Newsletter

Reminder: October Meeting!

Red River Pulpwood Queen October Meeting

October 14, 2010

6:30pm

Monjuni's (Louisiana Ave., Shreveport)

map

Please join us as we will be discussing Helen Simonson's debut novel Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. The meeting will be chock full of surprises and exciting news about the 2011 Girlfriend Weekend. You don't want to miss it!

A Victorian Evening with Karen Essex

Tuesday night (October 12) was an incredible evening. Pulpwood Queens from Jefferson, TX, Linden, TX, and Shreveport arrived at the Austin Street Bistro in downtown Jefferson for an authentic Victorian dinner with bestselling author Karen Essex. All of the ladies were dressed beautifully and it was a delight to see the impromptu play that Karen had created just for the event, inspired by her book Dracula In Love. We enjoyed a delightful four-course dinner of soup, salad, baked chicken with couscous, and coffee with gingerbread cake.

If you didn't get a chance to meet Karen at the dinner, do not fret as she will be attending Girlfriend Weekend in January! In the meantime, you can purchase Dracula In Love at Beauty and the Book or your local Barnes & Noble.

Reminder: Victorian Dinner with Karen Essex

Victorian Dinner

with Dracula In Love author Karen Essex

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

6:30pm

Austin Street Bistro

Jefferson TX

map

Dinner is $25

Contact Carey or Kathy Patrick to RSVP, limited space available; Victorian/Gothic dress is preferred.

A Shout Out To A Red River Pulpwood Queen!

The October edition of Louisiana Road Trips magazine is now available for viewing online! In this issue, Queen Carey's column Peculiar Jaunts introduces readers to author and Red River Pulpwood Queen Michelle McCrary (also known to friends as the "Shreveport Zombie Queen"). She will be playing the lead role in the upcoming production of Night of the Living Dead in Bossier City at the end of October. Check out pg. 25!

October Book Selection

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

by Helen Simonson

You are about to travel to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family. Among them is Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson's wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, Major Pettigrew is one of the most indelible characters in contemporary fiction, and from the very first page of this remarkable novel he will steal your heart.

The Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?

September Red River Pulpwood Queens Newsletter

September Newsletter

Recap: September Meeting

Thank you to everyone that ventured out to Monjuni's last night for the September Red River Pulpwood Queens meeting! I believe it was a nice respite for all of us.

We discussed the book The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees. In the novel Louisa is a determined, free spirit who refuses to conform to the roles that society has laid out for women during the late 1800s. She is adamant about becoming an independent writer. Queen Connie provided a good bit of insight on the topic of female writing seeing that she is a published writer in her own right. We threw around the idea of "Would Louisa's writing have been different if she had not been writing primarily to sell" . We also discussed why she decided to take measures to conceal her personal life from the public and how this seems to somewhat parallel author Harper Lee's lifestyle.

For October we will be reading Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. Everyone seemed to enjoy our new meeting location, Monjuni's on Louisiana Ave., in which we will gather again on October 14, 2010 at 6:30pm. The Shreveport library has several copies of the October book selection, so start reading ladies!

NOLA STARS Workshop

Shout out to everyone who wants to come--Romance Writers of America's North Louisiana chapter, NOLA STARS, is hosting a writers' boot camp, open to the public, Saturday October 9th from 9:30 to 2:00pm at the Main Bossier Parish Library. Bring a sack lunch. Drinks and desserts provided. Contact Connie Cox for more information.

Jewell Parker Rhodes on the Today Show

Author Jewell Parker Rhodes made an appearance on the Today show this morning, discussing her book Ninth Ward as a part of Al's Book Club for Kids. Jewell has graciously donated a copy of her new book to the Red River Pulpwood Queens. If you would like to read Ninth Ward, please contact me to get your name put on the list.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Reminder: September Meeting!

Red River Pulpwood Queens - September Meeting

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

6:30pm

Monjuni's Italian Cafe

1315 Louisiana Ave.

Shreveport, LA

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Acadiana Book Festival - Coming in October!

The Writer’s Guild of Acadiana in Lafayette will host the Acadiana Book Festival from 8:00am-5:00pm on Saturday, October 30, 2010 at Cite des Arts (109 Vine St.) in downtown Lafayette.

The festival is free and open to the public!

Dozens of Louisiana authors are scheduled to participate. Poet Laureate Darrell Bourque will speak along with poet Ava Leavell Haymon, plus there will be presentations by mystery authors, novelists, cookbook creators, and children’s book authors. Christee Gabour Atwood, a motivational speaker radio personality, and author will present a one-woman show in connection with her book release In Celebration of Elastic Waistbands.

Authors include: Christa Allan, Tom Aswell, Christee Gabour Atwood, Marcelle Bienvenu, Jim Booksh, Darrell Bourque, Carl Brasseaux, Anne Butler, Morena Johnson Caleb, Henry Cacienne, Chere Dastugue Coen, Barbara Colley, Sheila Herbert Collins, Donald W. Davis, Mark F. DeWitt, Ann B. Dobie, Terri Hoover Dunham, Woody Falgout, Mary Gelham, D.B. Grady, Greg Guirard, Ava Leavell Haymon, Brandon Hebert, Carla Hotsetter, Patrice Melnick, John Morella, Erin Osborne, Rose Anne St. Romain, Carolyn Shelton, Theresa Newport Singleton, Don Stanford, Carey Weeks, and Beverly Vidrine.

LSU Press, ULL Press, and Margaret Media Press will participate as well as several self-published authors, literary organizations, and authors will small presses. (information from Louisiana Book News)

Louisa May Alcott, A Lost Summer Found-September Book Selection

"Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead." - Louisa May Alcott

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott - by Kelly O'Connor McNees

In the bestselling tradition of Loving Frank and March comes a novel for anyone who loves Little Women. Millions of readers have fallen in love with Little Women. But how could Louisa May Alcott-who never had a romance-write so convincingly of love and heart-break without experiencing it herself? Deftly mixing fact and fiction, Kelly O'Connor McNees imagines a love affair that would threaten Louisa's writing career-and inspire the story of Jo and Laurie in Little Women. Stuck in small-town New Hampshire in 1855, Louisa finds herself torn between a love that takes her by surprise and her dream of independence as a writer in Boston. The choice she must make comes with a steep price that she will pay for the rest of her life. (Barnes & Noble)

The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott was chosen for Oprah's 2010 Summer reading list!

August Meeting Commemorates Katrina

"Water. Beginning and end of life in New Orleans. Just as floodwater seeped into places even light could not go, Katrina's aftermath found the weaknesses of any relationship and drove the wedges. Much as we like to brandish the cliche' that the storm brought us together--and it did on many collective levels the world over--it tore us apart on individual levels just as easily. And it is with these conflicts of the heart, within ourselves, our relationships, our communities, our city, that the artist finds fertile ground, not only for relief by fitting the conflict into words, but healing by sharing those words. " - (excerpt from Life in the Wake: Fiction from Post-Katrina New Orleans, NOLAFugees.com)

The Red River Pulpwood Queens held its August meeting on the 31st, just two days after the ever-changing Hurricane Katrina made landfall, 5 years ago now. We began with a gentle reminder that on this particular week in 2005, thousands of innocent people clung to roof tops and drowned in murky water. Families and homes were torn apart and we are left only to recover and reminisce.

Our usual place to meet each month is Columbia Cafe, an artsy little place in Shreveport that has always treated us marvelously. Last night, considering our topic of discussion, we were greeted with less than comfortable accommodations. The room was barely lit, the service was slow, and we spent the entire evening sweating from the heat of the cramped space. During a round of bright blue hurricane drinks, I read an excerpt from James Lee Burke's The Tin Roof Blowdown to set the scene for the book selection of the month, Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. We were also joined by our group's newest member, Ark-La-Tex author Connie Cox! We also talked about our new monthly newsletter keeping members up-to-date on events and book news.

As for next month, we will be meeting for Italian dinner; a new book as well as a new place. See you there!

NEW! First Monthly RRPQ Newsletter!

(Upcoming newsletters will be listed for viewing at the top left of the blog home page)
RRPQ August Newsletter

New Book Festival This October!

Acadiana Book Festival

8:00am-5:00pm Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010

Cite' des Arts, downtown Lafayette

Admission: Free

For all of you who have been disappointed that the Louisiana Book Festival has been put on hold, have no fear...the Acadiana Book Festival is here! It will be full of author presentations, signings, and even a panel featuring yours truly! More information will be announced soon, so mark your calendars!

Spooky Shreveport - Book Signing

Dr. Gary Joiner & Dr. Cheryl White will be signing their new book Historic Haunts of Shreveport on Saturday, September 11, 2010 at the Broadmoor Branch Library from 1:00pm-3:00pm.

Click here for directions.

Drs. Joiner and White teamed up with Louisiana Spirits paranormal group to try and discover the dark history of Shreveport. In a recent article, White stressed that this is not a book about ghosts, but a history of the city that happens to include mysterious happenings. Some of the locations that made the cut in the book is, of course, the Municipal Auditorium and the Logan Mansion. According to the article, the book will be followed by the release of Wicked Shreveport.

Author Event Takes A Bite Out Of October!

"Reader, you are about to enter a world that exists simultaneous with your own. But be warned: in its realm, there are no rules, and there is certainly no neat formula to become—or to destroy—one who has risen above the human condition…The truth is, we must fear monsters less and be warier of our own kind." - (Dracula In Love)

Queen Kathy Patrick has just announced that author Karen Essex will be attending the October Pulpwood Queen Meeting at Beauty and the Book in Jefferson, TX. Karen is the author of a truly Gothic vampire tale called Dracula In Love that will certainly make for some spooky Halloween reading!Read an excerpt of the novel here.

And if that is not enough, Queen Kathy is preparing for an entirely Victorian meeting full of surprises!

Place: Beauty and the Book

Jefferson, Texas

Date: TBA

Time: TBA

HBO Documentary - Katrina 5yrs Later

The Follow-up of Spike Lee's award winning documentary "When The Levees Broke" will premiere on HBO on August 23-24.

According to the Times Picayune: The new documentary, titled “If God is Willing and Da Creek Don’t Rise,” will premiere on HBO in two parts on August 23 and 24. The first and fourth hours of the film, which revisits many of the people viewers met in “Levees,” will be screened at the New Orleans event. Other segments recount the New Orleans Saints’ Super Bowl victory, examine efforts to overhaul New Orleans’ public housing and public schools, crime, the Make It Right Foundation’s work in the Lower 9th Ward and Mississippi Gulf Coast recovery.

Most of the entire fourth hour of the film is dedicated to the BP oil spill and its aftermath.

Trailer

NOLA STARS - Meeting

NOLA STARs

North Louisiana StoryTellers and Authors of Romance

August Meeting: August 14, 2010

10:00am

Bossier Parish Library (History Center)

2206 Beckett St.

Bossier City, LA

(318)746-1693

Al's Book Club For Kids Selection

The Today Show's Al Roker has chosen my sweet friend Jewell Parker Rhodes' new young readers novel Ninth Ward to be a part of his popular Al's Book Club For Kids!

You can read The Today Show page about it here.

Jewell Parker Rhodes Shares Book With RRPQ!

Author Jewell Parker Rhodes has sent the Red River Pulpwood Queens an advanced reader's copy of her new young readers book Ninth Ward for us to share with each other!

Those interested can contact me carey.weeks@gmail.com to get your name put on the sharing list!

Queen Carey Remembers Mrs. Vera

Since our topic for August is Hurricane Katrina, I am proud to announce that my article in this month's Louisiana Road Trips magazine pays homage to one of the many who did not survive the storm. On page 18, my article Mrs. Vera: The Patron Saint of Hurricane Katrina, tells the story of Vera Smith, an average woman whose death encompasses the violence and corruption in early post-Katrina.

An Evening with Allen Whitley - Tuscumbia, AL

It is old news that I am an Allen Whitley "groupie". I have joked recently that I even follow him across the South for signings. (although I actually showed up in Alabama first) Olivia Wright, the Head Pulpwood Queen of the Heart of Dixie chapter was able to get Allen set up several different signings in Alabama and Mississippi this week to promote his new book Where Southern Cross The Dog. She and I drove into Tuscumbia, Alabama...hometown of Hellen Keller and blues musician W.C. Handy, for Allen's first official book signing at Cold Water Books (a building dating back to the 1800s).

After a successful night of selling and signing books, Allen, Olivia, our friend Merry, and I walked around the block to a quaint Italian restaurant called Frank's Italian for a celebratory dinner. We enjoyed the bread, pasta, and wine until it was obvious that the waitress was eager to turn the table. Today, Allen is signing more books in Tupelo, Mississippi (the birth place of Elvis).

Jewell Parker Rhodes Signing - Baton Rouge

My sweet friend and author Jewell Parker Rhodes will be signing her new children's book Ninth Ward at Barnes & Noble in Baton Rouge on September 28, 2010! She had been scheduled to attend the 2008 and 2009 Shreveport Book Festival but was unable to attend. She is author of the Marie Laveau series that includes Voodoo Dreams, Voodoo Season, and Yellow Moon with a 4th book on the way! Laissez les bons temps rouler dear Jewell, the Red River Queens will see you in September!

Synopsis

Twelve-year-old Lanesha lives in a tight-knit community in New Orleans' Ninth Ward. She doesn't have a fancy house like her uptown family or lots of friends like the other kids on her street. But what she does have is Mama Ya-Ya, her fiercely loving caretaker, wise in the ways of the world and able to predict the future. So when Mama Ya-Ya's visions show a powerful hurricane--Katrina--fast approaching, it's up to Lanesha to call upon the hope and strength Mama Ya-Ya has given her to help them both survive the storm.

Ninth Ward is a deeply emotional story about transformation and a celebration of resilience, friendship, and family--as only love can define it.

Katrina Documentary On LPB

Tonight, July 22, on LPB (channel 11 for Comcast users) a new documentary about the Katrina aftermath 5 years later will be airing at 10:00pm, called New Orleans: Been In The Storm Too Long. Tavis Smiley's website has a plethora of interviews and videos to accompany the broadcast.

In addition to revisiting some of the people Smiley and Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme have been chronicling all along, the special contains new interviews with Ellis and Branford Marsalis, “Treme’s” John Goodman, Wendell Pierce and Allen Toussaint, Ruby Bridges and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, among others. (Nola.com)

July 2010 RRPQ Meeting-Recap

I'd like to start by thanking the wonderful ladies who ventured out to Columbia Cafe last night for our July meeting! I think we all had a wonderful time and as always, enjoyed an exciting meal. The Southern Belle Peach Salad was to die for!

We began the meeting with handouts...how could we not? Ha! I created card stock book marks to share with everyone as well as a slip of information about August's book selection Zeitoun by Dave Eggars. If you weren't able to attend the meeting, on the top left corner of this page, you can click to print your own book marks as needed as a pdf file! Feel free to share them with your friends!

This month new member Wanda joined us. She is a friend of Suzie's and, as it turns out, she was once in a quilting club with Leslie! Welcome to the club Wanda (her birthday is the day of the next meeting, wink wink)!

Before we began talking about the July book selection, I talked a good bit about an article I read in the current issue of Louisiana Cultural Vistas magazine (you can pick one up at Barnes & Noble or you can click here to read the online version). The article is titled Grace King, Le Petit Salon by Mary Ann Wilson. It talks about a popular literary club that began in New Orleans in 1924 with members such as Kate Chopin, Sherwood Anderson, George Washington Cable, Lafcadio Hearn, Dorothy Dix, Tennessee Williams, and even Eleanor Roosevelt. In the 1800s, early 1900s, clubs of this description were not called "book clubs", but literary "SALONS". The salon in New Orleans eventually bought a cute little house that became the home base for the salon. Ladies wore their finest, furs, chiffons, crepes, gloves, etc. At the meeting, we longingly talked about what kind of "home base" we would aspire to have for ourselves and that when winter time comes, we would like to dress in our finest (furs, pearls, etc.) for a lady-like tea or something of that description.

We also discussed Girlfriend Weekend 2011. The theme is "it's all about the book" and each chapter is encouraged to come dressed as characters from a book of their choosing. We have started a list and will be open to suggestions for the following months so as to narrow down and make a choice closer to GF Weekend.

As for the book The Recipe Club: A Tale of Food and Friendship, we all seemed to agree that the characters were petty and juvenile. None of us enjoyed reading a book of argumentative letters that seemed to drudge up our own past skeletons in our closets. On August 31, same place, same time, we will discuss the book Zeitoun by Dave Eggars (now in paperback) as well as The Year Before the Flood by Ned Sublette, and Yazoo Blues by Shreveport favorite John Pritchard. The staff at Columbia Cafe has offered to make us all Hurricanes to sip on during our meeting! So don't miss it!

P.S. All members will have the opportunity to share any book-related news, read anything they have written lately (even if it is a newsletter or journal entry), so if it's important to YOU, then it is important to our "Salon".