02/24/12

How To Be a Writer in New Orleans

So how does one become a writer in New Orleans? Literary clichés of absinthe and sackcloth aside, there are more resources than you might imagine in the Big Easy for folks trying to "make it" or just get their words from their notebooks to the ears and eyes of the masses.

In case you're looking to win a few dollars, or perhaps to publish that (first?) book, or maybe just get some feedback (toughen up if you are), the following may help you break through whatever's blocking you.

1. Workshops

Two of the local authors whom I've interviewed here have run workshops, and a third was a student of one of the first two. This sort of intense cooperation is essential to early projects. The "myth of the lone...

Posted at 05:35 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0

02/16/12

Why Mardi Gras is Awful

Since Eve Kidd Crawford and I can never agree, we’re doing another point-and-counterpoint-style blog series this week. Unfortunately for me, that means I had to come up with five things that suck about Mardi Gras, since she got the cake assignment to write about things that are great about Mardi Gras. But since Yankees apparently like nothing better than pissing on other people’s good time, I figured I’d try to live down to the stereotype.

Think of it as Carnival satire. Krewe de Jersey.

And since even I don’t really believe my own baloney, I’ve offered some workarounds to the “problems” of Carnival.

5. Bathrooms.

Finding them is difficult. Surviving them is nearly impossible....

Posted at 04:11 PM | Permalink | Comments: 0

02/10/12

Spring Race Calendar: How Far Will You Run?

Tomorrow I’m running from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.

That’s an exaggeration. Actually, it’s a boastful perversion of the truth. I’m part of a six-person relay team running from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. Five-sixths of the time, I’ll be reclining in the relative comfort of a 15-passenger van, thinking about what a horrible mistake we’ve made and wondering why anybody would do anything so foolish.

So far our team, Hot Tag-Team Action, has dealt with shin splints and sprains. Two team members are coming in from Memphis. Only one of us has run a relay before, although we have between us two ultra-runners, another marathoner, two triathletes and two 10K enthusiasts.

And no, you’re not counting...

Posted at 05:42 AM | Permalink | Comments: 0