A Literary Feast

WORDS AND MUSIC

My husband and I went to New Orleans to take part in The Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society’s annual Words and Music—A Literary Feast—and feast it was with great food and even better conversation with authors from all around the United States.  
     But first, the day after Halloween, I had a signing at the charming Octavia Books, which not only survived Hurricane Katrina; it was the first bookstore to reopen.  They had so little damage that even the goldfish in their fountain were alive and anxiously waiting for Tom Lowenburg and his wife’s return.  (That’s because the hurricane didn’t hit New Orleans full on.  The damage was man made.  The levees broke and flooded the city.  The flood waters from those particular levees didn’t reach that part of Octavia Street so those houses and businesses suffered only a little wind damage.)  Rather than post my pictures of the event, I’ll send you to their website http://www.octaviabooks.com/
     The next day Words and Music began with parties and discussions of the impact of Hispanic Cultures on U.S. Life and Literature.  On Friday, I led a panel on Late Bloomers, women who’d had successful careers in other fields and then after forty published best-selling and prize winning novels.  Maria Arana, was and is the editor of The Washington Post Book World.  Her memoir American Chica was a finalist for the National Book Award and her new novel, Cellophane has received rave reviews.  Julia Glass was an accomplished painter before winning the National Book Award for her novel, Three Junes.  Her new novel The Whole World Over, has also received rave review.  Pamela Binnings Ewen—which sounded much too much like Pam Ewing to an old DALLAS writer—was a successful international lawyer before penning Faith on Trial and Walk the Black Cat.  We all agreed that our life experiences gave us insights we never had when we were younger and made our writing so much richer.  I wrote perfectly terrible novel earlier in my career which I threw away after becoming a screenwriter.  Before forty my literary efforts were not ready for prime time.  All my indoor photos all took on a sepia sheen giving them an antique aura.