Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society Featuring Words & Music

The Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society, a nationally recognized non-profit arts organization, is a 501 (c) (3) literary and educational institution and, as such, grant donations, membership contributions, and contributions to our fundraisers are fully tax deductible. Important projects of the Faulkner Society are the Double Dealer literary journal; outreach programs for high school and college students; literacy projects for at-risk teenagers in cooperation with other organizations, including BIG READ projects funded in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts; continuing education programs for writers and readers; and a year-round calendar of free literary events such as My New Orleans and Meet the Author, which honor and assist writers and provide high quality literary entertainment for readers. Our last free event was Tuesday, April 30. For information, scroll down to Meet the Author. Our next ticketed event will be our annual fundraiser and overture to the summer social season, Juleps in June, which will take place on Friday, June 7 at the residence of Honorary Chairs, Greer and David Monteleone, 21 Nassau Drive. For more details, scroll down to Juleps in June.

Projects of the Faulkner Society have a positive impact for some 6,500 persons annually.

The Faulkner Society's two most ambitious anuual projects are:

—The William Faulkner - William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition.
—Words & Music, A Literary Feast in New Orleans.

The 2013 competition opened January 1, 2013. Because of a lot of confusion about the deadline for 2013 we announced that the deadline would be extended from May 1, to May 15, 2013. Please note that our guidelines have been changed significantly with regard to categories, category numbers, etc. Please review guidelines carefully prior to entering. For 2013 Guidelines, Click Here! For a 2013 Entry form, Click Here! 2012 winners were presented at Faulkner for All, December 1, 2012. For a completely listing of all of those who placed, Click Here! Most Winners and many finalists in our competition have published their work and achieved critical acclaim for it.

Complete informatiom about Words & Music, 2013 has not been posted. Tentative dates, however, are December 4 through December 8. To get an idea of the scope of the festival you can visit pages Words & Music, 2012. Scroll down to Words & Music Quick Links for various aspects of the festival. Or you can e-mail us at Faulkhouse@aol.com. In the meantime, watch for regular postings on this web site between now and December, 2013. Pricing will remain the same as in 2012. The theme for 2013 will be:

God, Man, and Woman: Faith and the Search for It as Inspiration for the Arts and Our Lives

Part of the programming for readers and writers will focus on the work of the late Walker Percy, whose impressive body of both fiction and non-fiction can be summed up as the search for meaning in an increasingly materialistic Society. His best known work of fiction is the widely acclaimed novel, The Moviegoer, which won the National Book Award for Fiction. His work displays a unique combination of existential questioning, Southern sensibility, deep Catholic faith, and a sense of humor about the dislocation of humans in a world they often find completely incomprehensible. A great way to begin reading or re-reading his work is with a book of his compelling and entertaining essays, Signposts in a Strange Land, edited by the Rev. Patrick Samway, S.J., and Mr. Percy's book of non-fiction, Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book. Born in Birmingham, AL, Mr. Percy grew up in Greenville in the Mississippi Delta where he met his lifelong best friend, famed historian and novelist Shelby Foote. He was educated at the University of North Carolina and Columbia University Medical School and he spent most of his adult life in Covington, LA, a country suburb of New Orleans. He described Covington as a "non-place," a place where he could write because, unlike New Orleans, it offered no distractions. Nevertheless, he would lease a small apartment in New Orleans to hole up in while finishing a book. He was a great mentor for younger writers, such as Sheila Bosworth, author of the compelling novel, Almost Innocent, and was personally responsible for finding a publisher for John Kennedy Toole's prize-winning novel,
A Confederacy of Dunces. Watch this web site for more on Walker Percy and Words & Music programming about his search for faith and howit determined the course of his career as a writer and how he would live his life.

Great Sentences

Surya Kalsi, a writer who has entered our competition this year and with whom we correspond, has an interesting discussion of
sentence structure on his blog right now. One sentence analyzed is from Mr. Percy's famous novel, The Moviegoer. Another
sentence is from my favorite Faulkner novel, As I Lay Dying. We believe any writer would benefit from reading the blog. Here is the link:

Scholars and writers are invited to submit papers for Words & Music, 2013 on this year's theme. Among appropriate topics would be submissions related to Mr. Percy and his work. For guidelines, contact, Faulkhouse@aol.com. Deadline for proposing papers is July 15. Deadline for submisison of final papers to be presented at Words & Music is
November 1. See Faulkner Society News by Clicking Here!

2012 ALIHOT Award Winners

In 1996, the Faulkner Society, created a special award to be given to men and women for excellence in literature, journalism, music, art, and community service, or philanthropy. The award is given to men and women who qualify as legends in their own time. Rosemary James, Co-Founder of the Faulkner Society, took the name from one of her former journalistic colleagues, Jack Dempsey, a legendary police reporter for the old New Orleans afternoon newspaper,
The States-Item. Dempsey sent his police report columns from police headquarters by teletype. He always signed his dispatches:
ALIHOT
A Legend In His Own Time.
The awards are given annually in honor of Jack Dempsey, other memorable guys and dolls of reporting, and the great 20^th Century heyday of journalism.There is no specified number of awardees each year, although at least one award for Literature always is given. The first ALIHOT Award for Literature was presented to Mississippi author Eudora Welty for her impressive body of fiction and non-fiction. That same year, ALIHOT Awards were presented to Adelaide Wisdom Benjamin for Philanthropy in the Arts and to artist Wade Welch for cartoon satire. And awards have been made every year since, with a total of 84 ALIHOTS awarded since 1996. This year, we were priviledged to increase that number to 87 with the 2012 Awards to Judith “Jude” Swenson, Ernest J. Gaines, and Irvin Mayfield...Legends in their own time.

Organizations like the Faulkner Society could not exist without the contributions of time, talent, and financial support from dedicated patrons. Jude Swenson is just such a volunteer activist, not only for the Faulkner Society but the community at large. Her contributions are writ large all over this city. Among her many charities is the New Orleans Opera Association. Jude is shown here at left with Mike Theis at the New Orleans Opera Ball, which she chaired three years ago, selecting The Great Gatsby as the ball theme. For several years

Ms. Swenson is the recipient of the Society's 2012 ALIHOT Award for Philanthropy. For more on Jude and her work for the community,
Click Here!

The 2012 special guest of honor for Words & Music was Louisiana literary master, Ernest Gaines, author of A Lesson Before Dying, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, and other masterpieces. During Faulkner For All on December 1, Mr. Gaines was presented with the Society's ALIHOT Award for Literature. For more on Mr. Gaines and his work, Click Here! Mr. Gaines was introduced at the awards ceremony by Washinton Post critic and author, Jonathan Yardley. For the text of his introduction, Click here! Mr. Gaines and his novel, As I Lay Dying, were the focus of the Faulkner Society's 2012 BIG READ project, funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as generous private patrons in NewOrleans. For background on the how the Faulkner Society participated in the NEA's BIG READ initiative, Click Here! Mr. Gaines was honored with a performance from his work by actress Cicely Tyson, who starred in two films adapted from his novels. For more information about Ms. Tyson and her work, Click Here!

The schedule of activities for the BIG READ project also included public events during Words & Music, 2012, with the program introduced on Sunday, September 30, with New Orleans playwright and award winning talk showhost Hal Clark interviewing Mr. Gaines on WYLD-FM's Sunday Journal. To hear the interview, which runs about 15 minutes, Click Here! For more on Clark and his work, Click Here! Mr. Gaines was featured speaker for the Society's annual Master Class for writing students and teachers, including those participating in the BIG READ project. The Master Class, was held at Dixon Hall at Tulane University. Tulane was a partner of the Society in the project. Some 61 schools representing some 1,100 students registered to participate in one or more activities of BIG READ and students received free copies of A Lesson Before Daying. The Master Class took place on Wednesday, November 28th. New Orleans playwright and radio star Hal Clark introduced the program and Grammy and Billboard winner Irvin Mayfield interviewed Mr. Gaines. On Thursday, November 29, Mr. Gaines appeared at the New Orleans Public Library where he was again interviewed by trumpet artist and composer, Irvin Mayfield. At that event the actor Clarke Peters, a popular member of the cast of the HBO series Treme, read from A Lesson Before Dying to a standing room only crowd of some 400 persons. On November 30, Mr. Gaines addressed a Literature & Lunch session, where he was introduced by Hal Clark and interviewed by T. Germonimo Johnson, whose debut novel, Hold It 'Til It Hurts, is receiving favorable critical reviews. That evening, a world premiere concert performance of a new, original jazz suite based on the work of Mr. Gaines and composed by New Orleans music ambassador Irvin Mayfield was presented by the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and the Faulkner Society in cooperation with the New Orleans Public Library and the University of NewOrleans. A sell-out crowd of some 600 persons heard the concert and program at the recently renovated Joy Theatre. During the event Mayfield discussed the pieces of his new jazz suite in context with A Lesson Before Dying and other works by Ernest Gaines. CNN correspondent Soledad O'Brien read a passage from A Lesson Before Dying and at the conclusion of the event, Mayfield and the orchestra led a Second Line parade around the theatre, leading Ernest and Dianne Gaines and their family and guests out of the theatre. For more information about the concert, visit www.NOJO.com.

At Faulkner for All, the 2012 ALIHOT Award for Music was presented to Irvin Mayfield for his outstanding achievement as both a composer and a performance artist. For more on this talented young man and his contributions to the community, Click Here!

In 2011 ALIHOT Awards were presented to Justin Torresfor First Fiction; Armando Valladares for Human Rights Advocacy; Randy Fertel for Narrative Non-Fiction; Oscar Hijuelos for Literature, Fiction and Non-Fiction; and Nilo Cruz for Drama. Shown below, left to right, these authors all participated in Words & Music, 2011.

In 2010 the Society presented four ALIHOT Awards—two to Arthur Q. Davis and Quinn Peeper for Philanthropy/Civic Service, and two for literature to Rebecca Wells and Tim O'Brien. For more information on each, click on each name. The 2012 ALIHOT awards will be presented during Words & Music at Faulkner for All! For a list of all ALIHOT Awardees, Click Here!

Two hundred-plus tickets were purchased for the Faulkner Society's fundraiser and overture to the summer social season, Juleps in June, 2012, which took place Sunday evening, June 10 at the residence of 2012 Honorary Chairs, Catherine and George Rive Cary, 24 Audubon Place. The Carys are shown here with our 2012 literary guest of honor Richard Ford, right, who won the Pulitzer Prize and the Pen/Faulkner Prize for his novel Independence Day. Signed first edition copies of Richard's newnovel, Canada, released by Harper-Collins in June, were the special patrons gift for 2012. For more information about Richard, Click Here! For those of you who were unable to attend Juleps in June but are Ford followers and collectors, the Society has a limited number of signed first editions for sale. To purchase, e-mail us at Faulkhouse@aol.com.

2012 Party Chairs were, shown here left to right: Kim Page, Donna Young, Richard Vinroot, Jr., and Angie Bowlin. For more photo memories and details of this year's event, the 2012 Juleps in June Scrapbook, Click Here!

Juleps in June, 2011 took place last year at the Audubon Place home of Honorary Chairs Tia & James Roddy,who live right next door to this year's exciting venue. For details of last year's event, the annual party scroll, Click Here! To see the Juleps in June, 2011 Scrapbook, Click Here!

To become a member of the patron committee for Juleps in June, 2013, e-mail Faulkhouse@aol.com.

One of the Society's headliners for Words & Music, 2012, was Adam Johnson, author of the stunning novel about North Korea, The Orphan Master's Son, published by Random House. On April 15, the Pulitzer Prize Committee announced that it had selected Adam's novel for the Pulizer Prize. The committee described the book as "an exquisitely crafted novel that carries the reader on an adventuresome journey into the depths of totalitarian North Korea and into the most intimate spaces of the human heart." This announcement verifies our assessment of Adam's genius in selecting such an unusual subject and crafting the story so brilliantly. Publication, well in advance of today's militant posturing by the country's young leader, could not have been more timely. An Associate Professor of English with emphasis in creative writing at Stanford University, Johnson is a Whiting Writers’ Award winner. His fiction has appeared in Esquire, Harper’s, Playboy, Paris Review, Tin House and Best American Short Stories. He is the author of Emporium, a widely praised short-story collection, and the novel Parasites Like Us, which won a California Book Award. His books have been translated into French, Dutch, Japanese, Catalan, German, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, Polish, Portuguese and Serbian. Johnson is a 2010 National Endowment for the Arts Fellow. He teaches Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, The Novel Salon, and The Graphic Novel. For more on Adam Johnson and his work, Click Here!

April 30, 2013
Our last Meet the Author event was Tuesday, April 30 at the Cabildo, beginning at 5:30 p.m., presented in concert with the Louisiana State Museum. The event began with free refreshmements, book sales, and signings, with authors
presenting from 6:30 p. m. to 7:30 p. m.

Photo by Margarita Bergen

The Faulkner Society celebrated the new books of, left to right, Brenda Marie Osbey, former Louisiana Poet Laureate, whose new collection is History and Other Poems; mystery writer N. S. "Steve" Patrick, author of The Mysteries of Jack the Ripper; humorist Judy Conner, whose new book is Southern Fried Divorce: the After Party; Hearst executive Debra Shriver,whose new book is In the Spirit of New Orleans; former New Orelans Assistant District AttorneySanem Ozdural, whose debut novel is LIGA (an acronymn for Life Game). They are shown with Rosemary James, co-founder, Faulkner Society.

These events are free and open to the public with advance RSVPs and include free refreshments. We have signed copies of the authors' books available and you can order by e-mailing Faulkhouse@aol.com or calling Faulkner House Books, (504) 524-2940. For more on these authors and their new books, click on their names in red below.

Debra Shriver, Vice President for Community Relations and marketing for the Hearst Corporation, is author of the new non-fiction book In The Spirit of New Orleans. Ms. Shriver's first book, Stealing Magnolias: Tales from a New Orleans Courtyard, is a beautiful book about New Orleans style which became an instant collector's item. Her new book is destined for your permanent libraries as well. Ms. Shriver divides her time between New York and a chic French Quarter apartment. Brenda Marie Osbey, former Poet Laureate of Louisiana, is author of the bestselling collection, All Saints, which won the American Book Award, given annually by the American Library Association. A New Orleans native, she teaches creative writing at Brown. Her widely acclaimed new poety collection is History And Other Poems is her first book since All Saints. The new collection brings together six narrative poems that examine and map the never-ending evil of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the still-palpable effects of colonialism seven centuries after the making of the New World. History and Other Poems is at once a masterful poetic sequence and a sound scholarly achievement. A native of Jackson, MS, Southern humorist Judy Conner, who has been a New Orleans resident since Hurricane Betsy, is noted for her wit and especially for her charming "brown dog tales". Her book Southern Fried Divorce was a bestseller. Her new book, a sequel, is Southern Fried Divorce: The After Party. The author shares tales of interviewing candidates for “second husband,” with the beloved Brown Dog right in there with her. A native of Michigan, N. S. "Steve" Patrick recently immigrated to the New Orleans area, where he now makes his permanent home. His recently published book, The Mysteries of Jack the Ripper, is a new, entertaining take on the infamous serial killings, renowned in the realm of the British murder mystery canon. Sanem Ozdural, now an attorney in private practice in New York, was for quite a few years a prosecutor for the Orleans District Attorney's office. A native of Turkey, Ms.Ozdural was an early supporter of the Faulkner Society and Words & Music. Last year, she was a presenter at Words & Music. He debut novel published recently is LIGA, an acronymn for "The Life Game," the focal point of this exploration of our never ending quest for immortality. It’s a marvelous bit of time travel to the near future that seeks to answer the question: what are the human traits that we consider worthy of immortality?

Joint Ventures

The Faulkner Society sponsors a year round calendar of free events, as well as ticketed events such as our fundraiser, Juleps in June, and our literary festival in November. The free events include two series, Meet the Author and My New Orleans. Many of these events are co-sponsored by the Louisiana State Museum and take place at the museum's historic venues, including the Cabildo and the Presybytere. For e-mail news of events, send us your e-mail address. And make sure to subscribe to our Blog! We regularly publish news about authors and other arts organizations on our blog.

The historic Presbytere, one of two centers of government in Colonial Louisiana, faces Jackson Square. Today, the Presbytere is the headquarters of the Louisiana State Museum and it's important Katrina & Beyond exhibit. (Photograph by Jay Rosenblatt, courtesey of the museum.) Some Words & Music programs will take place in the Presbytere's twin sister building, located on the other side of St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo, where the Louisiana Purchase was signed. These two important buildings and the Cathdral facing Jackson's Square's lovely park, along with the
Pontalba buildings on either side of the park, form one of the most architecturally important and beautiful urban squares in the world.

Words & Music, a Literary Feast in New Orleans, is five days of enlightenment and entertainment for writers and readers. Each year New Orleanians and out of town visitors are introduced to the festival's stunning array of headliners, including several Pulitzer Prize winners and winners of many other important literary honors, as well as New York Times bestselling fiction and non-fiction authors. 2013 headliners will examine the role of faith and religion in contemporary literature and literature of the past, as well as their role in the today's embattled world. The Faulkner Society's annual multi-discipline arts festival—which includes a major writers' conference as its central focus—opens December 4 and closes on December 8.. The primary discussion venue is once again the well-loved literary landmark,Hotel Monteleone, located in the heart of the historic French Quarter. The 2013 theme for readers and lovers of good literature is:
God, Man, and Woman: Faith and the Search for It as Inspiration for the Arts and Life. In addition to theme discussions, authors will weigh in on other traditional compents of the festival series, including Pan American Connections, a showcase for important authors of Latin American and Spanish heritage. Programming for the general public will include live drama, film, literary readings, visual art, music, and the excellent cuisine of New Orleans.
An exciting array of authors and top-notch literary agents and editors will lead sessions designed especially for writers. Literary agents and editors will review manuscripts submitted by registered writers in advance of the festival and then meet with their assigned authors in one-on-one consultations. For information, e-mail us at: Faulkhouse@aol.com.

For writers seeking manuscript critiques, critique submissions must be in our hands not later than October 15. For submisison guidelines, Click Here!

The Hotel Monteleone at 200 Royal Street will once again be the primary venue for Words & Music 2013! Hotel Monteleone, a literary treasure, is in its second decade as the only hotel in New Orleans (and one of only a handful nationwide) designated as a National Literary Landmark.

For more on this beautiful and historic literary landmark hotel, visit: www.HotelMonteleone.com.

The Faulkner Society has a special rate for registered guests of Words & Music, 2013. When registering, please ask for "Words & Music Bloc." To take advantage of this rate, please register by October 20.

Please revisit other pages of this web site, our blog, and our Facebook Page for all of the news about the festival between nowand opening day, December 4, 2013.

We are pleased to announce that one of the Society's most dedicated

volunteeers and patrons, Judith "Jude" Swenson, is chairing a committee to raise funds to make our prizes for winners of the William Faulkner -William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition possible. Jude, who was Honorary Chair of Words & Music, 2010. is a New Orleans volunteer activist and socialite who has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for New Orleans philanthropic organizations, including the New Orleans Opera Association. Ms. Swenson, a writer herself, has been a generous sponsor of Faulkner Society projects on behalf of readers and writers for many years. In past years, she has chaired Juleps in June at her lovely old Metairie home, Chez Grace; underwritten the annual master class for students, sponsored authors for Words & Music; and sponsored prizes for the competition. Ms. Swenson, a former journalist and magazine editor, underwrote the prize for Best Novel in both 2010, 2011, and 2012 in memory of her late husband: James W. Swenson.

Significant cash prizes are offered for previously unpublished works in seven categories: Novel, Novella, Novel-in-Progress, Short Story, Essay, Poetry, and Short Story by a High School Student. Prizes range from $750 for a High School Short Story to $7,500 for the winning novel. Winners also receive gold medals and are the Faulkner Society's guests for Words & Music, 2012, when awards are presented at the annual gala, Faulkner for All. The costs related to the competition, the winners, and the gala at which they are presented total approximately $35,000 annually.

If you are a writer, we look forward to seeing your work in the 2012 competition, which closes May 15, 2012. If not, please pass this information along to friends and colleagues who are writers seeking to have their work published. Dozens of past winners and finalists of the Faulkner - Wisdom Competition have been successfully published! After reviewing guidelines, if you have questions, contact us by e-mail at Faulkhouse@aol.com. We look forward to receiving lots of new work this year. For 2012 Guidelines, Click Here! For 2012 Entry Form, Click Here!

Timothy Jay Smith, an American living in Paris who has placed several times in the Faulkner-Wisdom Competition with his novels, has struck gold with two of those novels. Earlier this year, he self-published Cooper's Promise and sold approximately 3,000 copies in three months! Kirkus Reviews gave this exciting novel a glowing review, calling the story, “Literary dynamite.” As a result, a small literary press — Owl Canyon Press of Boulder, CO — is publishing not one but two of Tim’s novels. Cooper's Promise was withdrawn from the market and will be re-released in October by Owl Canyon Press. Checkpoint (aka Men of the Earth) will be published May, 2013. Currently, Tim is exchanging ideas for modest changes to his screenplay adaptation of Cooper's Promise with the producer of The King's Speech and the same producer has asked to see his screenplay adaptation of Checkpoint! Tim founded the Smith Prize for political theatre seven years ago to give an outlet for playwrights willing to tackle the difficult issues of our times (www.nnpn.org/prog_smith.php). “Thanks for creating so many opportunities for writers through the Faulker-Wisdom Competition's many categories. And thanks again for recognizing my work in the past. I am sure these credits on my resume contributed to the serious look I've been given by publishers and others.Tim will be joining literary agent April Eberhardt for a discussion of New Era Publishing. For more on Smith’s book, which is to be showcased at Words & Music, 2012, Click Here! Smith will appear with literary agent April
Eberhardt for a discussion of new era publishing to be introduced and moderated by Shari Stauch, new media and marketing consultant.

Pamela Binnings Ewen’s novel The Moon in the Mango Tree has won the Eudora Welty Memorial Award given by

the National League of American Pen Women in their 2012 Biennial Letters Competition. The NLAPW is a professional organization for women artists, composers, and writers founded in in 1897. The national headquarters in Washington, D.C. are in the historic Pen Arts Building which was formerly the home of Todd Lincoln. Pamela currently is a member of the Faulkner Society’s Executive Board. She is a past finalist in the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition and regularly presents at Words & Music. For more information on Pamela and her work, which will be showcased during Words & Music, 2012, Click Here!

Michael Allen Zell, 2010 Short story competition finalist and semi-finalist, will have his first novel, Errata, published this fall by Lavender Ink. Also, his short story What Do You Say To A Shadow? was recently nominated for the 2012 Best American Short Stories anthology.

Julie K. Rose, whose novel, Oleanna, was short-listed in the 2011 William Faulkner - William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition, has announced that the novel has been published in e-book format and is available at the
i-Bookstore now. It will be available in paperback to print book retailers shortly. In announcing publication, Julie said: "Set during the separation of Norway from Sweden in 1905, this richly detailed novel of love and loss was inspired by the lives of my great-great-aunts. The story is very close to my heart. I hope you enjoy it." To reserve your copy, call Faulkner House Books at (504) 524-2940 or e-mail us at Faulkhouse@aol.com.

Marylee MacDonald, who was first runner-up for the 2011 Gold Medal for Short Story, has won not one but two prizes since January 1. Her 2011 short story entry, The Pancho Villa Coin, won the Barry Hannah Prize from The Yalobusha Review. Noted fiction Writer the late William Gay judged the contest. Another of her short stories,Tea and Sugar, won the Rash Award from Broad River Review, judged by Silas House. For more on Ms. MacDonald, Click Here!

David S. McCabe, who placed in the 2011 Faulkner - Wisdom Competition with his novel, Without Sin, has written to tell us that the novel was published April 15, 2012. The novel revolves around one of the most pressing social Issues of our time: the horrors often facing undocumented immigrants to the United States coming across the border between our country and Mexico. Congratulations, David!

To see a complete listing of winners, runners-up, and finalists, Click Here!
To see a complete listing of others who placed in the 2011 Competition, Click Here!

News of coming events can be found by scrolling down this page. Our annual fundraiser, Juleps in June, took place on Sunday, June 10, 2012. Scroll down for this success story or to become a member of the Patron's Committee for 2013.

Promoting Writers, Engaging Readers, Creating Literacy Initiatives

Promoting Writers, Engaging Readers,

Creating Literacy Initiatives