Schedule of Events!

WORDS & MUSIC: A Literary Feast in New Orleans, described by leading authors as,
"...A great convocation...one of the best writers' conferences anywhere."
"A fabulous five days entertainment and enlightenment, fine food, music, and the magic of The Big Easy"
"The most interesting authors, editors and agents speaking on the most fascinating topics, with an energy only New Orleans can offer."

Introduction to Words & Music: November 19-23, 2008

Each grantee must select a focus book from a list dictated by NEA and its partners in the national BIG READ program, the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. The Faulkner Society selected F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterwork, The Great Gatsby, because of the relevance of the underlying themes of the novel to the current, ongoing social and political debate about the American Dream; who is entitled to and actually gets a slice of the dream pie. The BIG READ project funded by NEA and its partners includes programming during Words & Music, 2008.

The theme we have therefore selected for this year's discussions is...:

The American Dream in Life & Litrature.

The 2008 program will feature such American icons as Ted Turner, the legendary entrepreneur who built an unparalled media empire with guts and good ideas as his assets; Michael Lang, the man who invented Woodstock who is collaborating on his memoir with well known music writer Holly George-Warren; Jazz authority Stanley Crouch; and a young man who exemplies achievement of the American Dream, world class trumpet artist Irvin Mayfield; National Book Award winner Julia Glass; former CEO of the Tribune Corporation and author Jack Fuller; and the most revered of southern humorists, Roy Blount, Jr., Michael Malone, and Ken Wells.

The Events of Words & Music, 2008 are made possible in part by LLgrants from The Arts Council of New Orleans and the Decentralized Arts Funding Program of The Louisiana Division of the Arts, Dorian Bennett/Sotheby's International Real Estate Company, Bertie Deming, Faulkner House Books, Faulkner House Designs, Harrah's, The Hotel Monteleone, The Jefferson Parish Public Library, Loews Hotel, The West Bank Rotary Club Foundation, The Mary Freeman Wisdom Foundation, the Whitney National Bank, and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Wednesday, November 19

YOUNG ADULT PROGRAMMING
11:00 p.m.
MASTER CLASS FOR CREATIVE WRITING STUDENTS AND TEACHERS
Lupin Hall New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, Riverfront (NOCCA), 2800 Chartres St.

Novelist and screenwriter Michael Malone will present the program:
Why The Great Gatsby is the Perfect American Novel.
The winner of the 2008 gold medal for Best Short Story in the Faulkner-Wisdom Creative Writing Competition will be presented during the second half of this event, and will read his or her winning manuscript.
Free to teachers and students participating in The Great Gatsby BIG READ project and early arrivals for Words & Music. Teachers must make reservations for
this event at Faulkhouse@aol.com. Seats are available in two sessions strictly on a first come, first serve basis.

Thursday, November 20

8:15 a.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom
Announcements.

8:45 a. m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom
WELCOME TO AMERICA'S CITY OF DREAMS
Rosemary James, Co-Founder

9:00 a. m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom
LOUISIANA: A Poor Man's Provence / NEW ORLEANS: Heaven & Hell on Earth
Featuring well known free-lance journalist and author Rita Grimsley Johnson, whose new non-fiction work is
Poor Man's Provence, a lovely ode to what short story author Moira Crone has dubbed "The Dream State." T. J. Fisher, author of Hearsay From Heaven and Hades will talk about the Janus-like two-faced personality of New Orleans, as will Amanda Boyden. Her new novel, Babylon Rolling, was awork-in-progress in 2005 before the levees broke and inundated New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Boyden says the story took on an increasing urgency after the flood. The authors will sign following the sessions. Their books are available in advance of theconference through Faulkner House Books and at the conference Book Mart, operated by Faulkner House Books, a major sponsor of Words & Music, 2008.

10:15 a. m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom
THE AMERICAN DREAM: So You Want To Be The Next Celebrated American Author!
So do about a million other American men and women! When F. Scott Fitzgerald was working on his masterwork, The Great Gatsby, the major problems he had to face were personal and related to his life with Zelda. Today, even if you have the talent, can your dreams come true in today's brutal, bottom-line oriented publishing world?This session will be introduced by Dr. Janet V. Haedicke, Professor of Literature and Drama at the University of  Louisiana  Monroe, who is expert in the American Drem theme in literature. Michael Murphy, Chairman, 2008 Agents & Editors Committee; successful screenwriter and novelist Michael Malone; and one of America's leading literary editors, Carole DeSanti, Vice President and Editor At Large at the Penguin Group, USA.will give the keynote message for writers, delivering the bad news first and then the good news. Murphy, who was publisher of William Morrow before it was gobbled up by a conglomerate, today runs his own agency. He will address problems of selling literary fiction and non-fiction. Malone, who also teaches creative writing at Duke University, will speak from the writer’s point of view, while Ms. DeSanti will address the subject as a major player inside the publishing world. Q & A following. Michael Malone will sign following the session.

11:45 a. m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom
THE AMERICAN DREAM: A Theme for Poetry in Gatsby's Era Which Resonates Today
Led by poet Gordon Walmsley. Walmsley, a native New Orleanian who has lived in Denmark with his Danish wife for 25 years, has a new work, Double Palnt, which is on point for the discussion. Walmsley will be joined in this discussion by Andrea Young, author of the published collection All Fires the Fire; Rodger Kamenetz, whose latest book, The History of Last Night's Dream, explores the meaning of dreams in our lives; and well known Latino performance poet Jose Torres Tama, who has lived the American dream of overcoming ethnic prejudices to find success in his adopted culture. These poets will discuss the underlying themes of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work and how these themes continue to inspire poetry, as well as fiction, today. They will read from their work during the session. The session will be introduced by Dr. Janet Haedicke.

Thursday, November 20

AFTERNOON SESSIONS
1:30 p.m. -- Muriel's, Corner of St. Ann & Chartres Streets at Jackson Square
Cash bar will open at 1 p. m.; Lunch will be served at 1:30 p. m.
LITERATURE & LUNCH
AMERICA'S CITY OF DREAMS
The American Dream has many aspects, not the least of which is that our special places, the cities which have nurtured our individual dreams, will be forever safe havens in which we can spread our wings and fly as high as possible. This discussion will feature Tom Piazza, author of the new novel set in post-Katrina New Orleans, City of Refuge, Julia Reed, author of the new memoir, The House on First Street, and Ken Wells, author of the new work of creative non-fiction, The Good Pirates of Drowned Bayous. The discussion will focus on the importance of place in our lives and in both fiction and creative non-fiction and whether New Orleans is such an important "character" in her own right that relegating her to the position of backdrop can be difficult. The authors will sign at the luncheon. We ask that you please purchase your books for this event in advance, however, either at the conference book mart on Thursday a. m. or from Faulkner House Books (about a block from Muriel's) on your way to the luncheon.

3:00 p. m. -- 4:30 p. m. -- The Cabildo, Jackson Square, Second Floor Gallery
WORDS & MUSIC WRITERS ALLIANCE: The Dreams of Women in Life & Literature Presented in cooperation with the Louisiana State Museum, this event will feature legendary writing coach Rosemary Daniell, author of Secrets of the Zona Rosa, Fatal Flowers. Ms. Daniell will be introduced by film producer and poet Amy Serrano, Writers Alliance Chair. Authors will discuss Fitzgerald's Daisy Buchanan and what her dreams might have been. They will read brief passages from their work illustrating the dream theme in their own work. Following their discussion, poets Gordon Walmsley, Andy Young, Amy Serrano, and Rodger Kamenetz are invited to read from their dream related works during the Alliance meeting.

Thursday, November 20

EVENING ACTIVITIES

5:00 p. m. -- The Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Camp Street
NEW ORLEANS, MON AMOUR: Rockin' At The Ogden After Hours
This year, to connect the music of New Orleans to our BIG READ programming during
Words & Music, we will present three separate events related to The American Dream: Making It Come True in Music. The first of these events, a welcome entertainment, is being presented in cooperation with The Ogden Museum of Southern Art on Thursday, November 20. The event will begin at 5 p. m. with a guided tour of the museum, one of the new jewels of the Crescent City's cultural life, and its current exhibitions. The tour will be followed by After Hours at the Ogden from 6 to 8 p. m., featuring two hours of southern music, including the peculiarly southern music genre known as "Rockabilly." Although not usually associated with New Orleans in the minds of the general public, "Rockabilly" has a dedicated cadre of performers and followers in New Orleans and the music always is a highlight of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festiival each spring. The featured artists are Michael Hurtt & His Haunted Hearts, in collaboration with The Ponderosa Stomp Foundation. The event will take place in the Lobby Atrium of Goldring Hall.

A favorite of everyone from Lazy Lester to the late, great Hunter S. Thompson, the Haunted Hearts convened in 2003 with the sole purpose of single-handedly resurrecting New Orleans' once rich, now nearly invisible hillbilly music heritage. Blending their own classics such as Mean Mean Moon, Lonely Mardi Gras and I'm On My Last Go 'Round" with Deep South Rockers, West Bank Honky-Tonkers and Bayou Lafourche Ballads by the likes of Jay Chevalier, Red LeBlanc and original Mardi Gras Mambo man Jody Leavins, the Hearts' rural rockin' string band sound also salutes the great states of Mississippi, Texas, and Tennessee.

Hillbilly music grew out of the rural and mountain areas of the South where old Celtic phrasing and keening and lively high stomping reels were traditions brought from Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Hillbilly music represents longings of rural Americans early in the 20th century for bright lights and the glamour of high society and true love with the epicene man or woman. Their longings were not unlike those of Jay Gatsby, who, in spite of his lack of status, longed for the glamorous Society girl Daisy Buchanan and acceptance by her social echelon. It was a time when rural Americans were immigrating to population centers and European immigrants were arriving in the urban areas of America, both groups seeking fortunes and acceptance. The melancholy themes of their yearnings and the tragedy of their failed dreams run throughout the music, both country music and jazz, and the literature of the first half of the 20th century, including especially, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. In fact, The Great Gatsby represents the longings of all Americans, then and now.

7:00 - 9:00 p. m. -- Obituary Cocktail, The Napoleon House Bar & Cafe, 500 Chartres St.

CELEBRATE WITH KERRI MCCAFFETY!
The Legendary Book, Obituary Cocktail, Turns 10
Author and photographer Kerri McCaffety, who served the legendary Obituary Cocktail at Words & Music for Literature & Lunch last year, celebrates the ten-year anniversary of the release of her first book, Obituary Cocktail: The Great Saloons of New Orleans.
Since its publication in 1998, the beautiful documentary of the city's historic watering holes has won two national publishing awards, was named Book of the Year by the New Orleans Gulf South Book Sellers Association, and inspired both the Southern Comfort Cocktail Tour and the festival, Tales of The Cocktail. A group of the book's fans even established an enduring social club known as The Grande and Secret Order of Obituary Cocktail Drinkers. To commemorate the 10-year anniversary, legendary absinthe master distiller Ted Breaux created a new cocktail—The Obituary Decade. Breaux's new concoction will feature a healthy dose of his own lucid absinthe and will be launched at the Napoleon House event. Also for the party, Kerri McCaffety created a design for the first official Obituary Cocktail T-shirt which will be printed in a limited edition and on sale at the event. The design, attached, features a glowing martini glass centered on a transparent fleur de lis with the words "Obituary Cocktail, The Spirit of New Orleans." Please join Kerri at the Napoleon House to toast the book's decade. Books will be for sale at the party--a rare opportunity to get your copy signed by the author. These are collectors items so don't miss the opportunity.

9:00 p. m. -- On the Town
ENJOY THE RESTAURANTS & NIGHTLIFE OF NEW ORLEANS
Recommended restaurants close to the Ogden are August and Herbsaint. Other suggestions: Bacco, Bayona, Brennan's, Galatoire's, Arnaud's, Broussard's, Mr. B's, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Irene's, Muriel's, Napoleon House, Peristyle, Besh Steakhouse at Harrah's Casino, The Rib Room at the Omni Royal Orleans, Riche at Harrah's Hotel, Cafe Adelaide at Loews Hotel. Prior reservations are a must for late night dining in New Orleans.

10:30 p. m. -- New Orleans Night Life!
ON THE TOWN: Late Night Alternatives
Preservation Hall   To hear Jazz played in the old way, visit Preservation Hall in the French Quarter on St. Peter Street. The Preservation Hall Band has agreed to play Beale Street Blues between 10 p. m. and 11 p. m. in celebration of Words & Music and as an introduction to the discussion to be led by renowned Jazz authority Stanley Crouch on Saturday afternoon, November 22  Fitzgerald, Gatsby, and All That Jazz!
Le Chat Noir  If you select Herbsaint, consider a nightcap at Le Chat Noir, the famous New Orleans cabaret nightclub owned by Faulkner Society member and long time patron Barbara Motley. Le Chat Noir is next door to Herbsaint.
The Carousel Bar: Long time favorite watering hole with South Louisiana residents, located conveniently in the Hotel Monteleone.

Friday, November 21

8:15 a.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom
Announcements.

8:45 a. m.--Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom
Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom
8:45 a. m.
MASTER CLASS: Non Fiction
Breaking Into Freelance Writing for National Journals
Featuring successful journalists, the program will be led by Lee Lee Froehlich, who began  his career with Forbes Magazine  and is now Executive Editor of Playboy. Joining him will be Verna Gates, who worked for CNN and now works for Reuters, the international wire service; Robert McGarvey, who has written more than 1,500 articles for many of the nation's leading publications—from Reader's Digest to Playboy and from the New York Times to Harvard Business Review; and Rheta Grimsley Johnson, whose career has included writing for the major journals of the South. They will discuss what makes a good  story for a national newspaper or magazine from the readership point of view.

9:45 a. m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom West
MASTER CLASS: Family History as Inspiration for Contemporary Literature
Pamela Binnings Ewen, whose second novel, Moon Over The Mango Tree, was well reviewed by Publishers Weekly this spring, used the life of her grandmother married to a missionary doctor, as the jumping off point for this work of fiction. Pamela, who is a member of the Faulkner Society Board, was a partner in one of the biggest law firms in Houston before retiring to write. Bibi Gaston also found the life of her grandmother fascinating and the result in her case is a memoir, The Loveliest Woman in America, which has been well received by the media. Bibi, who has been a finalist in the Faulkner - Wisdom Competition, has for many years been a successful landscape architect. Pam and Bibi also will discuss writing as a second career. They will sign after the
Q & A session at the end of the discussion. To purchase their books in advance, call 504-524-2940. Books purchased this way will benefit the Faulkner Society and its projects. Book purchases at the festival book mart also will benefit the Faulkner Society.

11 a. m. --Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom
THE AMERICAN DREAM: What it Means to the 21st Century's Young Professionals
Led by Nathan Rothstein, founder and Executive Director of of the New Orleans Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals Initiative (NOLAYURP). Rothstein and his team of young New Orleans professionals will read The Great Gatsby in advance of this round table session and compare their aspirations to the underlying themes of the novel. Q & A session follows discussion. Among your leaders joining Nathan will be Shantrelle Lewis, the Executive Director and Curator of the McKenna Museum of African American Art in New Orleans and an adjunct professor in the African World Studies Department at Temple University. The Philadelphia Tribune selected Ms. Lewis for its “Top Ten Most Influential Leaders Under 40” Award in January of 2006 and she has been featured in Essence Magazine as a "Woman of Purpose." Nolan Marshall is the Associate Director of Common Good, a partnership of religious, nonprofit, neighborhood and higher-education organizations dedicated to building consensus and promoting action for the rebuilding of New Orleans across the lines of religion, ethnicity and class.  He is also the President Elect of the Young Leadership Council, a civic organization founded in 1986 to develop leadership through community projects.  The YLC has risen over $25 million for community projects since its inception.  In addition, Nolan serves on the board of Court Watch Nola, a program whose creation he chaired, is President of the Board of Trustees at Einstein Charter School, Chairs the Leadership Council of Greater New Orleans and serves on the board of the Audubon Institute and Summerbride New Orleans.  Prior to Hurricane Katrina Nolan was the president of NAM-It LLC, an advertising specialties and graduation supplies company and served on the board of the Independent Scholastic Sales Association.  He received a Presidential Scholarship and graduated from the School of Business and Industry at Florida A&M University in 2001. Nolan is currently pursuing a Masters in Urban Studies at the University of New Orleans.

Friday, November 21

3:00 p.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans Ballroom West
MASTER CLASS: Lying to Tell the Truth:
Creating Fiction from Real Life
Workshop with James Nolan, well known fiction writer, poet, essayist, and translator, who will discuss how to "otherize" autobiographical background and how to distance familiar settings in fiction so that characters and scenes jump alive. At the same time, he will explain how to animate non autobiographical characters such as detectives and funeral directors with your own interior life, and how to present alien settings in familiar terms. Short readings from his collection of stories, Perpetual Care, will illustrate these techniques. This award-winning collection of short stories is from a writer of mordant dark humor, one whom Andrei Codrescu has called "New Orleans' master storyteller." Most of these comic yet often disturbing stories are set in the author's native New Orleans, with its island mentality of denial. With wicked satire and moving lyricism, Perpetual Care presents an insider's view of this mysterious city, offering compelling insights on the eternal themes of sex, death, and regeneration. . Jimmy will sign following the workshop. To purchase his books in advance, call 504-524-2940. Books purchased this way will benefit the Faulkner Society and its projects. Books may also be purchased at the festival book mart. For ticket and reservation information, click here on PRICING.

4:15 p.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Iberville Room, Mezzanine
OPRAH FOR A DAY:
What We'd Do To Make Publishing Easier And Better For You If We Had Her Power
Writers! This will be your chance to meet the men and women who are critiquing your work.These men and women will tell you what the publishing world is like today, how they'd change it, given half a chance, and how you can make it work for you in spite of 21st century publishing trends. The session will be led by Michael Murphy, 2008 Editors and Agents Committee Chair, and he will introduce all of the agents and editors participating in
Words & Music, 2008. While agents and editors will be contacting their assigned writers in advance with consultation appointments, writers with work submitted for critique must attend this session to confirm their appointments for their one-on-one consultations. If a writer must change and appointment time for personal reasons, it is the writer's responsibility to do so at this meeting.

Friday, November 21

Dr. E. Quinn Peeper (shown left), accomplished concert pianist, will perform Rhapsody in Blue and noted Fitzgeral biographer, Scott Donaldson, author of Fool for Love, will give the keynote speech, Gatsby and the American Dream, at this event co-sponsored by the English Speaking Union. Master of Ceremonies will be Kirk Curnutt, Vice President of the Fitzgerald Society. The event begins with cocktails and buffet dinner. Master of ceremonies for the event will be
Kirk Curnutt, Vice President of the national Fitzgerald Society.

9:30 p.m. -- The Napoleon House, 500 Chartres Street, corner of St. Louis Street

AFTER HOURS AT THE NAPOLEON HOUSE
New Orleans musicians will play jazz in the style that Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan loved. The Napoleon House is one of the favorite watering holes of the Deep South and nothing there has changed since F. Scott Fitzgerald and Faulkner were in New Orleans drinking up the magic of The Big Easy. Attendees are encouraged to dress in Roaring 20s nightclub attire and tune up their Charleston footwork. Writers who also are musicians are invited to sit in with the Tom Sancton ensemble. Tom Sancton is an author, journalist, and jazz clarinetist, who returned home to New Orleans last year to teach creative writing at Tulane University after a highly successful career as a journalist for Time Magazine, including a long stint as Paris Bureau Chief. His acclaimed 2006 memoir, Song for My Fathers: A New Orleans Story in Black and White, recounts his early life among the city’s legendary jazzmen, and the remarkable apprenticeship that made him an exemplar of New Orleans-style clarinet, playing regularly at such venues as Preservation Hall, the Palm Court and Snug Harbor.

8:00 a.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Iberville Room, Mezzanine
CAFE AU LAIT & CROISSANTS

8:30 a.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Iberville Room, Mezzanine
AGENT & EDITOR CONSULTATIONS BEGIN

8:30 a. m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans Suite
MASTER CLASS:
WHAT WORKS IN CONTEMPORARY FICTION & CREATIVE NON-FICTION
Brandi Bowles, who has been a successful literary editor and is now a literary agent, is invited to introduce this session, which will address both new trends and classic approaches to creating literary works which engage the reader. Featured panelists will be Stewart O'Nan, author of 13 critically acclaimed books of fiction, and Julia Glass, National Book Award winner, and football celebrity Jason Peter, author with Tony O'Neill of the hot memoir, Hero of the Underground, an example of the type of story publishers are looking for in the memoir category.

10:00 a.m. -- Venue to be Announced
THE HOLLYWOOD EXPERIENCE: Reading For Success in Producing, Directing, Acting
Introduced by Dr. Janet V. Haedicke, professor of literature and drama at The University of Louisiana Monroe, this event will feature a round table discussion of how Hollywood is inspired by great literature and how important it is to be be well read if you want to make it as a screenwriter, actor, director, or producer in Tinsel Town. Invited to lead the discussion will be Academy Award nominated screenwriter and director Ron Shelton. Other film professionals invited include successful screenwirters Alex Metcalf, who has created original works for Disney, Paramount, Fox and HBO as well as adaptations of novels, and Robert Olen Butler, who recently was invited to create a screenplay for Robert Redford. Invited but not yet confirmed is actor, director, producer Harry Shearer. Special invited guests are librarians, teachers and students participating in the Faulkner Society's Great Gatsby BIG READ project. Screening: The Great Gatsby, starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.

Saturday, November 22

12:30 p.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Riverview Room, Roof
LITERATURE & LUNCH
SECRETS, SIBLINGS, AND SISTERHOOD: The Stuff of Successful Storytelling
This panel will feature National Book Award winner, Julia Glass, whose new book of fiction, I See You Everywhere, is all about siblings and their rivalries and has been receiving rave notices in the important media; and one of the best writing coaches anywhere, Rosemary Daniell, author of Secrets of he Zona Rosa and the southern classic, Fatal Flowers. Joining them will be Loraine Despres, whose first novel, The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc, became a national best-seller and is now in its 22nd  printing  Her next novel, The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell is set in Louisiana  in 1920  a time when women were expected to know their place, but Belle was a suffragist, who enjoyed acting up with her sisters.  Like all Loraine's novels Bad Behavior is about intolerance and love and sisterhood, not biological sisterhood, but that bond between women that is often stronger than blood. The authors will be available to sign their books before and after the discussion.

3:00 p.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans West Ballroom, Mezzanine
THE AESTHETICS OF LITERATURE:
The Art of Fiction: Realtiy Versus Imagination, Two Approaches to the Art
Invited are fiction writers Tom Piazza, author of Why New Orleans Matters, a non-fiction memoir written in the aftermath of Katrina, who now has created a dazzling new novel, City of Refuge, set in post Katrina New Orleans; former rocker Tony O'Neill, who turned his hand to writing while recovering from a serious addition to heroin; and Andrew Davidson, author of the wierd and wonderful debut novel, The Gargoyle. Tony is author of the new novel, Down and Out on Murder Mile, which is making waves in the literary world, as has the Jason Peter memoir Hero of the Underground, which O'Neill wrote with Peter. Piazza, Davidson, and O'Neill have produced compelling works of fiction.O'Neill's is based on life experiences. Piazza's novel, literary fiction with realistic characters, is rooted more in imagination. Davidson's book is a work which comes purely from this first time novelist's very unusual imagination. Davidson, O'Neill, and Piazza will sign immediately following the discussion. Invited to introduce this session is literary agent Emma Sweeney, who has been in publishing since 1983 and an agent since 1990. Emma also is a writer.

3:00 p. m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Venue to be announced
À la découverte de la littérature Créole
Creative writing workshop in French.
Bilingual writing coach Annie Hemingway will present this workshop. Enjoy excerpts of Creole literature in French from Alfred Mercier, Charles Testut, Sidonie de LaHoussaye to Victor Séjour, and explore the imaginative power of the language in this workshop that invites you to practice writing in a second language. If you are at the intermediate level, you will ressurect your French; if you are advanced, you'll simply have fun!

4:30 p.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom Room
THE AMERICAN DREAM: Fitzgerald, Gatsby, and All That Jazz!
Renowned jazz authority Stanley Crouch will lead this event and has invited jazz artist to join him in the discussion. Crouch will discuss the influence of jazz and the blues on the creation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's master work, The Great Gatsby. He will zero in especially on Beale Street Blues, a 1916 song by American composer and lyricist W.C. Handy. The song was published in 1917, but was first popularized for a mass audience when sung on Broadway by Gilda Gray in the 1919 musical revue Schubert's Gaieties. Beale Street Blues is a hybrid of the blues and the pop ballad of the day, the opening lyrics following a line pattern typical of Tin Pan Alley songs and the later stanzas giving way to the traditional three-line pattern characteristic of the blues. Jazz artists are invited to illuminate the discussion with a cappella passages from Beale Street Blues. Invited to introduce this session is fiction writer and music authority Tom Piazza, who began his fiction career with a jewel of a collection of short fiction, Blues and Trouble, inspired by music. His latest book is a novel set in post-Katrina New Orleans, City of Refuge.

Saturday, November 22

EVENING ACTIVITIES
6:00 p. m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom
HUMORIST & AUTHOR ROY BLOUNT, JR. INTERVIEWS
TED TURNER, A LEGEND IN HIS OWN TIME
The much loved southernn humorist Roy Blount, Jr—author of 20 books, incuding his new one, Alphabet Juice, a delicious cocktail about words, and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles on every subject imaginable—will interview the legendary creator of CNN, Ted Tuner, on subjects ranging from the American Dream to global warming and nuclear disarmament. The media mogul, sportsman,philanthropist, and environmental warrior loves all creatures large and small and wants to save them all. His new mission? To enlist the rich and powerful and the ordinary people of the world in the battle to save the planet. The man is the stuff of the American Dream. He's done it all. He globalized television news coverage, revolutionized the way we watch it, and built a media empire, starting from scratch with guts and good ideas as his assets. He started a restaurant chain based on the buffalo, Ted's Montana Grill, and eats many of his meals at the grill in the Turner Building in Atlanta. He's enjoyed adventure on the high seas as Captain of the sailing yacht Courageous, which captured the America's Cup. He turned a losing team into a winning baseball club, the Atlanta Braves, who achieved World Series fame under his leadership, and he put Atlanta on the national baseketball map as well with the Hawks. He captures the hearts and minds of many with his boyish good looks, unpretentious ways, homespun humor, and his love of singing old familiar songs, especially My Old Kentucky Home. He's a dedicated family man with five children and many grandchildren. And, now that he's done it all, he's telling all in his new memoir, Call Me Ted, a November 2008 release from Grand Central. He will be introduced by successful novelist and playwright Elizabeth Dewberry, whose most recent novel is His Lovely Wife. Ms. Dewberry assisted in the editing of the Turner memoir. Following the interview, there will be a question and answer session, first, and then Ted Turner will sign copies of his memoir. Roy Blount also will sign his new book.To purchase books in advance, call 504-524-2940. Books purchased this way will benefit the Faulkner Society and its projects. Books may also be purchased at the festival book mart.

An event you won't want to miss! For ticket and reservation information, click here on PRICING.

7:30 p. m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans
COCKTAILS WITH TED TURNER & 2008 GOLD MEDAL WINNERS

8:00 p.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans
FAULKNER AND FITZGERALD FOR ALL!
The 19th Annual Meeting of The Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society: Nov. 22, Gala Awards Ceremony, buffet dinner, wine, dancing to great New Orleans jazz.

EPILOGUE, WORDS & MUSIC, 08
The American Dream as Tried & True Vehicle for Fabulous Fiction & Films
Many of the greatest American authors have used "The American Dream" and failed American dreams as the central focus of their work. Unattractive as they were, members of Faulkner's Snopes clan were trying to achieve the dream of a place in the sun. The classic film A Place in the Sun, starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters, Anne Revere, Keefe Brasselle, and Raymond Burr, which won six Academy Awards, was adapted from the novel An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser. And, of course, many scholars believe The Great Gatsby to be the perfect novel showcasing "The American Dream." Invited speake is Academy Award nominated screenwriter Ron Shelton, who has entertained many Words & Music and music audiences over the years with great intelligence and wit.

ALIHOT (A Legend in His Own Time)
Special guest of honor will be legendary media mogul and environmental champion Ted Turner. Toastmasters James Gordon Bennett and Michael Malone, two of the wittiest men alive, will regale you with anecdotes in their special styles of humor as they present awards to winners of The Faulkner- Wisdom Competition and our special ALIHOT awards for achievement. Faulkner and his contemporary F. Scott Fitzgerald both found inspiration in New Orleans for their work. In fact, our focus book for 2008, The Great Gatsby, is one long riff inspired by the kind of New Orleans jazz you will hear at this event.

Sunday, November 23

SHORT FICTION

9:00 a.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans East/West Ballroom
THE AESTHETICS OF LITERATURE: Fiction's Short End of the Stick
Led by literary editor Carrie Kania (pictured)and featuring newcomers on the short story scene, including Barb Johnson and Simon Van Booy, this discussion will focus on the art of creating short fiction. Van Booy, author of The Secret Lives of People in Love, was born in London and grew up in rural Wales and Oxford. After playing football in Kentucky for two years, he lived in Paris and Athens. In 2002 he was awarded an M.F.A. and won the H.R. Hays Poetry Award. His journalism has appeared in magazines and newspapers including The New York Times and The New York Post. Van Booy lives in New York City where he teaches at the School of Visual Arts and Long Island University. He is also involved in the Bard College Access Program for at-risk young adults. Barb Johnson has been a carpenter in New Orleans for over 20 years. In 2004 she began work on an MFA at The University of New Orleans. While there, she received the Robert F. Gibbons Award for Fiction, the Svenson Award for Fiction and the Gulf Coast Teachers of Creative Writing Fiction Award. During that time she was also a finalist for the Faulkner/Wisdom Prize for the short story, won Glimmer Train's Short Story Award for New Writers and won Washington Square's short story competition. In May of 2008, a week before she graduated, Harper Collins purchased her collection of short stories entitled After Emerald City, which is due out in summer, 2009. Joining them will be seasoned fiction writer Moira Crone, whose most recent collection of short stories, What Gets Into Us, has been highly acclaimed.

10:15 a.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans East/West Ballroom
MASTER CLASS: SHORT TAKES
The American Dream: Love with the Perfect Partner
Writing About It In Short Takes
Invited to introduce this session is Deborah Grosvenor, who has worked in publishing for more than 20 years, both as an editor and a literary agent. She has acqured or represented hundreds of both fiction and non-fiction books. Starting point for this discussion is the fact that sexual tension, sexual fulfillment, longing for idealized love and love-making with the idealized partner are themes which run throughout American literature, including F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Featured speaker is Robert Olen Butler, a master teacher as well as a fiction writer. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his exceptional collection of short fiction, Good Scent from a Strange Mountain. Just as Fitzgerald wrote nothing but short fiction late in his career—and, indeed, even The Great Gatsby is very short for a novel—Butler has for the last several years been concentrating on short takes, such has his collection, Severance. He has strong ideas about approaches to short fiction and even stronger ideas about how you handle love and sex in fiction. His theory in his new collection Intercourse is that 21st century men and women are too preoccupied to be "Fools for Love," like Fitzgerald. The short takes in Intercourse are based on what goes through people's minds when they are making love. His stories suggest that even when Americans find the partners of their dreams, their minds wander from the action at hand! Bob will sign immediately after the session. To purchase his books in advance, call 504-524-2940. Books purchased this way and at the festival book mart will benefit the Faulkner Society and its projects.

11:30 a.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans East/West Ballroom
SPIRITUAL JOURNEYS:Capturing the American Dream
Featuring Jack Fuller (pictured), recently retired CEO of the Tribune (Chicago) Corporation, whose new novel Abbeyville is about the failed dreams of four generations of an American family, who lost their way in struggle for fortune. For many young men and women, the American Dream is making it on the football field or playing your heart out on a stage surrounded by thousands of screaming rock and roll fans. The tragedy is that many young people who achieve these dreams lose sight of their original goal and lose their way. Featuring Tony O'Neill, a star rocker, who went AWOL from real life, zonked out on herioin and, during recovery, found redemption in writing. He collaborated on Hero of the Underground, as writer for Jason Peter, a football star who lost his way in cocaine addition. O'Neill has come into his own with a new novel, Down and Out on Murder Mile. Both books are highly touted. The session will be introduced by Michael Murphy, who is agent for Tony O'Neill. Fuller and O'Neill will sign following the session. To purchase their books in advance, call 504-524-2940. Books purchased this way will benefit the Faulkner Society and its projects. Books may also be purchased at the festival book mart. For ticket and reservation information, click here on PRICING.

Sunday, November 23

3:15 p. m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans West Ballroom
THE AESTHETICS OF LITERATURE: FAULKNER, FITZGERALD AND FRIENDS:
Why Did the Jazz Age Produce so many Great Writers? Are We in a New Jazz Age Now? Invited to introduce this session is David Kippen, National Reading Iniatives for The National Endowment for the Arts. Led by Scott Donaldson, noted Fitzgerald biographer and author of "Fool for Love," this session will also feature Kurt Curnutt, Vice President of the national Fitzgerald Society, and Stanley Crouch, acclaimed national authority on Jazz and the Jazz Age. They will be joined by Dr. Janet V. Haedicke, professor of literature and drama at the University of Monroe and expert in the American Dream theme in literature.Books may be ordered in advance by calling (504) 524-2940. Books purchased this way will benefit the Faulkner Society and its Projects. Books may also be purchased during Words & Music at the festival book mart. For ticket and reservations information, contact us at Faulkhouse@aol.com or visit www.wordsandmusic.org.

4:30 p.m. -- Hotel Monteleone, Nouvelle Orleans West Ballroom
THE AMERICAN DREAM: So You Want to be a Rock Star
Featuring celebrated music writer Holly George-Warren and the legend who created Woodstock, Michael Lang, pictured at right. The two currently are collaborating on a memoir. Invited to introduce and sit in on this discussion is fiction writer and music authority Tom Piazza, whose non-fiction book Understanding Jazz was a sell-out and whose fiction, including a collection entitled Blues and Trouble and his first novel, My Cold War, which won the Faulkner Society's gold medal, are informed by music. In fact, that novel has a lot to do with Woodstock. Joining them will be Susan Fleet. Ms. Fleet is both a music historian, who has written music world biographies for Scribners and others, and a musician. The discussion will focus on the perils and pleasures of writing about music and musicians and their very American dreams. For ticket information, click here on PRICING.

Sunday, November 23

EVENING ACTIVITIES
6:00 to 8:00 p. m. -- Herman Grima House, 820 St. Louis St. (Six blocks from the Monteleone)

Annual Tall Tales Competition and Farewell Party With Roy Blount, Jr. et al!
Roy Blount, Jr. will lead his annual exercise in lying for fun. The theme this year is The American Dream of Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Ken Wells, who has won the competition three times, will be here again to strut his stuff. Invited to try and best him are Ron Shelton, Academy Award nominated tall tale teller, Julia Reed, leading distaff humorist of the South, and other well known authors. Food, Wine, & Music.

8:00 p. m.
So Long, Oooh Long...How Long Ya Gonna Be Gone?
We suggest a quiet dinner at a lovely French Quarter restaurant, such as The Rib Room at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel, which is just around the corner from the Herman Grima House. Other popular Sunday night haunts are Galatoire's and Brennan's both close to the Herman Grima House.

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