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BIG READ

The Faulkner Society's 2012

A Lesson Before Dying
BIG READ

Was Presented with a Grant
From

National Endowment
for the Arts

With

Arts Midwest

And

Institute of Museum
and Library Services

Our Special Thanks to BIG READ Partners:

The State Library of Louisiana
The Louisiana State Museum
Jefferson Parish Public Library
New Orleans Public Library
The New Orleans
Jazz Orchestra
The University of
New Orleans
Tulane Univeristy
Loyola University
The Guardians of the Flame/Guardians Institute
The Roots of Music   
The New Orleans Musicians Assistance Foundation

Pabst Brewing Company
Is A Host
of
Words & Music 2013
Entertainment Events

Promoting Writers, Engaging Readers, Creating Literacy Initiatives

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 most recent ticketed event was our annual fundraiser and overture to the summer social season. For more details, scroll down to Juleps in June. Our next ticketed events will be events of Words & Music, a Literary Feast in New Orlean, December 4 - December 8, 2013. Our next free public event will be Meet the Author at Faulkner House on November 9th. We are happy to announce that our second on-line edition of our literary journal, The Double Dealer, went live on October 15. For details and links, scroll down to Double Dealer.
 

Save the Date!
November 9, 2013
Stanley Crouch, Author of Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker

Stanley Crouch, the noted music authority, author, columnist, and essayist will sign and talk at Faulkner House, 624 Pirate's Alley, Saturday, November 9 at 2:00 p. m. He has a new book coming about a famed jazz musician, Kansas City Lighting: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker. No musician has lived a more transformational, or more tragic, life than Charlie Parker, one of the most talented and influential musicians of the 20th century. READ MORE HERE...

Booklist gave the new book a starred review and says:
To jazz lovers, the prospect of music and cultural critic Crouch taking on the life of the iconic Charlie Parker carries the anticipation that fans would have had at the great battles of the jazz bands or the cutting contests vividly described here....

Publishers Weekly says:
With the straight-ahead timing and the ethereal blowing of a great jazzman, Crouch delivers a scorching set in this first of two volumes of his biography of Charlie ‘Yardbird’ Parker, capturing the downbeats and the up-tempo moments of the great saxophonist’s life and music.

And Kirkus Reviews says:
...Crouch is a phrasemaker, and the text is chockablock with memorable lines... A story rich in musical history and poignant with dramatic irony.

Open to the public with advance reservations, the event will include light refreshments. So, do come out an lift a glass to one of America's great cultural observers and writers, Stanley Crouch. LEARN MORE HERE...

To reserve your book in advance, call Faulkner House Books, (504) 524-2940 or e-mail us at faulkhouse@aol.com.

At left: Lori Marie Carlson with her husband Oscar Hijuelos at Words & Music, 2012.

Oscar Hijuelos

A  great friend of the Faulkner Society and one of America's very best writers, Oscar Hijuelos, died on October 12. He collapsed and died of a heart attack while playing tennis.

The Pulitzer Prize winner, among the early judges of the Faulkner-Wisdom Competition, had appeared at Words & Music, a Literary Feast on several occasions, including 2011, when the Faulkner Society presented him with its ALIHOT (A Legend in His Own Time) Award for Literature. He was a member of the faculty again last year, when he discussed his recently released memoir, Thoughts Without Cigarettes. He was to have presented again at Words & Music, 2013, as was his wife, Lori Marie Carlson, whose new novel, A Stitch In Air, is just out. The Faulkner Society offers a tribute to Oscar Hijuelos in the 2013 edition of the Society's on-line journal, The Double Dealer. (Click at left to view.)

2012 Competition Winner Scores

Scroll down to Words & Music Quick Links for various aspects of the festival.  For our working schedule Click Here!

Watch for regular postings on here and on our BLOG PAGE between now and December, 2013. For 2013 pricing, Click Here! For a Registration Form, Click Here!  For 2013 guidelines for submissions for manuscript critiques and one-on-one consultations, along with guidelines for this year's Limited Registration Workshops, Click Here!

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 primary 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 Meaning as Inspiration for the Arts

Literary superstar Reza Aslan, non-fiction author of Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, just out and now the number two book in the country, has accepted our invitation to speak at Words & Music, 2013. Aslan, who has appeared at Words & Music in the past when his previous books were released, is an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions. His first book, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam, has been translated into 13 languages and named by Blackwell as one of the hundred most important books of the 21st Century. He also is the author of How to Win a Cosmic War: God, Globalization, and the End of the War on Terror (published in paperback as Beyond Fundamentalism), as well as the editor of Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East. Born in Iran, he is an American citizen and lives in New York and Los Angeles with his wife and two sons. Aslan became a Christian as a teenager but became disinchanted with organized Christianity and now describes himself as a "follower of Christ." In addition to his career as an author and professor of religious studies at, Aslan is a frequent commentator on the Middle East for various national television networks, including CBS, MSNBC, and CNN. For more on Reza and his groundbreaking scholarship, Click Here!

Part of the programming for readers and writers will focus on the work of the late Walker Percy, whose impressivebody 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,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 how it determined the course of his career as a writer and how he would live his life. Among faculty stars for this exploration of how faith and the search for it have inspired great literature will be the Reverend Patrick Samway, S.J., Mr. Percy's biographer and editor of Signposts in a Strange Land. Father Samway is a scholar in the work of important authors born in the South, including especially those of the Catholic faith, such as Mr. Percy and Flannery O'Connor, and William Faulkner, who was not Catholic. For more on Father Samway and his body of work, Click Here!

Call for Papers

Scholars and writers are invited to submit papers for Words & Music, 2013 on this year's theme. Examples of appropriate topics are submissions related to Mr. Percy and his work, Flannery O'Connor and her work, Andre Dubus and his work, Hillary Mantel and her novels centering on William Cromwell and the Tudors, for instance. In the non-fiction realm, papers on the work of Reza Aslan, would be favorably considered. For guidelines, contact, Faulkhouse@aol.com. Deadline for submisison of proposals for papers to be presented at Words & Music is November 1. Deadline for submission of final papers is November 22. For complete information Click Here!

Pan American Connections

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, including this year one of Latin America's most respected writers: Horatio Castellano Moya. 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.

Horatio Castellanos Moya, right, whose novels have zeroed in on tyranny and government mismanagement in Latin America, will be among star presenters at Words & Music, 2013.

For writers seeking manuscript critiques, critique submissions must be in our hands not later than November 1. For submission guidelines, Click Here!

Words & Music Quick Links       

 FACULTY: AUTHORS  |  FACULTY: AGENTS/EDITORS

SPECIAL EVENT PRICING  |  RESERVATION FORM  |  PROGRAM SCHEDULE

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION  | AGENT/EDITOR/WORKSHOP CRITIQUE GUIDELINES

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.
 

The second electronic edition of The Double Dealer is online now!

On October 15, the Faulkner Society published its second on-line edition of its literary journal, The Double Dealer. And The Double Dealer, 2012 is a whopping 330 pages of material from winners of the William Faulkner - William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition for the years 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011, along with other proceedings of the Society, including our BIG READ projects for 2008, 2009, and 2012, winners of the Society's ALIHOT (A Legend In His/Her Own Time) Awards, and other material of interest to readers and writers, including social commentary, essays, interviews, poetry, and recommended reading. It has been a long time coming, getting on track with our journal. Our last hard copy of the journal was released in 2007.

A  combination of Katrina aftermath, increasing costs for printing, and lack of revenue kept The Double Dealer on the back burner until last year when we began getting up to speed on the technology of on-line journals, including a zoom feature for reading ease, a search mechanism, and pages that really turn, both ways! And coming to grips coping with the sheer volume of excellent material from the winners and runners-up since 2007 was a challenge. But the journal is back, hopefully to stay, and we sincerely hope you will enjoy it. To read the 2012 Edition of The Double Dealer, Click Here!

The Society published the first On-Line edition of its journal in June. The Double Dealer, 2011, of course, also is up and ready to read is the 2011 edition. To read, Click Here!

We started with a 2011 edition, which includes not only the work of Faulkner - Wisdom Competition winners for 2010 but also papers presented at Words & Music, 2010, which we had an obligation to publish. Because of the volume of excellent papers presented that year, we could only handle winners from one year in that edition.

Concurrent with Words & Music 2013, we will publish the 2013 edition, which will include the work of 2012 and 2013 competition winners, as well as papers presented during Words & Music, 2012, along with new fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays, interviews with writers, recommended reading. Thereafter, the work of competition winners will be published in the year they are selected. For history of The Double Dealer, Click Here!

 
An Overture to the Summer Season...New Orleans Style

Juleps in June is the Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society's annual overture to the summer social season and fundraiser.

Each year the event takes place early in June and features mint juleps served in traditional silver julep cups. Patrons are presented with julep cups engraved with Juleps in June and the year as a special souvenir. Many Society members and friends have collections which include cups from each year since founding in 2002. And, each year, the Society selects a residence with a lovely garden and an interesting history for the event. The Honorary Chairs each year are socialites and volunteer activists in the cultural arena of Louisiana. We cordially invite you to join us for Juleps in June, 2014.

To become a member of the patron committee for Juleps in June, 2014, scheduled for Friday, June 6th, e-mail Faulkhouse@aol.com.



Old Metairie Residence of Greer and David Monteleone, Honorary Chairs, Juleps in June, 2013

Members of the Monteleone Family at Juleps in June, 2013 are from left, Ann Monteleone Burr, sister of the host; Denise Monteleone, sister-in-law of the host; Greer and David Monteleone, Honorary Chairs of the fundraiser, and David's mother, Ruth Monteleone.

Photos above and below by Margarita Bergen



Veteran Members of the Juleps in June Party Committee
Jennifer Adams, left, Michael Harold, Angie Bowlin, and Chris Fransen

Juleps in June, 2013

Juleps in June, 2013 took place on Friday, June 7, at the residence of Greer and David Monteleone in Old Metairie, a home as beautifully designed for entertaining as it is engaging the eye, with its marvelous collection of antique and contemporary furnishings and art. For more on this year's smashingly successful party, Click Here!  To review memories of Juleps in June, 2011 and 2012, Click Here!  To review memories of Juleps in June, 2008, 2009, and 2010, Click Here!

We are pleased to announce that one of the Society's most dedicated volunteers 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 eight categories: Novel, Novella, Book Length Narrative Non Fiction, Short Story, Novel-in-Progress, 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. 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.

To help us continue this important competition, which has propelled dozens of writers to literary success, please consider a small membership donation to the Society. For details, e-mail us at Faulkhouse@aol.com.

If you are a writer, we look forward to seeing your work in the 2014 competition, which opens January 1, 2014. 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 2014 Guidelines, Click Here! For 2014 Entry Form, Click Here!

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 its 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.

Faulkner Society events are made possible in part by important support from The Arts Council of New Orleans, the City of New Orleans, and the Decentralized Arts Funding Program of The Louisiana Division of the Arts; the J. J. and Dr. Donald Dooley Fund and administrator, Samuel L. Steele, III; Bertie Deming Smith and the Deming Foundation; the Hearst Corporation and Debra Shriver, Vice President; the Law Firm of Deutsch, Kerrigan & Stiles;Dorignac's & Butch Steadman; the English Speaking Union; Rosemary James, Joseph DeSalvo and Faulkner House, Inc; Randy Fertel and The Ruth U. Fertel Foundation; Arthur & Mary Davis, Quint Davis, and Pam Friedler; Alexa Georges; the Louisiana State Museum; Elizabeth McKinley; Hotel Monteleone; Mr. & Mrs. Hartwig Moss, III; Theodosia M. Nolan, Tia and James Roddy, and Peter Tattersall; Parkside Foundation; Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre; Anne and Ron Pincus; Other Press, a Division of Random House; Coffee House Press; Farrar, Straus Giroux; Harper Collins; History Press; E. Quinn Peeper and Michael Harold; Spring: A Journal of Archetype and Culture: Nancy Cater, Editor; the State Library of Louisiana; Judith "Jude" Swenson in memory of her late husband, James W. Swenson, and The Mary Freeman Wisdom Foundation.