Tennessee Williams Festival Announces Weekend Highlights

SATURDAY, MARCH 24

11 AM-Master Class

Richard Ford: WHAT MAKES A GOOD WRITER

Join Pulitzer Prize-winner Richard Ford for this Master Class where he presents thirteen items that make up good writing, all of which he deems important and valuable. He will go through each one, explicating what he means and why they are so vital, citing books and references and sources, all both serious and yet with much amusement. Not only will you get great advice, but you'll be able to ask your questions too!

Hotel Monteleone, Vieux Carré Room, $25 or VIP Pass.

1:00 PM-Special Event

NASTY WOMEN POETS: UNAPOLOGETIC PERFORMANCES

This reading by contributors to Nasty Women Poets: An Unapologetic Anthology of Subversive Verse is by and about women defying limitations and lady-like expectations; women refusing to be "nice girls;" women being formidable and funny; women speaking to power and singing for the good of their souls; women being strong, sexy, strident, super-smart, and stupendous; and women encouraging little girls to keep dreaming. These poets speak not just to the current political climate and the man who is responsible for its title, but to the stereotypes and trials women have faced dating back to Eve, and to the long history of women resisting those limitations. Co-editor Julie Kane, former Louisiana state poet laureate, moderates the reading of 15 incredibly talented women writers and performers. Sponsored by Paige Royer and Kerry Clayton.

Hotel Monteleone, Vieux Carré Room, $10 or VIP Pass.

4 PM-Special Event

DONNA BRAZILE IN CONVERSATION WITH TYLER BRIDGES.

HOW DID WE GET HERE? WHEN POLITICS STOPS MAKING SENSE

Join us for a Saturday afternoon of political talk on stage at Le Petit Theatre! Popular political commentator (and New Orleans native) Donna Brazile dishes with investigative journalist Tyler Bridges about this era of unpredictability. Can we get back to Cooking with Grease?

Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré, 616 St. Peter Street, $20 or VIP Pass.

6 PM-Special Event

LEAH CHASE: INTERVIEW WITH A National Treasure AND LIVING LEGEND

From Civil Rights activists, entertainers, presidents and dignitaries, to Tennessee Williams himself, Leah Chase has fed their bellies and nourished their souls. Come listen to this beloved icon in conversation with journalist and television personality Sheba Turk, reflect on her life, business, and the people in her world, through the food that brought them all together in a tapestry of memories that covers almost a third of New Orleans history. In her own words, "Well, it's been up and down, as I tell people. Like Langston Hughes said, it sure ain't been no crystal staircase, but it's always fun. People come and they say, well, Leah, you fed this president . . . but presidents come and go. It's that everyday customer that comes and tell you--like . . . one lady said, 'I remember coming here when I was in high school.' So that is a good feeling for me, you know, that people remember me . . . I couldn't live, honey, without people."-Chef Leah Chase with Michel Martin on NPR's Tell Me More.

Hotel Monteleone, Queen Anne Ballroom, $10 or VIP Pass.

Sunday, March 25

1PM-Special Event

TRUMAN TALKS TENNESSEE

Broadway veteran Joel Vig returns to the Festival with "Truman Talks Tennessee." In this one-man show of his own creation, Vig plays Truman Capote near the end of his life as he recalls his friendship with America's greatest playwright. Both Capote and Williams were as eccentric as they were unforgettable, and the story of their friendship (with a wild supporting cast of famous friends and enemies) is as outrageous and bizarre as anything that either of them ever wrote. It is particularly appropriate that this piece will happen in New Orleans, Capote's hometown, and at the Hotel Monteleone, which Capote loved to claim as the site where he was conceived. With an introduction by Peggy Scott Laborde.

Hotel Monteleone, La Nouvelle Ballroom, $20 or VIP Pass.

About the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival
The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival celebrates the genius of Tennessee Williams, who once called our city his "spiritual home," and the contemporary artists who are as honest and unflinching in their examination of the human condition as our patron playwright. Founded in 1986 by a group of cultural enthusiasts, the Festival has grown from a small gathering of 500 to a five-day literary and multi-cultural event, which sees 11,000+ seats filled each year. In late March, we toast Williams' birthday with theater, literary panels, food, and music events featuring luminaries and the brightest new talents in American arts. For more information, visit www.tennesseewilliams.net or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival (TW/NOLF) is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. Funding has also been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, Art Works. Major backing comes from the New Orleans Theatre Association, which supports performing arts throughout the Greater New Orleans area, and the TW/NOLF is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts for Literature.