Susan Larson

This week on The Reading Life: Paul Elie, author of Reinventing Bach, and Andrei Codrescu, whose new books are So Recently Rent a World and Bibliodeath: My Archives (With Life in Footnotes).

The Reading Life celebrates the holidays with Marigny Dupuy and Meghan Kelly, founders of the Dickens Fellowship of New Orleans, talking about A Christmas Carol; designer Lisette Oser, who collects small, beautiful Christmas books; and poet Melinda Palacio, whose new book is How Fire Is a Story, Waiting.  

This week on The Reading Life: Debra Shriver, author of In the Spirit of New Orleans, Bella Blue, who is part of the troop of Naked Girls Reading Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and poet Dave Brinks, whose new collection is The Secret Brain.

This week on The Reading Life: Booksellers Donna Allen of Maple Street Book Shop, Judith Lafitte of Octavia Books, and Britton Trice of Garden District Book Shop offer holiday gift book suggestions, and Susan has some of her own.

This week on The Reading Life: Natasha Trethewey, the 19th United States poet laureate, whose most recent book is Thrall, and Dalt Wonk, author of French Quarter Fables.

This week on The Reading Life: Rosemary James, founder of the Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society and co-owner of Faulkner House Books, who’s behind Words and Music: A Literary Feast in New Orleans, and poet Niyi Osundare, whose new book is Random Blues. Susan also reviews Anne Lamott's Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers.

This week on The Reading Life, Susan talks with Will Schwalbe, author of The End of Your Life Book Club, and photographer David Spielman, whose new book is When Not Performing: New Orleans Musicians.

This week on The Reading Life: Tom Varisco, creator of Jackson Squared, poet Brad Richard, whose new collection is Butcher’s Sugar, and novelist Summer Wood, author of Raising Wrecker.

This week on The Reading Life: Rene Brunet and Jack Stewart, co-authors of There’s One in Your Neighborhood: The Lost Movie Theaters of New Orleans, and Ken Foster, whose new book is I’m a Good Dog: Pit Bulls, America’s Most Beautiful (and Misunderstood) Pet.