Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival Has Arrived

The Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival is officially under way.  If anyone is still at a loss for what festival events to attend, well, they probably haven’t been reading Good Nola—in any case there are still more events to keep in mind.

2011 is a year of anniversaries at the festival.  Not only does this year serve as the festival’s 25th year and Tennessee’s 100^th birthday, but also marks the 50 years since the publication of Walker Percy’s novel The Moviegoer.  Percy, a literary scholar, author of numerous books of fiction and non-fiction, and longtime resident of Uptown, penned this National Book Award winner (beating out the likes of Richard Yates’s Revolutionary Road and Joseph Heller’s Catch 22).  At 10 a.m. Saturday, panelists Sheila Bosworth, Valerie Martin, and Chris Wiltz will discuss Walker Percy’s life and work, focusing special attention on The Moviegoer.  Tickets are $10.

Festival-goers who feel a rumbling in their bellies Saturday at 1 p.m. might want to check out The Quintessential Brunch with Chef John Besh hosted by Besh himself at his Besh Steak Restaurant inside Harrah’s Casino.  Besh will discuss the tradition of this classic New Orleans meal, complete with a cooking demonstration that is sure to impress.  Locals should also make a note to catch Besh’s new cooking show, which premiers Saturday, April 2 at 9:30 a.m. on WYES-TV in New Orleans.  Brunch tickets are $35.

It wouldn’t be The Tennessee Williams Festival without seeing a play or two.  On Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. The Le Petit Theatre is proud to present one of Tennessee’s most famous productions, The Glass Menagerie (Tickets at $35).  Another special production will be brought to Le Petit, this time by the University of New Orleans’s Department of Film, Theater, and Communication Arts.  Hitting the stage will be last year’s One-Act Play Contest winner, a play by Josh Billig entitled Outside Sitka.  The show starts at 11 a.m. and tickets are only $5.  Anyone eager to get a jump on next year is invited to attend a staged reading of this year’s contest winner for a staged reading at Le Petit Theatre.  Again, tickets are $5.

At 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, celebrated New Orleans musician Irvin Mayfield will be at the Palm Court Jazz Café where he will read from his new book, A Love Letter to New Orleans as well as perform songs from his new album, which bears the same name as the book.

As occurs every year, to close out the festival, those who have little to no shame will take the street corner below the balcony of The Gumbo Shop just off Jackson Square to compete in the Stella! Shouting Contest.  Watch as men of all ages shout for their Stellas.  Ladies are also invited to join the Stanley Shouting Competition.  Preliminaries are selected at the Gumbo Shop and finalists will give an encore at Le Petit’s Mainstage where a winner will be chosen.  Following, all guests are invited to Tea with Tennessee including cake, toasting, and hearty singing of Happy Birthday to Tennessee.

And don’t forget to check out the Louisiana Road Food Festival for some great eats on Saturday and Sunday (featuring pedestrian-friendly culinary creations from across the country between the 300 & 600 blocks of Royal Street—just around the corner from the Tennessee Williams Festival’s main venues).