Louisiana Anthology Podcast cover art

Louisiana Anthology Podcast

Louisiana Anthology Podcast

By: Bruce R. Magee & Stephen Payne
Listen for free

About this listen

 The Louisiana Anthology Podcast is an part of the larger project of the Louisiana Anthology. We release new episodes every Saturday, and the podcasts last for around an hour. The purpose of the Louisiana Anthology Podcast is to discuss the literature and culture of Louisiana. We broadcast interviews with various authors, artists, and scholars about their contributions to Louisiana.Creative Commons License Art Entertainment & Performing Arts Literary History & Criticism Social Sciences Travel Writing & Commentary
Episodes
  • 667. Kass Byrd, Part 2.

    667. Kass Byrd, Part 2.
    Feb 28 2026
    667. Part 2 of our conversation with Kathleen Kass Byrd about her book on the history of Natchitoches. "Kathleen M. Byrd’s Natchitoches, Louisiana, 1803–1840 is an examination of one French Creole community as it transitioned from a fur-trading and agricultural settlement under the control of Spain to a critical American outpost on the Spanish/American frontier and finally to a commercial hub and jumping-off point for those heading west. Byrd focuses on historic events in the area and the long-term French Creole residents as they adapted to the American presence. She also examines the effect of the arrival of the Americans, with their Indian trading house and Indian agency, on Native groups and considers how members of the enslaved population took advantage of opportunities for escape presented by a new international border. Byrd shows how the arrival of Americans forever changed Natchitoches, transforming it from a sleepy frontier settlement into a regional commercial center and staging point for pioneers heading into Texas" (LSU Pr.). Kathleen M. Byrd (nicknamed Kass) is a distinguished anthropologist, archaeologist, and historian specializing in the history and prehistory of Louisiana, particularly the Natchitoches region. A native of Connecticut, she earned her B.A. from Marquette University, an M.A. from LSU (focusing on coastal subsistence patterns), and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida. She served as Louisiana's state archaeologist for 15 years before joining Northwestern State University (NSU) in Natchitoches in 1994, where she later became director of the School of Social Sciences for 12 years until her retirement. Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 222 years. Order your copy today! This week in the Louisiana Anthology. Jim Kjelgaard. Swamp Cat. Frosty's heritage, in great measure, came from his renegade father. Incapable of fearing anything, he was sufficient unto himself and he'd known that from the first day he'd opened his eyes and looked around the shed. There was not and never would be a situation with which he could not cope or a foe from whom he would run in panic. His self-confidence was almost as vast as his curiosity. He would stand alone, or with kindred spirits. Never would he place himself at the mercy of, or pay homage to, one who was not kindred. He liked the woman. She was unfailingly kind and gentle. She knew exactly how to pet him and she ' a small point ' brought his food. But he would not, as the gray kittens did, unbend so far as to met her at the door. She was not his superior. This week in Louisiana history. February 27, 1827. New Orleans kicks off its first Mardi Gras. This week in New Orleans history. Mardi Gras Day was cancelled on February 27, 1979 due to the New Orleans Police strike. Some Orleans Parish parades were rescheduled in Jefferson Parish. This week in Louisiana. Kisatchie National Forest ' Valentine Lake Recreation Area Valentine Lake Road Forest Hill, LA 71430 Open year‑round; February is ideal for cool‑weather hiking and quiet lakeside visits Website: fs.usda.gov/kisatchie Email: KNFinfo@usda.gov Phone: (318) 473‑7160 Valentine Lake is one of Kisatchie's most peaceful recreation areas, offering scenic trails, birdwatching, and lakeside relaxation during the mild late‑winter season: Valentine Lake Trail: A 3.4‑mile loop through longleaf pine forest with excellent wildlife viewing.Picnic & Day‑Use Areas: Shaded spots along the shoreline, perfect for quiet afternoons.Fishing Access: The 46‑acre lake is stocked with bass, bream, and catfish.No fee for entry. There is a small fee for camping. Postcards from Louisiana. Sporty's Brass Band. Listen on Apple Podcasts. Listen on audible. Listen on Spotify. Listen on TuneIn. Listen on iHeartRadio. The Louisiana Anthology Home Page. Like us on Facebook.
    Show More Show Less
    Less than 1 minute
  • 666. Kathleen 'Kass' Byrd. Natchitoches History, Part 1.

    666. Kathleen 'Kass' Byrd. Natchitoches History, Part 1.
    Feb 21 2026
    666. Kathleen Kass Byrd, part 1, joins us to discuss her book on the history of Natchitoches. "Kathleen M. Byrd’s Natchitoches, Louisiana, 1803–1840 is an examination of one French Creole community as it transitioned from a fur-trading and agricultural settlement under the control of Spain to a critical American outpost on the Spanish/American frontier and finally to a commercial hub and jumping-off point for those heading west. Byrd focuses on historic events in the area and the long-term French Creole residents as they adapted to the American presence. She also examines the effect of the arrival of the Americans, with their Indian trading house and Indian agency, on Native groups and considers how members of the enslaved population took advantage of opportunities for escape presented by a new international border. Byrd shows how the arrival of Americans forever changed Natchitoches, transforming it from a sleepy frontier settlement into a regional commercial center and staging point for pioneers heading into Texas" (LSU Pr.). Kathleen M. Byrd (nicknamed Kass) is a distinguished anthropologist, archaeologist, and historian specializing in the history and prehistory of Louisiana, particularly the Natchitoches region. A native of Connecticut, she earned her B.A. from Marquette University, an M.A. from LSU (focusing on coastal subsistence patterns), and a Ph.D. from the University of Florida. She served as Louisiana's state archaeologist for 15 years before joining Northwestern State University (NSU) in Natchitoches in 1994, where she later became director of the School of Social Sciences for 12 years until her retirement. Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 222 years. Order your copy today! This week in the Louisiana Anthology. Rida Johnson Young. Naughty Marietta: A Musical Comedy in Two Acts. PLACE: New Orleans. TIME: About 1780. SCENE: The Place d'Armes. A broad open space with the levee at back. There is a path along this levee bordered on both sides by tall trees, some of which are draped with the gray Southern moss. There is just a glimpse of the Mississippi between these trees. Along the levee from time to time as act progresses, people of various nationalities past. Mexicans, Indians, Spaniards, Negroes, etc. At extreme L. is an arcaded street in which are booths for flower sellers, cake and confectionary ' sailors, etc. Over this arcade are the high latticed windows of dwellings in old Creole style. There is a door at L. into one of these houses. At right is the getaway entrance to the St. Louis Cathedral. Up stage in centre is a large fountain. The top of the fountain is in the form of a large urn. The pedestal leading from the basin to the urn must be large enough for a person to stand up in. The fountain is dry. This week in Louisiana history. February 20, 1811. President Madison signed bill providing for Louisiana'a statehood. This week in New Orleans history. February 20, 2013: FEMA Archaeologists Discover One of the Oldest Native American Artifacts South of Lake Pontchartrain. Release Number: DR-1603/07-989, NEW ORLEANS ' Pottery sherds, animal bones and pieces of clay tobacco pipes are among the items recently discovered by a team of archaeologists under contract to the Federal Emergency Management Agency surveying land near Bayou St. John in New Orleans. 'It was a bit of a surprise to find this,' said FEMA Louisiana Recovery Office Deputy Director of Programs Andre Cadogan, referencing a small, broken pottery fragment. 'We clearly discovered pottery from the late Marksville period, which dates to 300-400 A.D. The pottery was nice, easily dateable, and much earlier than we expected." This week in Louisiana. St. Ann Catholic Church Lenten Fish Fry 3601 Transcontinental Drive Metairie, LA 70006 February 20, 2026 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM Website: stannchurchandshrine.org Email: office@stannchurchandshrine.org Phone: (504) 455‑7071 Price: Plates typically range from $10'$15, with combo options available. During Lent, many Catholic churches across Louisiana host Friday seafood dinners as both fundraisers and meatless‑Friday observances. St. Ann's annual Fish Fry is one of the most popular in Jefferson Parish: Plate Options: Fried fish, shrimp, or a combo plate, served with fries, coleslaw, and hushpuppies.Dine‑In or Drive‑Thru: Quick service for families on the go, with indoor seating available.Community Atmosphere: Proceeds support parish ministries, school programs, and local outreach. Postcards from Louisiana. Florida Street Blowhards at LSU. Listen on Apple Podcasts. Listen on audible. Listen on Spotify. Listen on TuneIn. Listen on iHeartRadio. The Louisiana Anthology Home Page. Like us on Facebook.
    Show More Show Less
    Less than 1 minute
  • 665. Zella Palmer, Part 2.

    665. Zella Palmer, Part 2.
    Feb 14 2026
    665. Part 2 of our interview of Zella Palmer, expert on Creole and African cooking. She released a documentary, The Story of New Orleans Creole Cooking: The Black Hand in the Pot. She is also the author of Recipes and Remembrances of Fair Dillard, 1869-2019.Zella, educator, food historian, author, and filmmaker, serves as the Chair and Director of the Dillard University Ray Charles Program in African-American Material Culture. Palmer is committed to preserving the legacy of African-American, Native American, and Latino culinary history in New Orleans and the South. Palmer curated The Story of New Orleans Creole Cooking: The Black Hand in the Pot academic conference and documentary, the Nellie Murray Feast, and the Dr. Rudy Joseph Lombard: Black Hand in the Pot Lecture Series. Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy. The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in print for the first time in 222 years. Order your copy today!This week in the Louisiana Anthology. Samuel Clemens. "Letter to Pamela A. Moffett." [It's the be]ginning of Lent, and all good Catholics eat and drink freely of what they please, and, in fact, do what they please, in order that they may be the better able to keep sober and quiet during the coming fast. It has been said that a Scotchman has not seen the world until he has seen Edinburgh; and I think that I may say that an American has not seen the United States until he has seen Mardi-Gras in New Orleans. I posted off up town yesterday morning as soon as the boat landed, in blissful ignorance of the great day. At the corner of Good-Children and Tchoupitoulas streets, I beheld an apparition! — and my first impulse was to dodge behind a lamp-post. It was a woman — a hay-stack of curtain calico, ten feet high — sweeping majestically down the middle of the street (for what pavement in the world could accommodate hoops of such vast proportions?) Next I saw a girl of eighteen, mounted on a fine horse, and dressed as a Spanish Cavalier, with long rapier, flowing curls, blue satin doublet and half-breeches, trimmed with broad white lace — (the balance of her dainty legs cased in flesh-colored silk stockings) — white kid gloves — and a nodding crimson feather in the coquettishest little cap in the world. She removed said cap and bowed low to me, and nothing loath, I bowed in return — but I could n’t help murmuring, “By the beard of the Prophet, Miss, but you’ve mistaken your man this time — for I never saw your silk mask before, — nor the balance of your costume, either, for that matter.” And then I saw a hundred men, women and children in fine, fancy, splendid, ugly, coarse, ridiculous, grotesque, laughable costumes, and the truth flashed upon me — “This is Mardi-Gras!”This week in Louisiana history. February 13, 1899. Lowest temperature ever recorded in Louisiana, Minden, -16°F.This week in New Orleans history. First Rex Parade. February 13, 1872 Lewis J. Salomon reigned as Rex during the organization's first parade on February 13, 1872. The theme was "Triumphal Entry". The official anthem of Rex, "If Ever I Cease to Love", was a hit song of the early 1870's era from a musical comedy named "Bluebeard". The musical's leading lady, Lydia Thompson, was performing in New Orleans at the time of the first Rex parade. The visiting Grand Duke Alexis of Russia, who had seen "Bluebeard" during his national tour, was also familiar with the song and with Thompson, to whom he had once sent a gift bracelet. This week in Louisiana.Krewe of Artemis Parade Downtown Baton RougeBaton Rouge, LA 70801 February 21, 2026 at 7:00 PM Website: kreweofartemis.netEmail: info@kreweofartemis.netPhone: (225) 344-5272To find the parade route, visit the krewe's website and click on "Parade Route" in the main menu.The Krewe of Artemis is Baton Rouge's premier women‑led Mardi Gras parade, known for its family‑friendly atmosphere, signature throws, and vibrant nighttime procession:All‑Female Krewe: Founded in 2001, Artemis is the first and largest women's Mardi Gras krewe in Baton Rouge.Night Parade: Floats are illuminated for a glowing, high‑energy procession through downtown.Signature Throws: Popular items include light‑up beads, custom cups, and the krewe's collectible plush moon.Postcards from Louisiana. Delfayo Marsalis. Listen on Apple Podcasts. Listen on audible. Listen on Spotify. Listen on TuneIn. Listen on iHeartRadio. The Louisiana Anthology Home Page. Like us on Facebook.
    Show More Show Less
    Less than 1 minute
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.