events

Neal Bodenheimer to talk about ‘New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em’

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Neal Bodenheimer, owner of renowned New Orleans bars and restaurants — Cure and Vals on Freret Street and Cane & Table and Peychaud’s in the French Quarter — will be at the Garden District Book Shop on Monday (Oct. 24) for a pre-publication celebration of his debut cocktail book, “Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em.” Due out nationwide on Tuesday October 25, the book will showcase New Orleans’ iconic cocktail scene through 100 drinks — each chosen to represent the city’s past, present and future. The event will kick-off at 6 p.m. with a welcome reception within The Chicory House featuring bites and select cocktails from the book. Afterward, Bodenheimer and his friend and partner in Cure and sister concept Cane & Table, Kirk Estopinal, who contributed some of his original recipes to the book, will sit down to discuss the book and the cocktail culture in New Orleans.

events

Al Copeland celebrated in biographical cookbook by Chris Rose and Kit Wohl

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“Secrets of a Tastemaker: Al Copeland The Cookbook” by Chris Rose and Kit Wohl was published Sept. 13 by the Cookbook Studio. The book is a biography of fried chicken magnate Al Copeland Sr. It is also a cookbook packed with some of Copeland’s most famous (and not-so-famous) recipes. Copeland was the larger-than-life figure behind the Copeland’s restaurant chain and the famed Popeye’s franchise. Al Copeland Jr., who wrote the book’s forward, and Kit Wohl will be at the Garden District Book Shop on Saturday afternoon (Oct.

city government

City officials celebrate Nix Library’s reopening

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After a long closure, then a reopening, then again closing and reopening, the ribbon was officially cut last week on the renovated and fully accessible Nix Library on South Carrollton Avenue. The modifications for American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance include the addition of a wheelchair lift at the building entrance and construction of a new restroom, at a total cost of $591,000. Other repairs included work on the roof and the drainage system. “We certainly encountered a few setbacks and unexpected challenges,” said Emily Painton, executive director of the New Orleans Public Library. “The Carrollton community has been so patient and deserves a library that is open to all people.

‘Cure’ book celebrates city’s cocktail culture — and divulges recipes

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Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em, a book by mixologist and entrepreneur Neal Bodenheimer and writer Emily Timberlake, is set to be released on Oct. 25. 

More than just a typical cocktail book, Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ’Em features in-depth information about New Orleans cocktail and drinking history. Bodenheimer is a New Orleans native who owns Cure the stand-alone cocktail bar that opened on Freret Street in 2009. Bodenheimer also owns other spots, Cane and Table and Peychaud’s in the French Quarter and Vals across Freret Street. 

Timberlake was a cocktail-book editor at 10 Speed Press for a decade before making the leap to full-time writer. A longtime fan of Cure, she teamed up with Bodenheimer to write a book that was not only a cocktail guide for locals but would serve as a guide to anyone who appreciates the city’s culture and stories.

books and literature

Nix Library is back again after more repairs

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Patrons of the star-crossed Nix Library can use the one-room branch on South Carrollton Avenue again. It reopened Monday (Aug. 22) after drain pipe repairs, after a brief reopening following 17 months of renovations to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act plus repairs to the roof and interior. The small library offers a wide collection of books, music and movies and has been an important part of the Carrollton neighborhood for almost a century. Nix Library
1401 S. Carrollton Ave.

books and literature

Nix Library on Carrollton reopens after 17 months

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It’s been a long wait, but the Carrollton neighborhood has its library back. Nix Library on South Carrollton Avenue reopened Tuesday (July 19) after 17 months. The tiny branch library was shuttered in February 2021 for American Disabilities Act upgrades, including the installation of an ADA-compliant wheelchair lift and improvements to make the public bathrooms more accessible. During the ADA renovations, workers found other “maintenance challenges” in the 92-year-old building, a library spokesperson told Uptown Messenger in March. The work included roofing and internal repairs.

Poydras Home launches free conversations series with author of ‘Age Your Way’ on April 14 (sponsored)

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Poydras Home is excited to introduce a new annual three-part speaker series beginning April 14. Poydras Home Conversations will host guest lecturers each spring, summer and fall, representing a wide range of topics. The first free event will be Thursday, April 14, at 5:30 p.m. in the 1857 Hall of Poydras Home,  5354 Magazine St. Poydras Home is  excited to launch the series with our inaugural speaker, Debbie Pearson, RN, based on the insights from her best-seller book “Age Your Way: Create a Unique Legacy.”
Experience a practical introduction to life planning that extends patients’ voices when they can no longer speak for themselves. Attendees will receive a complimentary copy of her book and its accompanying workbook, “The Blueprint to Age Your Way: Gather Your information.

opinion

Viewpoint: Ukrainians have what it takes to defend their country, global security expert says

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A new book by a New Orleans author examines military strategy that can be applied to business success in the civilian world. James P. Farwell’s The Corporate Warrior: Successful Strategies from Military Leaders to Win Your Business Battles was released in early February, a few weeks before Russian invaded Ukraine, drawing many Americans into closely following military maneuvers. 

Farwell said the Russian offense against the Ukrainians appears to be poorly organized and lacks a key leader and well-thought-out plan. “The Russian army was not prepared for this fight. Their troops are not well trained, armed or supplied,” he said. Comparing Ukrainians’ struggle against Russia to the Afghani’s struggle against the Taliban, Farwell discussed some intangible strategic assets.

Book Fest: Local authors Fatima Shaik and Michael Tisserand talk New Orleans Creole history 

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Local writers Fatima Shaik and Michael Tisserand sat down Friday (March 11) to talk about “Hidden History: Black and Creole Influence and Culture in New Orleans” at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University. 

Shaik’s book chronicles the history of Black New Orleans through a group of free men-of-color, the Société d’Economie et d’Assistance Mutuelle. “Hidden” is part of the title because this society and its activities were unknown even though the men of the Economic and Mutual Aid Association community were significant figures in the city from the Haitian Revolution in the 1790s to the creation of jazz in the early 20th century. The name “Economy Hall” refers to the Tremé building where the association met and held events. Tisserand is the author of “Krazy: George Herriman, A Life in Black and White,” the acclaimed biography of New Orleans-born illustrator, journalist and cartoonist George Herriman, the creator of “Krazy Kat,”  a newspaper comic strip that ran from 1913 to 1944. The book investigates his life navigating — or hiding from —  the color line in the early 20th century. 

Shaik relates that she and Tisserand discovered many affinities due to their deep research and dedication to unknown New Orleans stories.

books and literature

Book Fest: Local writers and photographers take it to the streets

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The streets of New Orleans were among the wide range of topics covered at the inaugural New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University. The sessions were not on the potholes or the perennial roadwork, though that was discussed, too. (“The problem with the streets is that we are sitting on top of an ever-changing river,” writer Jason Berry said.) They were on the spectacle of street life in New Orleans. Two Friday (March 11) sessions — a panel called “Visual New Orleans: A City of Neighborhoods” and a talk by Berry on his film and book “City of a Million Dreams” — covered recent works chronicling public rituals in the city’s Black communities that have become emblematic of New Orleans: the second-line parade and the jazz funeral. Judy Cooper’s “Dancing in the Streets” and Jason Berry’s “City of a Million Dreams” delve deeply into these traditions — deep enough to avoid cliches and appropriation.