Beyond Words
November 20-23 | André Callioux Center | 2541 Bayou Rd.
Born by the Pirate's Alley Faulkner Society in 1997, Words & Music Festival has become one of New Orleans' cornerstone events of the fall.
Much anticipated by lovers, scholars, and makers of literary art from here and abroad, the festival is now orchestrated by One Book One New Orleans (OBONO), a local nonprofit dedicated to building community and creating opportunities that support literacy and the arts. This November, the festival returns to the gorgeous André Callioux Center and promises to enlighten, entertain, and inspire everyone involved.
In an interview this summer, OBONO's executive director Megan Holt proclaimed her excitement over this year's line-up. Some events offer insights, as well as practical support and guidance, to professional writers. In particular, Holt said, "We're also excited about a workshop, 'Know Your (Copy)Rights,' facilitated by attorney Bri Whetstone and author Alysha Rooks. Authors will learn more about what to expect regarding ownership of their work, things to look out for in the age of digital publishing, and more."
Holt was especially stoked that this year's Words & Music Festival will offer an extra-special visit with an international artist. "Amanda McIntyre, a scholar from Trinidad who focuses on the tradition of masking as baby dolls in her country, will be in dialogue with Dr. Kim Vaz-Deville, a scholar on the New Orleans baby doll masking tradition," Holt said. "Two culture bearers who currently mask as baby dolls—one from each country—will join them as well. I cannot wait to learn more about how New Orleans and Trinidad are connected through this tradition."
Once-in-a-lifetime experiences abound at Words & Music, the fruit of these and other creative collaborations among artists across many genres, all connected through New Orleans and by OBONO. "For the past few years, we have highlighted the work of the Historic New Orleans Collection at one festival session, and this year is going to be incredible," Holt said. "Louisiana Poet Laureate Alison Pelegrin has commissioned a group of poets to write pieces in response to the HNOC's exhibit Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration. Words & Music gets to host the debut reading of this work."
Many of the events Holt herself looks forward to the most are Words & Music rituals. "Every year I look forward to two of our signature readings, a tribute reading curated by Kelly Harris-DeBerry and Po'Boys & Poets curated by Stacey Balkun," Holt disclosed. "These two have been with the festival since 2018, and watching their vision come to life each year is nothing short of magic." With past tributes dedicated to the likes of Prince and Tina Turner, including poetry and performances by local and visiting poets, patrons return each year and are guaranteed to make memories.
In fact, one standout experience, one of Holt's treasured memories, was made at the 2019 tribute reading to Ernest Gaines in the second year of Words & Music Festival under OBONO's leadership. She explained, "He [Ernest Gaines] transitioned shortly before the festival, and because he was the author of the first OBONO selection, we wanted to honor him in a big way. Even though it was a last-minute addition to the festival program, so many authors showed up to give Mr. Gaines his flowers. Hearing the emotion in Dr. Jerry Ward's voice as he read his favorite Gaines passage is a moment that will stay with me forever."
The origin story of OBONO and their relationship with the festival is an inspiration itself. Holt shared that OBONO is "thrilled to celebrate 20 years of bringing the community together through reading this year." In 2023 alone, OBONO put 3,221 books in the hands of readers in New Orleans. What started in 2004 as a six-week project with the Young Leadership Council—through which Gaines' A Lesson Before Dying was selected and distributed to readers in New Orleans free of charge—has become an indispensable philanthropic network of individuals, businesses, and organizations.
OBONO has become an on going and ever-expanding endeavor in this regard, year-round, as they are constantly expanding their reach, diversifying their offerings, and expanding their initiatives through partnerships in the community. From casual events such as Sip & Social at Ralph's on the Park and listening parties at Garden District Book Shop to book drives at breweries for their lauded Books 2 Prisoners program, OBONO is growing, with no signs of slowing down. Holt remarked on "the community's outpouring of support for our book club inside Orleans Parish Jail" and went on to say, "We have high hopes to hold even more book club meetings in 2025."
Holt also celebrated OBONO's newest collaborations: "Our newest partnership is with LNML, a nonprofit literary and arts organization. We're working together to co-administer the Patty Friedmann Writing Competition, and it's been a joy every step of the way. We're also really excited about our new partnership with UNO's College of Liberal Arts, Education, and Human Development. Students and faculty will be reading our 2024 selection, Black Creole Chronicles by Mona Lisa Saloy, together, and we will work with the college to host programming focused on the book. Students will also, of course, be invited to attend our free events throughout the city."
Providing resources and creating experiences that support and connect artists, scholars, and lovers of literature and the arts is not only typical of Words & Music Festival, it is a hallmark of OBONO's programming and an extension of its core values and mission to increase accessibility and foster community. Even the relocation of the festival to its new home at the André Callioux Center is part of this mission. "It really feels like the right home for Words & Music, in terms of ADA accessibility, the ease of parking, and the sheer beauty of the space itself," Holt expressed. "Plus, festival attendees get to enjoy shopping at all the locally owned businesses along Bayou Road."
