Notes From New Orleans

Think about your favorite children’s book. Now, was the main character an animal or a human? Most likely, it was an animal, as animal protagonists have been a staple of the children’s literary canon for centuries. To help us think through why we often prefer furry friends at any age, NolaVie’s Kelley Crawford spoke with Olivia Motley , author of the new children’s book Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans . Visit ViaNolaVie for a related article written by Kelley Crawford.

New Orleans is a place where when you ask someone what they do, you don’t get a single answer. While other places may call these endeavors a side hustle, many people feel that it’s not so much a side hustle as it is an interesting way to live. For NolaVie’s new series Side Hustles , Kelley Crawford invited Nicole Young into the studio to talk about how she took the plunge into full-time creative work. Visit ViaNolaVi e for a related article written by Kelley Crawford.

The New Orleans Film Society is hosting the 23rd French Film Festival this weekend. To mark the occasion, NolaVie has been spotlighting the filmmakers behind the features. Brian Friedman spoke with Syd Horn and Olivia Perillo, whose documentary film, Intention , will screen at the Prytania Theatre on February 28. Visit ViaNolaVie for a related article written by Brian Friedman.

The 23rd French Film Festival begins on February 27, and for the next two weeks, NolaVie will be spotlighting a couple of the festival’s featured filmmakers. Marshall Woodworth’s documentary La Veille traces the loss of Louisiana French, as well as the widespread efforts to preserve it. Brian Friedman sat down with Marshall for a quick preview. Visit ViaNolaVie for a related article written by Brian Friedman.

It’s Carnival time in New Orleans, and that means that throw season has arrived. Throw as in the noun, a throw, not the verb, to throw. We’re talking about that time of year when revelers raise their arms in supplication for trinkets tossed from passing Mardi Gras parade floats. Of all the things that make New Orleans one-of-a-kind, parade throws may well be the most idiosyncratic. I don’t know of any other place on Earth where this ritual of tossing and catching from krewe to crowd takes place. I’ve been to Carnivals from Rio to Nice, and, while they have their own unique branding, they just don’t do it like they do here. When I took my own kids to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, they scratched their heads in puzzlement. Why are people here when there’s nothing to catch, they wondered? After four decades of riding in New Orleans parades as well as watching them curbside, I’ve seen various Carnival throws come and go. Doubloons were hot, then not, and, recently, kind of hot again.

Preservation Hall has been bringing people into the French Quarter since the 1950s to hear authentic New Orleans jazz. With Carnival season upon us, the Foundation’s Jazz in Class Program will move from the band room to the parade route.

People Museum is about half of what its name suggests. This group of alternative pop musicians has been building a reputation at gigs around New Orleans. The band plans to share songs from their new EP, “I Made a Madman out of Me and You,” at a show at One Eyed Jack’s on Friday, January 31. NolaVie’s David Benedetto spoke with band members Claire Givens and Jeremy Phipps as part of the ongoing series, Listening to Locals . Visit ViaNolaVie for a related article written by David Benedetto.

Meryl Murman is a choreographer and filmmaker who made the bold decision to combine her disciplines into one art form. She creates dance films that explore improvisation and performance in places like New Orleans and Ukraine. Kelley Crawford invited Meryl into the studio for the latest installment in NolaVie’s ongoing series, Conversations With Artists. Visit ViaNolaVie for a related article written by Kelley Crawford.

Based simply on output, New Orleans is clearly a fertile ground for artists. But how welcoming and nurturing is New Orleans to all kinds of art, specifically street art? NolaVie’s Brian Friedman sat down with Neal Morris, founder of the NOLA Mural Project , to try and answer that question.

Co-working spaces are beginning to pop up all over the city, but few are tailor-made for artists. Atelier Mimi is a gallery and co-working space dedicated to promoting creative cross-pollination. In this installment of NolaVie’s occasional series, Conversations with Artists, Kelley Crawford invited founder and visual artist Miriam Lilje into the studio to talk about how she conceptualizes space in art and life. Visit ViaNolaVie for a related article written by Kelley Crawford.

The new year brings a brand new decade. And if you think about all the big changes that occurred in the last decade — iPads, Instagram, self-driving cars, ride-sharing apps, bitcoins, Candy Crush — well, we can only imagine what the world will look like by the end of this one. So today we put on our prognostication glasses, with an eye toward achieving 2020 vision. Let’s put the future in focus and talk about what the years ahead will see. We’re talking revolutions instead of resolutions for the new decade ahead. And no, this isn’t at all about politics. With 2020 vision, we see a few revolutions already under way. Last week, I ordered red wine with a scroll and a touch on an iPad at one high-end restaurant, while a friend ordered a burger and milkshake the same way at Shake Shack. Awesome, and weird. Plant burgers now emulate beef, and a fingerprint can get you through airport security or into a sports stadium. Parking apps are becoming visionary, too. Who carries spare change anymore

Venice has often been called a kindred city to New Orleans, with its Carnival traditions and tumultuous relationship with water. As part of PhotoNOLA , an annual celebration of photography, the Second Story Gallery in the Healing Center is hosting an exhibit called Venice: Two Perspectives: Lovell and Skuber. NolaVie’s Brian Friedman catches up with Charles Lovell, one of the exhibit’s featured photographers.

The holidays are here, and for the Preservation Resource Center , that means the annual Holiday Home Tour is just around the corner. Each year in December, the PRC welcomes locals and visitors through the doors of some of the oldest and most well-preserved homes in and around the Garden District. Executive Director Danielle Del Sol joined NolaVie’s Kelley Crawford at WWNO for a preview. Visit ViaNolaVie for a related article written by Kelley Crawford.

As is the case with most holidays, New Orleans has numerous Christmas traditions that set our city apart from others. The Feast of the Seven Fishes is one of them. Josephine Estelle, the restaurant at the Ace Hotel, will be hosting this traditional Italian American dinner next Tuesday, December 10th. NolaVie’s Brian Friedman invited Chef Chris Borges into the studio to learn more about the Feast.

New Orleans abounds in spirits. And nowadays, not all of them are of the ethereal kind. The city will have eight craft distilleries by the end of this year. Happy Raptor is a relative newcomer on the distillery scene. NolaVie’s Renée Peck invites Meagen Moreland Taliancich, co-founder of Happy Raptor, into the studio to hear more about their New Orleans-inspired spirits.

New Orleans is known for its unusual architecture, but there are a few houses around the city that are still bound to turn the heads of locals and visitors alike. This Saturday, several of those houses are opening their doors for the third annual Weird Homes Tour . NolaVie’s David Benedetto invited homeowner Sam Malvaney into the studio for a quick preview.

In a world where people are quick to digitize everything, there are many who don’t want to forget the creative endeavors of those who came before binary codes. One of those groups is Movie Poster Archives , and NolaVie’s Kelley Crawford sat down with their Executive Director and author of the book Hollywood South: Glamour, Gumbo, and Greed , Linda Thurman. Visit ViaNolaVie for a related article written by Kelley Crawford.

Nola DNA is a local preservation project centered around a massive archive of newspapers from over a hundred years ago. Writer and printmaker Joseph Makkos is the founder of Nola DNA, and he joined David Benedetto in the studio to talk about his discovery and how he’s planning to take it into the future. Visit ViaNolaVie for a related article written by David Bendetto.

Huey Moss has been delivering mail in New Orleans for almost 35 years, and at the end of this year, he’ll be retiring. NolaVie’s Brian Friedman invited Huey into the studio to hear about the job and his experiences over the years. Visit ViaNolaVie for a related article written by Brian Friedman.

The 30th New Orleans Film Festival kicked off this week, and one of the centerpiece movies is Burning Cane . The film’s director is 19-year-old New Orleans native Phillip Youmans, who won the prestigious Founders Award at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. NolaVie’s David Benedetto invited Phillip into the studio upon his return back home for the film festival. Visit ViaNolaVie for a related article written by David Benedetto.