Bookpackers™

The course begins in Grand Isle, an island on the Gulf Coast south of New Orleans - the setting for Kate Chopin’s classic 1899 novella of self discovery, ‘The Awakening’.

From Grand Isle, the course moves to New Orleans. We explore the early history of the city through Anne Rice’s transgressive, decadent slice of gothic, ‘Interview With the Vampire’.

Michael Ondaatje’s 1976 novel about New Orleans jazz pioneer Buddy Bolden, set in Storyville and the Faubourg Lafayette, is the perfect introduction to New Orleans’ rich and unique African American culture.

Walker Percy’s novel from 1961 captures a different facet of the city - genteel, Southern. It’s the perfect book to read ‘uptown’ in the Garden District.

John Kennedy Toole’s 'A Confederacy of Dunces' is a work of comic genius. Like no other novel it captures the spirit of contemporary New Orleans.

Sarah M. Broom’s inspired memoir takes the class to New Orleans East, where we explore the socio-economic impact of Hurricane Katrina and Covid.

The class concludes with a period of reflection, sitting in cafés and reading Andrei Codrescu’s multifaceted essays.