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Jeanne's Take | August 7, 2026 |
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Dear Crosstowners,
You know I work hard to promote the creative work and workers in our region. Lately, I have been lucky to have made the acquaintance of a particularly special sequence of creatives whom I have been sharing with you. If you have tuned in to our radio show on WBOK 1230 on Saturdays at noon you have discovered them. If not, go back a few weeks and listen to them, or see them in my newsletters.
This week I encountered a special playwright who shared with me his techniques for writing plays that offer exceptional experiences through his stories and thoughts. I learned a lot about writing from him, including his mentors and the important role that "conflict" plays in achieving impactful plays.
His latest play, 'Ganking Mr. Guidry,' will run at Le Petite Theatre from August 13th – 16th. I will attend one of the shows. I hope my interview with him persuades you to attend as well. Purchase your tickets here! Enjoy and let me know what you think of his work soon. |
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Jeanne Nathan Host and Executive Producer of Crosstown Conversations Executive Director of Creative Alliance of New Orleans |
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Jeanne's Guest on Saturday's Radio Show on WBOK 1230AM at Noon. |
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Harold Ellis Clark
Harold Ellis Clark is an award-winning writer of thirteen plays. His latest play, Ganking Mr. Guidry, won the 2026 Carol Sutton Memorial Grant. Other honors for his plays have come from entities in New York City, Chicago, Memphis, Baton Rouge and elsewhere. |
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Listen on the radio Saturday at noon on WBOK 1230 or watch the interview in the video below or at this link here! |
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Newsletter Sections Art + Culture | News | Local Updates |
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"Ganking Mr. Guidry" Premiering atLe Petit Theatre |
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Le Petit Theatre in association with HEC Communications, LLC presents Ganking Mr. Guidry by Harold Ellis Clark with generous support provided by Whitney Plantation and the Carol Sutton Memorial Grant
Ganking Mr. Guidry, set during the 1878 Louisiana sugarcane harvesting season, surrounds five workers who band together to stand against injustice. Clark began writing the play after a reluctant visit to the Whitney Plantation (Wallace, LA) in 2018, and this will be the world premiere.
On view at Le Petit Theatre from August 13 - August 16th. Buy your tickets here!
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Louisiana Contemporary:15 Years of Louisiana’s Boldest Voices! |
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"The Table, with Friends" Farah Billah, included in the group exhibition Louisiana Contemporary on view at The Ogden |
Elevating the excitement and buzz of White Linen Night, Louisiana Contemporary, presented by The Helis Foundation, opened August 1 at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Celebrating fifteen years as the state's premier juried showcase of contemporary art, the exhibition has featured more than 650 Louisiana artists, making it one of the most closely watched juried shows in the region. This milestone year is no exception: from 1,786 submissions by 524 artists, this year's juror selected 50 works by 45 artists working across a wide range of media — painting, photography, sculpture, installation, fiber work, performance, and new media. Now through February 14, 2027, at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art.
Learn more about the exhibition and artists here. |
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August 8th: Dirty Linen Night |
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Dirty Linen Night 2026Dirty Linen Night offers a unique twist on White Linen Night, inviting art enthusiasts to embrace the imperfect and unconventional side of New Orleans’ French Quarter. Organized by the Royal Street Arts District nonprofit, this edition of the event aims to infuse passion and music into the world of art. Galleries along Royal Street will open their doors, offering captivating exhibits for attendees to explore while live musicians will fill the streets with their melodies, creating an enchanting atmosphere to enhance the artistic vibe. Tourists and locals alike are encouraged to bring out their dirty linens from White Linen Night the week before, and head to Royal Street for a block party.
When is Dirty Linen Night? This year, on August 8, from 6PM to 9PM, the 300-1100 blocks of Royal Street will transform into a lively celebration of creativity, artistic expression, and imperfection. Along with the arts, there will be a selection of specialty drinks, wine, beer, and New Orleans culinary delights. What’s the best way to get to Dirty Linen Night? Because of the location of Dirty Linen Night, rideshare/taxi/public transportation is the best decision. There are paid lots around the French Quarter, but street parking is extremely limited.
Where can I buy tickets to Dirty Linen Night? Tickets are TBA.
Where can I find more information about Dirty Linen Night? More information on Dirty Linen Night can be found on their website.
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Oil Firms Knew for Decades of Methane’s Danger to Planet, Documents Suggest |
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BY HIROKO TABUCHI
The oil and gas industry has known for decades that its wells were releasing far more planet-warming methane than companies acknowledged, according to industry documents identified by an environmental group. In a report on the findings released in July, the Center for Climate Integrity cited, among other examples, a 1979 report commissioned by the research arm of the American Gas Association, an industry group. That report said that major gas fields in the United States could be releasing far more planet-warming gases than was being officially reported.
Methane, a main component in natural gas, is a particularly potent greenhouse gas when released into the atmosphere. It has “always been unclear what the industry directly knew” about its methane releases, said Steven Hamburg, chief scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund, who has researched the question for years and wasn’t involved in the center’s report.
The Center for Climate Integrity is a nonprofit that has called for the oil industry to be held financially responsible for the effects of climate change, which has been caused by the burning of fossil fuels. The group said it examined decades’ worth of industry documents, available in university libraries and other public archives, to draw its conclusions.
Read the rest of the article here.
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Summer Heat Could Be Hurting Your Heart Without You Knowing It |
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BY SANKET JAIN
Sadashiv Yadav, 46, collapsed from a heart attack in 2024 after working long hours in western India’s sorghum and soybean fields, where heat rises in the summer to over 40°C (104°F). Yadav realized he was in trouble when he felt a sharp pain in his chest, and sweat poured down his body. “Even in peak summers, I hadn’t experienced that kind of sweating,” he recalled. At the hospital, doctors found blockages in the arteries supplying blood to his heart and surmised that years of working in extreme heat likely strained his cardiovascular system.
Many forms of heart disease are linked to chronic inflammation, and scientists are probing whether global warming has worsened this condition for people around the world, even among younger adults in northern Europe where extreme heat is much less common than in India.
Unlike acute inflammation, the immune system’s tool to fight infection or heal an injury, chronic inflammation is a prolonged immune response that can damage healthy tissues over time. Chronic inflammation has been linked to conditions ranging from arthritis to heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and other major illnesses.
Read the rest of the article here.
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Obeying the Speed Limit Would Save 57,000 Tons of Carbon a Day.It Would Cost You 54 Seconds. |
BY SARAH DEWEERDT
If drivers of gasoline cars refrained from speeding, they would collectively save an average of 57,000 metric tons of carbon emissions every day in the United States—while spending less than a minute more behind the wheel, a new study reveals. “We are presenting a somewhat obvious, but impactful, way to reduce energy and emissions that doesn’t require a new vehicle or new technology, just backing off the accelerator pedal,” says study team member William Northrop, professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Minnesota.
The analysis proceeds from a simple and well-known proposition: driving fast is disproportionately energy intensive, as drag force increases exponentially with speed and the engine burns more and more fuel. “That’s physics,” Northrop says. But no one had ever added up the impact at a national scale before.
In the new study, Northrop and University of Minnesota graduate student #crosstownconversations#fineartmagazineblog.blogspot.com #sunstormfineartmagazine.com#artfuntalk#artfunnew#artfunhappy#artfuncommunity #artfunnow, |
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