Rien Fertel

New Orleans, Saint Martinville

Visiting Professor of History @Tulane. Author of 4 books, most recently: a human history of the Brown Pelican. I before E. [email protected]

Articles

'Personal, political and wildly effective': New Orleans poet debuts new collection

2 weeks ago | theadvocate.com | Rien Fertel

“Libre” by Skye Jackson, Regalo Press, 120 pagesSkye Jackson’s debut poetry collection, “Libre,” leads off with a poem that, back in 2021, won her deserved acclaim. The first lines of “can we touch your hair?” takes readers to a crowded Mardi Gras street scene.
This New Orleans novel was in the works for 20+ years. See why it's worth the wait.

1 month ago | theadvocate.com | Rien Fertel

“Sight Unseen ” by Constance Adler, ELJ Editions, 308 pagesConstance Adler moved to New Orleans shortly after the May floods of 1995, a destructive event that sets in motion her debut novel, “Sight Unseen.” Through the story of Claire and Simon, Adler’s novel captures a marriage and a city tested by one deluge after another. The rains bring growth — Simon owns a plant nursery — allowing Adler to sketch evocative scenes of the city’s lush and loamy green life.
This New Orleans novel was in the works for 20+ years. See why it's worth the wait.

1 month ago | nola.com | Rien Fertel

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'Poets are freaks, aliens': See more of this New Orleans poet's new collection

1 month ago | theadvocate.com | Rien Fertel

“Turned Earth” by Brad Richard, LSU Press, 90 pagesIf New Orleans were to appoint a city poet laureate — and why shouldn’t we have one? — I would nominate Brad Richard. His award-winning poetry plows, with a loving and critical eye, the dense layers of New Orleans history, culture and ecology. For 28 years, he nurtured students at New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and Lusher/Willow, many of whom have gone on to become published poets.
REVIEW: 'The Edge of Water' transports New Orleans to the shores of West Africa

2 months ago | theadvocate.com | Rien Fertel

“The Edge of Water” by Olufunke Grace Bankole, Tin House Books, 272 pagesIt is often said that New Orleans is “the most African city in the United States.” We can point to any number of cultural facets that descended from West Africa. Our food, the musical forms birthed in this city, the way people dance in the streets. The list goes on and on.
Stephen King’s 'Carrie' has come to Carnival in novel centered around New Orleans Mardi Gras

2 months ago | theadvocate.com | Rien Fertel

“The Debutantes” by Olivia Worley, Wednesday Books, 352 pagesThe more Mardi Gras changes, the more it stays the same. Faddish king cakes hold sway (I’m eyeing yours, Lagniappe Bakehouse), while stale traditions fade away (farewell, Nyx!). Meanwhile, new books — histories, coffee table-worthy photography collections, kids' lit — join a burgeoning shelf of Mardi Gras bibliomania.
3 poetry collections to read in the new year whose authors have ties to New Orleans

Jan 12, 2025 | theadvocate.com | Rien Fertel

One of the great New Orleans-produced poets, Nicole Cooley is a master of the narratively themed collection. “The Afflicted Girls,” her 2004 volume about the Salem Witch Trials, is an unsung gem of a book. Her latest collection, “Mother Water Ash,” presents a mournful exploration of her mother’s life and death alongside the ecological precarity of the city that raised her.
'The thrill of that first post-lockdown hug.' New Orleans author shares pandemic story in new book

Nov 16, 2024 | theadvocate.com | Rien Fertel

"Between Dying and Not Dying, I Chose the Guitar: The Pandemic Years in New Orleans" by James Nolan, 210 pages, University of Louisiana at Lafayette PressEach one of us has a pandemic story. The losses, the sacrifices, the horrors. The agony of being alone, the ecstasy of being alone. New skills acquired, old dreams fulfilled — maybe even a baby.
'Season of the Swamp,' in revisiting Juárez's 'stopover,' locks in on New Orleans' light

Nov 3, 2024 | theadvocate.com | Rien Fertel

"Season of the Swamp" by Yuri Herrera, Graywolf Press, 160 pagesIf you’re not reading Yuri Herrera yet, what are you waiting for? The Mexican-born Tulane University professor of creative writing and literature ranks among the most dynamic and unique authors working today. Each of his previous three novels is a wildly inventive, word-drunk, frenzied fever dream.
Author discovers the hidden histories of a Mississippi Delta barn with 'raw honesty'

Oct 19, 2024 | theadvocate.com | Rien Fertel |Wright Thompson

The BarnBy Wright ThompsonPublished Sept. 24. 448 pages. Penguin Press. $35.00. The barn is nondescript. Lifeless. Plain. Another in a nation full of old wooden barns. Built from cypress boards of indeterminate age, weathered gray over the decades, the former cotton shed, until recently, sat crowded with Christmas decorations and duck-hunting gear.

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Rien Fertel

Articles

'Personal, political and wildly effective': New Orleans poet debuts new collection

This New Orleans novel was in the works for 20+ years. See why it's worth the wait.

This New Orleans novel was in the works for 20+ years. See why it's worth the wait.

'Poets are freaks, aliens': See more of this New Orleans poet's new collection

REVIEW: 'The Edge of Water' transports New Orleans to the shores of West Africa

Stephen King’s 'Carrie' has come to Carnival in novel centered around New Orleans Mardi Gras

3 poetry collections to read in the new year whose authors have ties to New Orleans

'The thrill of that first post-lockdown hug.' New Orleans author shares pandemic story in new book

'Season of the Swamp,' in revisiting Juárez's 'stopover,' locks in on New Orleans' light

Author discovers the hidden histories of a Mississippi Delta barn with 'raw honesty'

Contact details

Emails

Socials & Sites

Coverage map

X (formerly Twitter)