LSU Press Blog

Why Poetry Matters

Just in time for April’s observance of National Poetry Month, LSU Press author Danny Heitman has published an op-ed in The Christian Science Monitor arguing for the continued importance of poetry. “While I’m not a poet myself, I’ve really deepened my appreciation for poetry over the years by reading the exceptional, Pulitzer Prize-winning line of poetry published by LSU Press, and that, in no small part, is why I try to promote poetry through national commentaries such as this one,” Heitman said of the op-ed. Readers can check out the piece here.

Although Heitman isn’t a poet, his new LSU Press title, A Summer of Birds: John James Audubon at Oakley House, has been hailed for its poetic sensibility. Nationally renowned historian Neil Baldwin praised the book as “satisfying and artful: local history as poetic metaphor.”

Heitman in Kansas City Star

The Kansas City Star includes Danny Heitman's A Summer of Birds in its list of recommended titles from "the kind of presses who get it all done with perhaps a dozen people instead of hundreds." Read the article here.

Best Painter in Baton Rouge

Rhea Gary was named Best Painter in Baton Rouge in the 2nd Annual Best of 225 Awards. According to the readers' nominations, ". . . Gary marries paint to canvas to capture the brilliance and splendor of Louisiana’s bayous and marshland." In 2005, Gary joined with nature photographer, C.C. Lockwood, to portray the beauty of Louisiana's vanishing wetlands in the book, Marsh Mission.

LSU Press Books Inspire Two Exhibits

From now until May 13, the traveling exhibit "Vanishing Wetlands: Two Views," showcasing images from the book Marsh Mission: Capturing the Vanishing Wetlands, by photographer C C Lockwood and artist Rhea Gary, will be housed at the Conservatory of the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C.  The purpose of this exhibit is to bring the subject of coastal restoration to the forefront of political discussions and educate the public on the value of Louisiana's coastline.  For more information on the garden or the exhibit, click here for the U.S. Botanic Garden website.

 

Locally, LSU's Hill Memorial Library is hosting the exhibit "An Unnatural Metropolis: Wresting New Orleans from Nature," based on the book An Unnatural Metropolis by LSU's Carl O. Sauer Professor of Geography Craig E. Colten.  The exhibition is open now until June 2, and features images and excerpts from his book relating the challenges of New Orleans' extreme environmental limitations, including the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  For more information, click here to visit LSU's Speical Collections website.