638. Lori Peek, Part 1
08 August 2025

638. Lori Peek, Part 1

Louisiana Anthology Podcast

About
638. Part 1 of our interview with Lori Peek about her book, The Continuing Storm, which she wrote with Kai Erikson. More than fifteen years later,
Hurricane Katrina maintains a strong grip on the American
imagination. The reason is not simply that Katrina was an event
of enormous scale. But, quite apart from its lethality and
destructiveness, Katrina retains a place in living memory
because it is one of the most telling disasters in our recent
national experience, revealing important truths about our
society and ourselves. The Continuing Storm reflects
upon what we have learned about Katrina and about America. Kai
Erikson and Lori Peek expand our view of the disaster by
assessing its ongoing impact on individual lives and across the
wide-ranging geographies where displaced New Orleanians landed
after the storm. Such an expanded view, the authors argue, is
critical for understanding the human costs of catastrophe across
time and space. Concluding with a broader examination of
disasters in the years since Katrina—including COVID-19— The
Continuing Storm
is a sobering meditation on the duration
of a catastrophe that continues to exact steep costs in human
suffering.



    Now available: Liberty in Louisiana: A Comedy.
    The oldest play about Louisiana, author James Workman wrote it
    as a celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Now it is back in
    print for the first time in 221 years. Order your copy today!



    This week in the Louisiana Anthology. Forty
    Years a Gambler on the Mississippi
    by George H.
    Devol. A cabin boy in 1839; could steal cards and
    cheat the boys at eleven; stock a deck at fourteen; bested
    soldiers on the Rio Grande during the Mexican War; won
    hundreds of thousands from paymasters, cotton buyers,
    defaulters, and thieves; fought more rough-and-tumble fights
    than any man in America, and was the most daring gambler in
    the world. “Some men are born rascals, some men have rascality
    thrust upon
    them, others achieve it.”
    This week in Louisiana history. August 9 1975. The Superdome
    was opened as the hometown Saints met the Houston Oilers in an
    exhibition football game. The Oilers won handily, 31-7, in
    what was described as “a very lackluster” game. The Superdome
    cost $163 million to construct.


    This week in New Orleans history. Lee Harvey Oswald Arrested
    in New Orleans on August 9, 1963. August 9, 1963: Oswald
    distrubutes pro-Castro leaflets  downtown. 
    Bringuier confronted Oswald, claiming he was tipped off about
    Oswald's activity by a friend. A scuffle ensued and Oswald,
    Bringuier, and two of Bringuier's friends were arrested in the
    700 block of Canal Street for disturbing the peace. He spend
    the night in jail.


    This week in Louisiana.

    Centenary State Historic Site

    3522 College Street

    Jackson, LA 70748

    Grounds open to visitors

    Thursday through Saturday

    open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

    closed Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year's Day

    Buildings open for special programing or by appointment. 


    Admission/Entrance Fees

    $4 per person

    Free for senior citizens (62 and older)

    Free for children 3 and under

        Originally opened as the College of
    Louisiana in 1826, the school occupied an old courthouse and
    other buildings in the town of Jackson. The college steadily
    grew and two dormitories were built on new property in 1832
    and 1837. The West Wing, the latter of these two buildings,
    remains today.

        After less than 20 years, the College of
    Louisiana closed because of declining enrollment. Suffering
    similar problems was the Methodist/Episcopal-operated
    Centenary College at Brandon Springs, Mississippi (established
    in 1839).

        Centenary then moved to the vacant campus
    of the College of Louisiana. Since the all-male student bodies
    of the two institutions were effectively combined, the school
    succeeded with the name Centenary College of Louisiana now
    owned and operated by the Methodist/Episcopal Church South.


    Postcards from Louisiana. Little Freddie King FQF (French
    Quarter Fest).







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