New Orleans Public Library Celebrates the Arts

On November 29 New Orleans (La.) Public Library (NOPL) welcomed musician Irvin Mayfield for the exclusive premiere of “Dust, Dirt, and Trees,” written by Mayfield and performed by the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. The concert, a tribute to literary legend Ernest Gaines, is part of a concert series entitled THE NOJO 10, which celebrates the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra’s 10^th anniversary with 10 signature jazz events.

NOPL celebrated another holiday event, on December 6, when US poet laureate Natasha Trethewey read a selection of poems at the library from her new book, Thrall. Trethewey is a Gulf Coast native, a Pulitzer Prize–winning poet and the 19^th US poet laureate. 

“It is an incredible honor to be able to pay tribute to our city’s unparalleled arts culture with such talented and inspirational artists,” said Charles Brown, executive director of NOPL.