New Toulouse

Lei’s Cafe on the Bayou hosted a Prose & Poems event on October 25. Following a wonderful performance from singer-guitarist Joaquin Gustav, participants read poems from their favorite poets and also presented some amazing original poems.

After much consideration, the judges selected “My House on the Bayou” by Marnie Gras as the winner of the original poem competition.

The judges determined that there was a tie for second place between Silky Grimknot’s poem “Nightmare Night, Darkness Moon” and Maggie Hawksby’s “Loup-Garou (Werewolf).”

Lemon Bramblet is a wandering journalist with a nose for strong coffee and a fear of lake cows.

Poets and writers will soon compete for prizes at a literary and musical gathering on the bayou.

Lei’s Cafe on the Bayou hosts a poetry night on Saturday, October 25. The event opens with music by Joaquin Gustav at 4:00 PM SLT. Mr. Gustav is a talented guitarist, composer, and Avi Choice Award winner from Argentina. His diverse playlist includes jazz, tango, milonga, candomblé, and something called “rock music.”

Starting at 5:00 PM, Taloosters and friends present their favorite poems and short stories. Prizes will be awarded for the top two original works.

To register to perform a reading, send a note to Miss Lei Pari by October 23. Include your name, poem or short story title, the name of person who wrote it (you or the original author), and the text of the poem or short story.

Gigi Lapin is worried about the proximity of all those brains to a known zombie hotspot.

Pictured are Nikita Weymann, Gigi Lapin, and me. We sit among some of the prizes you can get at the Post-Storm Pirate Booty Hunt that runs till September 1 in New Toulouse.

Last night was the hunt kickoff pub crawl, in which we enjoyed rum and went around to all the places where treasure chests are to be found. So much stuff washed ashore during the last hurricane that Taloosters have made these chests to get rid of it. The pub crawl was so much fun, but today I am completely exhausted. So I went to see Niki at her house on the bayou, and Gigi joined us, and I showed them some of my treasures.

The lovely little frog on the barrel, the washed-up trellis bench, and the junk shop lawn chair are from Noctis. The vampire gentleman and the zombie head trophy are from Harley’s Hotel. The zombie is wearing a black leather beret from the Old Spanish Stable.

Dare Munro’s book Musings in the Dark is published by my very own company, Darker Shadow Productions, and you get it from the Ghost of Liza Veliz Books & Poems at La Coquette. The book chaise Niki is lounging on is from Galerie Shotgun/Argonaut Travel on Shotgun Road.The kraken-themed rugs are from Look What the Cat Dragged In, #2 Spiegel Hall. The candle bowls are from Grimalkin Workshop in the bayou. Look out for bats—just saying.

The Paradiso Firepit is from Lei’s Café on the Bayou. The Poe’s Raven plushie I’m holding is from Ravenwood Arts & Curios on Shotgun Road. Do I need to mention that it says “Nevermore” when you touch it?

I am wearing the fish hat that Francesca Alva designed and put in her chest at the Green-Eyed Fairy for scurvy knaves to find. There’s a version for tinies too! To be totally honest, I was expecting us all to turn into fish people when the flood after the hurricane took so long to dry up, so I enjoy this cute hat very much. It is hilarious to watch it cuddle people as if it wants to eat them when they sit on my lap.

You should totally do this hunt! There are so many fun treasures in those chests that you can find all over the city and bayou. If you are feeling lazy, you can always use the list of treasure spots.

The start of the pub crawl, at the Still House Tavern

The Ghost of Liza Veliz fell in love with New Toulouse at first sight. She publishes books by various authors; find them at her reading cafe on Shotgun Row.