Literary Louisiana: Books of Nostalgia and History

In “All the Places We Love Have Been Left In Ruins,” Ariel Francisco writes an elegy to his hometown of Miami that continues to be sunk by climate change, corruption, and of course, Margaritavilles. Francisco, who teaches at LSU, writes about one of the United States’ most tropical cities, a place threatened by climate change. Francisco’s poetry weaves in and out of his home, mixing the humorous with the tragic, mixing facts with nostalgia. In the middle of the book, Francisco has a longer poem titled “Insomniami,” which starts with “if you listen closely / you can hear / the rising waters whispers / if you cover your ears / you’ll hear it too / trapped in the seashell of night / chase the echo / to its origin.” This is a bilingual book published in both English and Spanish. 140 pages, $18

Histories of Memories
Shome Dasgupta

Southern Publisher Belle Point Press published this hybrid collection from Lafayette resident Shome Dasgupta. The collection contains short prose pieces as well as Elliot Smith-inspired pictures. Dasgupta takes the reader on a journey as he explores memory fragments in such a dreamlike quality that the reader won’t be able to help but go on the ride —both of Dasgupta’s book and the reader’s own memories. The prose’s dreamlike quality only adds to the effect of the subject matter, and the reader will be lulled on this journey with him.126 pages, $16.95

Around the Gate
M.A. Nicholson

M.A. Nicholson’s debut book of poetry, “Around the Gate,” explores the people, land, ghosts and stories of New Orleans. Nicholson, a native from New Orleans who got her Masters and MFA at the University of New Orleans. Nicholson’s poems span across several time periods, including as far back as the setting of Naxos, the ancient beach of the Aegean Sea. “Around the Gate” won the Hilary Tham Capital Collection prize and was published by Word Works Books. Nicholson is also one of the cofounders of lmnl lit. 88 pages, $19

Louisiana Creole Literature
Catharine Savage Brosman

In “Louisiana Creole Literature,” Savage Brosman does a critical analysis of letters written both in English and French of Louisiana Creoles, who lived predominantly in the southeastern part of the state. The book is part history and part biography. It covers everything from prose to poetry and even some theater in the 19th and 20th centuries along with works from authors such as Lafcadio Hearn, Kate Chopin, Victor Sejour and George Washington Cable. The book, published by University Press of Mississippi, includes Creole literature that is also published outside of Louisiana, including works published in Paris. 278 pages, $30