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We had the pleasure of traveling deep into St. Bernard Parish to visit the documentarian and activist Monique Verdin.  Monique recently returned from the climate summit in Paris and she discusses with us the dire environmental situation Louisiana faces and how it connects to issues being fought on a global scale.  In addition we talk about her Land Memory and Seed Bank project as well as some of the history and challenges facing the United Houma Nation of which she is a member. If you love the show send some of it to the Lost Bayou Ramblers who created our theme song, Bastille.

This is an unusual show for us as it is actually a conversation between two people who are not your hosts...although Bruce did record this and Eliot did ask a question from the audience.  This episode was recorded on 3 December 2015 and it was a fundraiser for a new theatrical production about the life of Yvonne Bechet.  Ms. Bechet was one of the first three African-American women to serve in the New Orleans police department and she rose to its second highest rank.  She recounts tales of racial and gender integration, working undercover drug busts, creating programs to prevent crime and balancing all this with the raising of children (with a gun range in her house).  This conversation is between Ms. Bechet and the instigator behind this production, Mat Schwarzmen.   If you'd like to support this production please consider giving to their Kickstarter Campaign.  The campaign ends on 3 January 2016. As usual, give some love to the Lost Bayou Ramblers, creators of our theme song, "Bastille."  

Bruce and Eliot discuss the end of the governor's race and our governor-elect, John Bel Edwards, the fear of Syrian refugees and more.  Follow this link to find out more about the creator's of our theme song, the Lost Bayou Ramblers.

In case the press has worked its magic on you, there are more than Democrats and Republicans running to be the next president of the United States.  We had the honor and the pleasure of spending some time talking with Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein.  She gives us her diagnosis of what is happening to us as a nation and in our particular state.  We've had the pleasure of hearing her speak several times in Louisiana over the last few years and every time she speaks she's full of energy, ideas and direction and we got another dose of that on this show.  No matter your party affiliation, we hope you enjoy the discussion.   As always, check out the makers of our theme music, "Bastille," the Lost Bayou Ramblers.

When we sat down with Pamela she thought there was no way she was going to have enough to say to fill a whole hour.  Much to her surprise the hour flew by and we wished we had more time to hear her stories. Pamela Davis Noland is an author and playwright who originally hails from west Louisiana, but was drawn to the city of New Orleans where she knew she would be a writer.  Our theme music is "Bastille" by the Lost Bayou Ramblers.

We continue our education focused series of interviews by chatting with writer and student Josh Fauver.  He is a politically active LA native who we first met during Eliot's run for congress.  It was an interesting discussion about the state of higher education, political philosophy and the ideas of a young mind you're sure to hear from more in the future (he's already said he'll be running for office in the state one day). Thanks Lost Bayou Ramblers for the theme music.

Earl Dauterive is running for City Councilman At-Large West in St. Bernard Parish, LA.  On this episode he spends some time talking to us about why he's running for office, what he plans to do after he wins and how he loves being from the Parish.   Our theme song is "Bastille" by the Lost Bayou Ramblers.

We had a fantastic time meeting and chatting with Dr. Bruce Magee who is a professor of literature at Louisiana Tech and the host of the Louisiana Anthology podcast.  Bruce and his partner, Stephen Payne, are also the curators of a gargantuan collection of Louisiana literature that you can find online here.  

Did you miss us?  We're back!  We took some time off for summer vacation, but we're back in the studio and scheduling all manner of interesting guests for the future.  As this was our first show back we wanted to take some time to check in with each other (no guests this week) about our initial episodes, what's happening right now, and what we're excited for in the coming months.  We'll be back again this Friday with a new episode featuring Louisiana Anthology host Dr. Bruce Magee. Know of someone who would make an interesting guest?  Drop us a line at louisianacalling@gmail.com As always, our theme music is "Bastille" by the Lost Bayou Ramblers.

As his bio states, "My name is Nick Slie and I live, love, fight and dream on the disappearing wetlands of coastal Louisiana."  The New Orleans based artist stays up late with us to talk burning the Confederate flag, civil service in the age of Bobby Jindal, and making art in and about the place you love. For more info about Nick visit his company's website: www.mondobizarro.org.  Want to listen to more Lost Bayou Ramblers?  Visit their site: www.lostbayouramblers.com.

Jose Torres Tama is a New Orleans based performance, visual & literary artist.  Since Katrina he has been focused on the travails of latino immigrants who have not been recognized for their overwhelming contribution to the rebuilding of New Orleans.  To learn more about Jose visit www.torrestama.com. Our theme music is Bastille by the Lost Bayou Ramblers.  Thanks, gentlemen!

Marcel Graugnard took some time to show us around his hometown, Donaldsonville, LA.  We learned about some of the fascinating history of the town, Marcel's personal experiences growing up there (especially around issues of race), as well as his work hosting the Liberty Sessions, which are designed to discuss and propagate the message of libertarianism in Louisiana.   Our theme music is "Bastille" by the Lost Bayou Ramblers.

On Wednesday (June 24) we headed down to the Ponchartrain Center for Gov. Bobby Jindal's announcement that he would be running for the republican presidential nomination.  We didn't get inside, but we were able to meet a few supporters and protesters including Ram Bhatia (Jindal's wife's uncle), Marlene Dial, Susie Labry, and Claire.  Everyone had their own unique take on why they love him or why they hate him including his plan for ISIS, his record of working with various industries and the environment. Be sure to follow us on FB and Twitter (@CallingLA) for updates.  As always, thanks to the Lost Bayou Ramblers for the theme music!

Kathryn Johnson from Public Citizen calls into the show to tell us about the TPP or Trans Pacific Partnership, an ominous and shadowy trade deal, that may soon come to pass along with other "Fast Track" legislation designed to limit information and debate on trade deals for the next several years. Learn more about Kathryn's organization at Public Citizen. As always, thanks to the Lost Bayou Ramblers for supplying us with our theme music, "Bastille."

Kristen Becker is a standup comedian and an activist ("small a").  The day before this episode Kristen finished a 3 week variety show tour called Loosen the Bible Belt, which included stops in New Orleans and Shreveport (one of Kristen's home towns).  She headlined this tour with Jay Bakker of Revolution Church and the podcast This Is Radio Cast to help spread a message of love and acceptance between LGBTQ and the Christian South.    Learn more about the tour at:  http://www.loosenthebiblebelt.com/ Follow Kristen at:  http://kristenbecker.com/ Check out Jay's podcast at: https://goo.gl/zwktb3 Our theme music is "Bastille" by the Lost Bayou Ramblers.   

Jenny Sargent is a physical theater artist who took up residency in New Orleans, LA over a year ago to continue her work integrating arts into the classroom.  Jenny talks about the impact this past year has had on her and her understanding of the city we call home.   Learn more about Jenny at:  www.vagabondinventions.com Our theme music is "Bastille" by the Lost Bayou Ramblers.