Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin is the largest river swamp in the country. It is filled with vegetation, birds, animals, reptiles (including alligators) and wonderment. Unfortunately, any place that is so ecologically precious also has its challenges, including keeping the water flowing through the proper channels. Ecologists Joseph Baustian and Bryan Piazza of the Nature Conservancy join Errol Laborde, Executive Editor of Louisiana Life , and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about how the ...
Jun 30, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 91
Besides color, what is the difference between a brown bear and a black bear? And which are you most likely to find in Louisiana? How plentiful are feral pigs? Does Louisiana have more alligators than people? What’s the difference between a redfish and a red snapper? Chris Holmes has written several articles about the state’s wildlife for many outlets including for Louisiana Life. Holmes joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk a...
Jun 23, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 90
In 1873, one of the worst Yellow Fever epidemics in the nation’s history swept through Shreveport. The then fledgling Archdiocese of Natchitoches recruited five priests from France to service the needy. All five died having known they would not return to their native country. Now there is a movement for the five to be canonized as saints. LSU-Shreveport Historian Cheryl White is a co-author of a book, “Shreveport Martyrs of 1873: The Surest Path to Heaven.” White joins Errol Laborde, executive e...
Jun 16, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 89
Jim Brown, former Louisiana Secretary of State, Insurance Commissioner and State Senator makes a return visit to the podcast and for good reason. He always has a lot of stories to tell. Brown joins Errol Laborde, Executive Editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to tell tales from his latest book, “My Louisiana Odyssey: A Memoir,” including a late night phone call from Bill Clinton and flying with Edwin Edwards. Oh yes, we will also hear about visiting a saint’s reli...
Jun 09, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 88
There are many stories to be told about Louisiana’s Cajun culture; most joyous, a few heartbreaking, all part of a lifestyle that has flourished in southern Louisiana. Conni Castille, a ULL documentarian who has specialized in chronicling Acadiana, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the virtue of rice and gravy, properly ironed shirt collars, celebrating on horseback and, to the contrary, even a diseases that has afflict...
Jun 02, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 87
One of the biggest honors given to any magazine is to be named “Magazine of the Year,” especially by a national trade organization. Well, ahem!, Acadiana Profile , Louisiana Life magazine’s sister publication, was recently named Magazine of the Year (in the bountiful 37,000 or leas circulation category) by IRMA, the International Regional Magazine Association. Not only that, but Louisiana Life was also named as one of the finalists. The award was announced at the group’s recent convention in Ott...
May 26, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 86
Whenever early education is the topic, charter schools are always part of the discussion. This is especially true in New Orleans, which has the only all charter public school system in the nation. J. Celeste Lay an Associate Professor of Political Science at Tulane University joins Errol Laborde, Executive Editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss her book, “Public Schools, Private Governance: Education Reform and Private Governance in New Orleans.” The boo...
May 19, 2022•35 min•Season 1Ep. 85
New Orleanian Tom Sancton is a master of the clarinet as well as an accomplished journalist, having served as Paris Bureau Chief for Time Magazine . Sancton joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talks about his fascinating career on stage and behind the keyboard, as well as recall a life lived in two dream cities: Paris and New Orleans. Oh yes, we will also hear about “The Last Baron,” his latest book about the kidnapping of a French ...
May 12, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 84
Here is the amazing story of how the pecan, as we would come to know it, was transformed from being a lowly nut that grew wild in the south to becoming a finely developed food source. All of this was because of an enslaved person who was the gardener at Oak Alley Plantation and who developed an expertise at grafting. Historian Katy Morlas Shannon joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about the discoveries from her fascinating...
May 05, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 83
A favorite topic of many podcast listeners is food; a second favorite topic is drink. Y’all are in luck. This episode’s guest is an expert on both. Liz Williams, a founder of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum and President of the National Food & Beverage Foundation, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about culinary history including the South’s unique contributions on the plate and in the tumbler. Oh yes, we will also...
Apr 28, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 82
We know that the Acadians were exiled from Nova Scotia, but why did so many settle in Louisiana? Was it because of the crawfish, the swamp, the alligators or the duck hunting? No, it was because of cattle and the Acadians' expertise at raising herds. Félix Martín Antonio Navarro, who from 1783 to 1788 was an official with the Spanish administration that governed Louisiana, convinced the king to allow land grants to Acadian settlers. Historian Robert Hicks, who has spent years studying Navarro, j...
Apr 21, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 81
You would think if you were a former Secretary of States, insurance Commissioner, state senator and candidate for governor you could get good attention in a public hospital. That was not the case in the early days of the COVID-19 crisis when Jim Brown had to battle both a virus and a hospital staff that was still learning how to handle the onslaught of patients. Brown joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about learning to pr...
Apr 14, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 80
Alecia Long, an LSU historian and author of the book “The Great Southern Babylon: Sex, Race and Respectability on New Orleans, 1865-1920,” joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the risqué side of early urban life. Oh yes, we will also hear about her latest book linking former Orleans Parish D. A. Jim Garrison's investigation of the Kennedy assassination as an alleged sex crime.
Apr 07, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 79
Ask Bob Marshall what the article was for which he won his Pulitzer Prize and he will politely respond, "which one?" Marshall has been on the winning side for two group Pulitzers each reporting on environmental issues for the Time-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate . Fortunately, on matters of ecological issues, Louisiana needs such aggressive watchdogs. The lush waterways and wetlands that make the state so wondrous are also vulnerable to being tested by nature. Marshall joins Louisiana Life magazin...
Mar 31, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 78
Most of us can go all day without worrying about what fuels our tractors need. If you are a farmer, though, you may have a lot to worry about, especially when a war can cause a diesel fuel shortage. (Also, fertilizer scarcity.) Mike Deliberto, an economist for the LSU Agriculture School, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the status of Louisiana agriculture and what war can do to it. (Hint: It’s not good.) Oh yes, we wil...
Mar 24, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 77
Commercial radio in Louisiana reached a significant anniversary in 2022 as WWL in New Orleans celebrates its 100th year. The station, with its 50,000 watts of power, was designed to reach a national audience back in the days when radio stations were few. WWL’s news director Dave Cohen and Dominic Massa, executive vice president & COO at WYES New Orleans, who has written a book about local radio, join Executive Editor of Louisiana Life Errol Laborde along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot ...
Mar 17, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 76
In the 1700s, when New Orleans was a fledgling city, the French overseers faced many problems including a severe shortage of women. Arrangements were made to send women from France who were perceived as being problematic to Louisiana for a new life. Joan DeJean, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and a native of Louisiana has conducted exhaustive research on who those women were brought to Louisiana, why were they sent, and what they accomplished in their new land. Some of the storie...
Mar 03, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 75
If you're in Cajun Country around Mardi Gras time be careful when you cross the road, there might be some masked riders pursing chickens for a gumbo. Chance Henry joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, to talk about the Courir de Mardi Gras tradition (he is a Capitaine), as well as Cajun Culture and Acadia Parish – for which he is the Police Jury President. Oh yes, we will also hear about a place where pirates and cowboys once gathered ca...
Feb 24, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 74
There are few phrases that can sound as sad as “Orphan train” yet between 1854 and 1928 for thousands of kids who had experienced the fragile immigrant life and the slums of the east coast, the Orphan trains were a chance to experience a new life on farm lands and in rural American towns. Martha Aubert, President of the Opelousas-based Louisiana Orphan Train Museum and board member James Douget joinErrol Laborde, Executive Editor of Louisiana Life, along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to d...
Feb 18, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 73
There is a place in Terrebonne Parish near the Gulf of Mexico known for its beautiful scenery, bountiful seafood and a population of indigenous people. It is also known for its fragile existence so near the water, as tested by Hurricane Ida. Ben Johnson, a producer for Louisiana Public Broadcasting, joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss his documentary “The Plight of Pointe-Au-Chien,” a study of both the land and the native people who ...
Feb 10, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 72
You may not have noticed it, but this year is the 125th anniversary of the legalization of the Storyville red-light district in New Orleans. Storyville was an effort to make prostitution more respectable by allowing it only in a designated neighborhood. Historian Sally Asher joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about the bawdiness, characters and famous bordellos of Storyville. Oh yes, we will also hear about some legendary ...
Feb 03, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 71
In trying to pick a Louisianian of the Year, there are 4.6 million people to choose from. Louisiana Life magazine makes the task a bit easier by talking to experts in various fields to whittle the size to five worthy people. Managing Editor Melanie Warner Spencer joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to talk about some of the state’s shining lights. Oh yes, we will also hear about a few exciting museums worth trying....
Jan 27, 2022•31 min•Season 1Ep. 70
In preparing his book about king cakes, author Matt Haines claims to have sampled from 80 different cakes for the sake of journalism. His book, "The Big Book of King Cake” was worth the effort because it is both an informative history of the king cake and a source of greet photography showing the confection at its best. Haines joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to tell about his odyssey. Oh yes, we will answer the question, are th...
Jan 19, 2022•35 min•Season 1Ep. 69
Census figures do more than just set the numbers for political districts, they also tell us a lot about our lives and places of note in Louisiana. Jeff Adelson and Sam Karlyn, both journalists for The Advocate who have extensively studied the numbers, join Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to tell stories from the 2020 census. Oh yes, we will also hear about the plight of the once prospering town of Waterproof, Louisiana...
Jan 13, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 68
We think of Louisiana’s culinary excellence most often in terms of the seafoods, gumbo, etouffees and the variety of pork dishes, but there is a whole other category for sweet things. Lafayette-based author Dixie Poche joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss her book, “Louisiana Sweets: King Cakes; Bread Pudding and Sweet Dough Pie.” You will discover the origins of many native desserts and learn more about the native produc...
Jan 05, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 67
Some places are known for their snow at Christmas time; Louisiana’s river parishes are known for their fire on Christmas Eve. Chicago-based filmmaker Mark Niedelson joins Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss his documentary "Papa Noel: The Legacy of the Levee Bonfires." The production, which is available through the resources of Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB), tells the story as centered in the St. James Parish town of Gra...
Dec 16, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 66
There was once a part of present day Louisiana that neither France nor Spain could decide on who was the possessor, so it was declared a neutral ground known as “No Man’s Land.” Filmmakers Bill Rodman and Flo Ulmer-Rodman, along with historian Adley Cormier, join Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life, and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss their documentary about a lawless and adventurous section of 19th Century western Louisiana. Oh yes, we’ll also hear about a tree in Lake ...
Dec 09, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 64
Louisiana politics is known for being colorful and controversial. It is also, like most politics, constantly changing. Two University of Louisiana Political Scientists, Pearson Cross and Christie Maloyed, have compiled a book, “The Party is Over: The New Louisiana Politics” featuring contemporary political readings. They join Errol Laborde, executive editor of Louisiana Life , along with podcast producer Kelly Massicot, in the Louisiana art of talking politics. Oh yes, we will also hear an evalu...
Dec 02, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 64
At issue was Black vs. White. In the days of racial segregation many road places were denied to black travelers. For decades, a guidebook offering travel suggestions was called "The Green Book." "The Green Book," named after the publication’s founder, provided highway information about motels, restaurants and places to go along the nation’s highways. A full length film and a Smithsonian documentary about the topic have been produced and now Louisiana Public Broadcast (LPB) has put together the d...
Nov 18, 2021•50 min•Season 1Ep. 63
Louisiana has four federally recognized Native American tribes, one of the most historic is the Coushattas who settled largely around Allen Parish in the vicinity of Elton and Kinder. David Sickey is a past tribal chairman and a member of the tribe’s governing board. Sickey joins Louisiana Life Executive Editor Errol Laborde and podcast producer Kelly Massicot to discuss the history, culture and some of the social issues that the state’s tribal people face. Oh yes, we’ll also hear about the impa...
Nov 11, 2021•57 min•Season 1Ep. 62
