I was able to attend Wendell Pierce’s reading and Q&A this last Sunday afternoon at the Texas Book Festival. His memoir, The Wind in the Reeds: A Storm, A Play, and the City That Would Not Be Broken, focuses on the destruction and reconstruction of his city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Pierce talked about his experience living in Pontchartrain Park, the first African American middle-class subdivision in New Orleans. This part of the city was thrown under more than twenty feet of water after Hurricane Katrina hit. Pierce emphasizes the importance of rebuilding the city, along with all of the art and culture that was lost in the storm. Pierce intertwines his personal experiences as well as the city’s history to create a strong memoir focused on determination over devastation.
(Portrait by Sean Hagwell Photography)
The reading went over very well, and Pierce thanked his co-writer, Rod Dreher, for helping to bring his memoir to light. Make sure to check out The Wind in the Reeds: A Storm, A Play, and the City That Would Not Be Broken in hard copy or on audiobook today!