Second Line Culture & Street as Story | Karen Celestan, Eric Waters + Freddi Williams Evans Moderated by: Tara Hernandez

Karen Celestan, Freddi Williams Evans and photographer Eric Waters explore the vibrant traditions of New Orleans’ second line culture, showing how music, movement, and community celebration serve as living stories of resilience, identity, and shared memory. Drawing on decades of experience leading, performing, and teaching in their communities, they examine how these parades transform streets into stages and neighborhoods into storytelling spaces. Moderated by Tara Hernandez, cultural historian and educator, the conversation considers how heritage and contemporary expression intertwine, the role of storytelling in strengthening community, and how music and ritual continue to shape both individual and collective identity. Together, they illuminate the ways New Orleans’ streets sing, dance, and carry the city’s stories forward. The New Orleans Book Festival brings the world’s leading authors to Tulane University for a multi-day celebration of their works. The Festival features both fiction and non-fiction and convenes readings, panel discussions, symposia and keynote speeches. It provides an opportunity for outlets, authors and readers to interact with each other in one of the most vibrant and culturally diverse cities in the world.