Stibbs, LBC

Live from New Orleans: A Conversation with The New Yorker's Susan Morrison About Her Biography 'Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live' | Moderated by: Mike Sacks

In Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live, Susan Morrison offers a lively and intimate portrait of Lorne Michaels, exploring the visionary behind one of television’s most iconic and enduring comedy institutions. From groundbreaking sketches to behind-the-scenes creativity, the biography illuminates how Michaels shaped comedy, launched careers, and transformed America's cultural landscape. Joined by author and humor writer Mike Sacks, Morrison reflects on the craft of biography, the challenges of capturing a legend’s life, and the enduring influence of Saturday Night Live on comedy and popular culture. Together, they explore the intersections of creativity, leadership, and cultural impact, offering insight into the man who made late-night television a national institution.

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

Karen Celestan and Freddi Williams Evans 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.

Smallx20: Twenty Years of Community Engaged Design in New Orleans | Maggie Hansen, Patty Heyda, Emilie Taylor Welty + Sue Mobley | Moderated by: Ann Yoachim

Marking two decades of the Small Center’s work in New Orleans, Smallx20 reflects on the power of community-engaged design to shape neighborhoods, expand access, and strengthen civic life. Maggie Hansen, Patty Heyda, Emilie Taylor, and Sue Mobley examine how collaborative design practices that are rooted in listening, partnership, and local knowledge have influenced housing, public space, and urban resilience across the city. Moderated by Ann Yoachim, director of Tulane’s Small Center for Collaborative Design, the conversation considers the evolving role of architects and planners as civic partners rather than distant experts. Together, they explore how design can respond to inequality, environmental vulnerability, and cultural preservation, offering a model for cities seeking to build not only structures but also trust and shared ownership in the process.

New Orleans Garden District: Profiles in Preservation | Andrea St. Paul Bland + Sally Reeves | Moderated by: Howard Hunter

The New Orleans Garden District is more than a collection of historic homes. It is a living record of architecture, memory, and stewardship. Andrea St. Paul Bland and Sally Reeves share the stories behind the neighborhood’s iconic residences and the people who have protected them across generations. In conversation with Howard Hunter, they explore preservation as both practice and responsibility, examining how restoration, research, and community care keep the city’s past present in everyday life.

When a Cookbook Becomes a Book: Rescuing Recipes, Preserving Stories | Mara Baumgarten Force + Alon Shaya | Moderated by: Golan Moskowitz

Award-winning chef Alon Shaya shares the story behind Rescued Recipes, his project bringing to life the handwritten Holocaust-era cookbook preserved by survivor Steven Fenves, who rebuilt his life in the United States—illuminating how a family recipe book became part of the American Jewish story. He is joined by Maura Baumgarten Force, the Director of the Schwartz Family Center for Experiential Business Learning at Tulane, and a collaborator on the Rescued Recipes project. Moderated by Tulane professor Golan Moskowitz, whose work bridges Jewish memory, storytelling, and identity, this conversation traces how intimate recipe collections evolve into public narratives that “publish” and preserve American Jewish experience for future generations.

Music, Education & The Sounds of Change | Julian “Juice” Gosin + Gayle Wald | Moderated by: Kyle DeCoste

In This Is Rhythm: Ella Jenkins, Children’s Music, and the Long Civil Rights Movement, Gayle Wald traces the life and legacy of the “First Lady of Children’s Music,” revealing how songs for young audiences became a powerful force for inclusion, education and social change. Joined by artist, producer, trumpeter and educator, Julian “Juice” Gosin, together they explore how music shapes identity in early childhood and how artists today continue the work of building community and cultural understanding through sound. Moderated by Kyle Decoste, together they reflect on race, biography, and the enduring power of children’s music to teach, uplift and transform.

The Power of Community & Connection in Times of Uncertainty & Change | Michelle K. Johnston + Nicholas Lalla | Moderated by: Rob Lalka

Dr. Michelle K. Johnston (The Seismic Shift in You) and Nicholas Lalla (Reinventing the Heartland) come together for a conversation about transformation at every scale—within ourselves, our organizations, and our cities. Moderated by Tulane's Rob Lalka, the session explores how personal growth, values-based leadership, and intentional reinvention can shape more inclusive and resilient futures.

Conversations with Jason Berry | Moderated by: Howard Hunter

Investigative journalist and author Jason Berry reflects on his career uncovering some of the most complex and controversial stories in American culture. In conversation with Howard Hunter, Berry explores the themes that have shaped his work, the challenges of reporting on sensitive and powerful institutions, and the enduring impact of truth-telling in journalism. His insights reveal the ways history, faith, and society intersect, offering audiences a deeper understanding of the stories that define our world.

Outbreak Behind Bars: Spider Bites, Human Rights & the Unseen Danger to Public Health | Homer Venters | Moderated by: Dean Thomas LaVeist

Physician and public health expert Homer Venters examines what happens when disease spreads inside correctional facilities and why it matters far beyond prison walls. In conversation with Dean Thomas LaVeist, Venters explores the links between incarceration, human rights, and community health, showing how neglect, overcrowding, and inadequate care create conditions for outbreaks that affect entire cities. This session considers what jail health reveals about public health itself and what reforms could better protect both incarcerated people and the public.

Climate Reality: What Science, History & Cities Must Face | Peter Brannen + Jesse M. Keenan | Moderated by: Nathaniel Rich

With the global crisis of climate change comes a significant challenge to our urban landscape. In a conversation moderated by novelist Nathaniel Rich, Peter Brannen, author of The Story of CO2 Is the Story of Everything, and Jesse M. Keenan, author of North: The Future of Post‑Climate America, explore how cities must confront a rapidly changing climate.
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