Dear Tulane Community:
The annals of literature are full of iconic pairings: Celie and Nettie. Holmes and Watson. Elephant and Piggie.
This year, we're adding another legendary duo to the list: Book Fest and NOEW.
For the first time, the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University and New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW) have partnered to align their dates. In its third year, Book Fest has established itself as a premier destination for global thought leaders, authors, and book lovers of all ages. NOEW, produced by the Idea Village, has been bringing together founders, experts and leaders for over a decade to share knowledge and build economic connections. Together, the two festivals are positioning New Orleans as a hub for innovative thought and intellectual collaboration for the 21st century.
Book Fest and NOEW will convene luminaries from the worlds of technology, journalism, politics and the arts. Over the course of a week, immersed in the rich cultural milieu of New Orleans, the two festivals will spur creative collisions and chart a course for the next great ideas, innovations and inventions. NOEW kicks off this Monday, March 11 and continues through March 16. Book Fest takes place March 14-16. These two major events will offer crossover programming on Thursday, March 14, including Book Fest's opening sessions featuring festival co-chair, former CNN CEO and Tulane professor Walter Isaacson; two-time National Book Award winner and Tulane professor Jesmyn Ward; and editors and writers from The Atlantic, including editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg.
Book Fest offers everything you could hope for from a literary festival: Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winners. Nationally acclaimed authors of fiction, journalism, poetry, history, and cultural commentary. Entrepreneurs, artists, and filmmakers. Family Day programming that connects young readers from the local community with favorite authors and characters.
This “Mardi Gras for the Mind” also offers some things you probably won't find at a traditional literary festival: culinary sessions exploring the influential cuisine of New Orleans, interviews with some of the city's leading musical ambassadors, and a closing concert with none other than Irma Thomas, the Soul Queen of New Orleans.
Book Fest offers attendees the chance to engage with national headliners as well as celebrated authors and creatives from Tulane and the New Orleans community. Bringing together this diverse and talented lineup on our beautiful campus will spark new ideas and connections – just as NOEW fosters inspiration among the entrepreneurs and visionaries who are transforming the economy.
This alignment builds on the established partnership between NOEW and the Tulane University Innovation Institute (TUII), which is actively building an infrastructure to help Tulanians and community members bring their ideas and inventions to market faster. In the southeastern United States, firms with Tulane-affiliated founders have generated nearly $7 billion in market value according to a Pitchbook data analysis. TUII aims to scale up Tulane's economic impact, both regionally and globally. NOEW's programming fosters the kind of creative sparks that can make this happen.
I hope you'll take a moment to peruse the full schedule of NOEW and Book Fest offerings and make time to attend some sessions. I think you'll find the two festivals make a perfect pair.
