The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, through the Coastal Impacts initiative, has chosen LSU Libraries – Special Collections as a host site for a new adult reading and discussion series, "Witness to Change: Community Conversations on Coastal Impacts". Register for the sessions below:

Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore, Sunday, March 27 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. in Hill Memorial Library.
Salvage the Bones, Thursday, April 7 from 5:30-7:00 p.m. (virtual event via Zoom).
Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana’s Cajun Coast, Thursday, April 21 from 5:30-7:00 p.m (virtual event via Zoom).
The Water Knife, Sunday, May 15 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. in Hill Memorial Library.

For more information, contact Amanda Hawk at special@lsu.edu or call 225-578-6544.

Louisiana's natural bounty is arguably its greatest treasure. For thousands of years, people from a variety of ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds have called our coastal region home, taking pride in the wild beauty and rich resources it has to offer. Hurricanes, flooding, and land loss reverberate within the communities with deep cultural connections to this special, fragile place.

The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, through the Coastal Impacts initiative, has chosen LSU Libraries – Special Collections as a host site for a new adult reading and discussion series. "Witness to Change: Community Conversations on Coastal Impacts," funded by BHP, is a grant program that encourages dialogue and critical thinking about the most important topic that affects Louisianans today. The series is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Complimentary copies of the books are provided as part of the grant program.

Scholars will facilitate four discussions using works of both fiction and non-fiction to prompt conversation among participants. Readers will engage with these works: Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore by Elizabeth Rush (Milkweed Editions, 2018), The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi (Penguin Random House, 2015), Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (Bloomsbury, 2011), and Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana's Cajun Coast by Mike Tidwell (Vintage Books, 2010).

"LSU is an international leader in coastal sciences. LSU President William Tate has recently established this field as a major focal point for research and scholarship," said Amanda Hawk, Head of Public and Research Services. "As the repository for historical, cultural, governmental, and scientific materials related to the coast dating back several centuries, LSU Libraries Special Collections is a natural fit for the 'Witness to Change' program."