New Orleans Post Katrina

I attended the Wetlands Art Tour in Bywater last weekend. In particular, I spent a few hours at the poetry gathering at Gallery 712 Louise. Moose Jackson, a local poet, coordinated the event. The focus was eco erosion and sustainability. They all shared their narratives of Hurricane Katrina and the B.P. Oil Spill events that have had devastating effects on their personal and collective lives. I got the sense that it took everything that people had to survive the blow. Economic losses and hardship are attributed to not just natural disaster, but to industry. There is an overwhelming feeling of helplessness and vulnerability and a force of inner personal strength and faith. It was an evening of shared narratives and prayer and mediation. Discourses focused heavily on protesting fracking. A parade marched through the streets of Bywater after costumed protesters staged a wedding ceremony between the state of Louisiana and Shell Oil Co. There were several alligators and the Atlantic Ocean were in attendance. Public disapproval of fracking is growing here. There is a grass roots coalition that is educating the public about the dangers of fracking and the complexity of the oil industry and its grip on state politics. "Trout Hands" Photo from http://awkwardstockphotos.com/