Rising Tide 8 - Request for Proposals

CONTACT: Rising Tide Programming Committee at programming@risingtidenola.com
WHO: Rising Tide NOLA
WHAT: 8^th Annual Rising Tide New Media Conference
WHEN: Saturday, September 14, 2013, 9am – 6pm
WHERE: University Center, Xavier University of Louisiana, 1 Drexel Drive, NOLA, 70125

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Rising Tide NOLA, Inc. will present its 8^th annual new media conference centered on the recovery and future of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast on Saturday, September 14, 2013 at the University Center of Xavier University of Louisiana.

This year, Rising Tide invites participation from community and university organizations from across New Orleans by issuing this request for proposals for programming, panels, and presentations at the event.  The conference is a one day event with programming presented in a variety of formats including - but not limited to - individual presentations, directed conversations, keynote addresses, and on-stage panel discussions. The space available allows for significant flexibility when it comes to programming proposals.

Successful proposals will address issues relevant to New Orleans and the Gulf South’s ongoing recovery, diverse history, unique culture, or emerging concerns. Additionally, proposals could focus on or incorporate aspects of new or social media, information technology and access, and creative uses of communication. Collaboration between organizations to present programming is encouraged to add multiple and diverse perspectives.  While programming is free to address political topics, Rising Tide maintains a strict non-partisan forum, current elected officials and campaigning candidates for political offices are discouraged from participating in programming.

PROPOSAL FORMAT

Proposals should include the following: a brief description of the topic being considered, with an indication of the relevance of the topic to local issues and what the audience should take away from the experience; a list of participants/presenters that describes their roles to the presentation and describes their relationship to or expertise on the topic; and a draft facilitation plan for how the programming will be presented to the audience, and how the audience will be involved in the presentation through questions, participation, discussion, etc.

Please email brief (2 page max) proposals in plain text, word documents, or PDF attachments to Jeffrey Bostick, Katy Monnot, and Patrick Armstrong at programming@risingtidenola.com.        

PROPOSALS WILL BE ACCEPTED THROUGH MAY 31, 2013. Acceptance notifications will follow within two weeks.

CONFERENCE BACKGROUND

While hosting the event at the Xavier University Center, attendance has averaged more than 300 attendees, media, and volunteer staff annually. The conference content has been live streamed on the web with over 1000 unique viewers during each event, with archives on our website. For this conference, organizers are hoping to coordinate programming for three separate spaces: a large stage-oriented venue with seating for up to 200; a medium venue with seating for between 30 – 40; and a seminar or group discussion venue for seating around 20. Program length can run from a minimum of 30 minutes for presentations or directed conversations in the smaller venues, to hour and a half panel discussion for the stage-oriented space.

Previous conferences featured keynotes by acclaimed local writer Lolis Eric Elie and Tulane University professor of history Lawrence Powell, as well as panel discussions on the status and future of local journalism, changes to the education system, environmental impacts of the oil spill, development of cultural economy, parenting, entrepreneurship, and neighborhood activism. Past speakers have included Treme and The Wire creator David Simon, geographer Richard Campanella, journalist Mac McClelland, entertainer Harry Shearer, and authors David Zirin, John Barry, Christopher Cooper, and Robert Block. The full 2012 conference schedule and list of panelists can be viewed on the Rising Tide website, as well as a list of participating vendors and non-profit organizations.

Conference registration information and publicity will be available online at www.risingtidenola.com. There will be discounted student admission, lunch is included in the price of admission, and vegetarian options will be available. More information is available at the Rising Tide website: www.risingtidenola.com; at the Rising Tide blog: www.risingtideblog.blogspot.com; on the Rising Tide Facebook page; and the organization can be followed on Twitter @RisingTide. 

Rising Tide 8 is sponsored by The Center for the Advancement of Teaching at Xavier University.

Rising Tide NOLA, Inc. is a non-profit organization formed by New Orleans bloggers in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the failure of the federally built levees. After the disaster, the internet became a vital connection among dispersed New Orleanians, former New Orleanians, and friends of the city and the Gulf Coast region. A number of new blogs were created, and combined with those that were already online, an online community with a shared interest in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast developed. In the summer of 2006, to mark the anniversary of the flood, the bloggers of New Orleans organized the first Rising Tide Conference, taking their shared interest in technology, the arts, the internet and social media and turning advocacy in the city into action.

Rising Tide Nola Katrina NOLA New Orleans Hurricane Katrina Think New Orleans Louisiana FEMA levees flooding Corps of Engineers We Are Not OK wetlands news rebirth Debrisville Federal Flood 8-29

Rising Tide 7.5 - Moira Crone and "The Not Yet"

Technical issues prevented me from liveblogging Moira Crone's discussion and reading of her New Orleans based science fiction novel "The Not Yet," but I was glad I got to focus on the presentation without the distractions of typing in the highlights.

This wasn't just a discussion of her book. Though those in attendance got to dig deep into this fascinating and poignant work, the whole of the presentation served as an examination of New Orleans' place in the popular culture of America as a city existing in the three feminine characterizations of muse, nurturer, and prophet, in the three tenses of the past, present, and future.

Just like the book, I'll be thinking about conversation for a long, long time.


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Live Blogging RT7.5 - Young Audiences

Young Audiences has been established for around 50 years to help bring arts into classrooms and schools in New Orleans. Started running after school programs after Katrina. Employ 280 artists in all disciplines, doing work in Jefferson, Orleans, and St Bernard Parish.

In some schools, teaching artist is the one of the most constant individuals at school over several years, with so much teacher and administrator turnover.

Funded by the state for after school programs. Out of 75 organizations that hold the grant, Young Audiences is one of the "exemplary" ones, and is one of the only organizations focusing on the arts.

Interesting relationships with school reform going on. Educational philosophy touted as success locally isn't the same as what most individuals consider scholastic achievement. YA addresses skill development for foundational education types. Uses arts as a vehicle to help develop critical thinking, problem solving, curiosity, and study practices that help students in music and academically.

YA has been granted a charter in Jefferson Parish to scale up educational model. Charter model allows school to hire artist professionals to teach in the school. Will make educational planning between teaching artists and academic educators. Will be a full academic program.

Will there be a focus on teaching creationism as science? No. Same laws that allow some charters in Louisiana to teach creationism allow YA to designate science - centric curriculum for science classes.

State budget funding has affected YA, as a grant receiving organization. Has had to work harder to find external sources of funding to make up shortfalls and provide same level of service to students in after school programs. Have diligently worked to build a cash reserve so teaching artists are not affected by funding changes.

Is school being chartered by Jefferson Parish as a type 1 school, authorized by school district. Only recruiting in Jefferson Parish. Won't be official until March 5, because contract has not been signed.

Special education services? Legal requirements, but also intending to spirit of the law. Will open up to every student, total transportation, planning and budgeted for full commitment for every child attending. Start up funds come from the state. YA has committed funding. Has applied for grant funding for external services.

Board has been convened. Board members and YA board members will not be the same.

Have experienced significant success with at risk students who participate in arts in after school programs. Those students are able to participate more fully in academic settings in the classroom because the artistic expressions are involved.

 Will not be shutting down any YA programs to focus on the charter school. These are separate entities. Hoping charter will be able to strengthen case for bringing arts into schools. Unique thing.


 

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Live Blogging 7.5 - Musician's Clinic

Bethany Bultman with New Orleans' Musician's Clinic

Where do you get your healthcare? That is the key point. While NOLA was the birthplace of American music, it is usually a place where musicians go to an early grave because of lack of healthcare services.

Thanks to Phish, the keyboard player's father was a doctor, Dr. Jack McConnell, was brought to the stage at Jazzfest one year, and was inspired to help found a clinic. Met Sybil Morial, sister to the mayor of New Orleans. Met chancellor of LSU, Daughters of Charity, and Jazz and Heritage Foundation.

Before Katrina, clinic was underwhelmed. Usually seeing musicians who never received healthcare over the whole course of their lives. Clinic was lost after Katrina.

Clinic was reestablished, now sees 2700 patients, and is expecting Federal designation as a live in clinic in the coming year.

What is going on in healthcare in Louisiana is absolutely worse than any 3rd world country. Don't hear anything about it because the governor is very secretive, has replaced everyone on board of governors of LSU, not one department head at LSU medical center can speak out because they all work for the state. Bultman can speak out because she isn't worried about credentials or career, she's not a doctor.

Part of what Musician's Clinic does is help people look at their lifestyles and what damage that could do to health. Another part is helping individuals navigate byzantine health care system in Louisiana.

New billion dollar public LSU hospital is currently being privatized. Currently, Medicare can help pay for treatment, but with governor not participating in Obamacare, clinic may not be able to keep patients on their rolls due to the state not taking advantage of the Federal funding. Clinic is "gathering nuts for the winter" because they do not know what they are going to be able to do. Will not be losing staff, and will still do what can be done to treat patients, but so many public clinics that New Orleans depends on may not be able to continue operating.

Looking to partner with Daughters of Charity to create Musician's Clinic "Jr" to provide more assistance, so they can treat minors.

Youth Orchestra families participate in Musicians Clinic and are able to take advantage of the wealth of services available. Looking forward to Clinic being able to provide service for minors.

If you have friends who are eligible: audio engineers, writers, actors, if they would like to be patient, tell them it is now or never.

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Live Blogging RT7.5

Good morning, we're getting started here in room 252 of the Healing Center.

Laura Patterson presenting for the Youth Orchestra of the Lower 9th Ward.

Started in the Lower 9th, but grew beyond the capacity of the community center. Because so many students came from Arise Academy, they relocated to the school.

Work with primarily K - 8 students, with a special interest in local music. Focus is on string instruments, because those were the instruments they had available initially. In addition to traditional music instruction, this includes techniques on improvisation, which is a vital part of local music.

Modeled after the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra Program, and are partnered with the Harmony Program.

Goal is to help students through high school and into college if that is their chosen routes.

Assessment of student achievement indicates participation in the orchestra helps students with grades.

Number of performances on the books, and have several upcoming. Including Spring gala at Cafe Istanbul on April 21 from 6 - 8. Community members interested in supporting the program are encouraged to attend.

Little bit of press coverage: "Miracle on St. Claude" article in the Times-Picayune on Christmas Day.

Have a Twitter (YouthOrchL9thW) Feed and Facebook account, trying to build social media community to help spread the word about involvement and recruiting volunteers. Web and graphic design support appreciated.

March 21 Cocktails for a Cause at the Rusty Nail - fundraiser. 5-8pm

Fatima - youth mentor. Tulane student, participant in Harmony Project. Helps mentors with Youth Orchestra , playing violin since 9 years old. Being a part of the Harmony Project helped her become more disciplined due to practice scheduling, and socially through participation with ensemble groups. Developed lifelong friends who shared dedications. Even though she isn't majoring in music, it is something she is passionate about, and development of artistic side helps students become well rounded.

Wrap up: project is completely free of charge. Started with 9 students, now at 42.

Looking for volunteer academic tutors, volunteer staffers for March and April fundraisers, volunteers to help develop social media presence.

Not a classical music organization. Focus is on regional music, regardless of musical instruments used.

Rising Tide Nola Katrina NOLA New Orleans Hurricane Katrina Think New Orleans Louisiana FEMA levees flooding Corps of Engineers We Are Not OK wetlands news rebirth Debrisville Federal Flood 8-29

Rising Tide 7.5: The Creative Future of New Orleans

Next Saturday, the Rising Tide Conference will be hosting its first-ever Spring event, The Creative Future of New Orleans. The event will be held at Street University, which is inside The Healing Center on St Claude Avenue.

The fun will kick off at ten o’clock with presentations from local groups that support the arts. Groups will provide attendees with an overview of their organization then some more information on how those who are interested can get involved. Groups scheduled to present are Youth Orchestra of the Lower Ninth Ward, The Musician’s Clinic, Young Audiences, and the Monumental Task Committee. Attendees will then be given a break and a chance to patronize businesses within the healing center.

At noon programming will resume with a presentation by Moira Crone, author of The Not Yet, a post-apocalyptic novel set in the year 2121 on the Isles of Orleans. Part Fantasy, part social commentary, Ms. Crone’s novel will sure to provide plenty of interesting topic of conversation. She’ll talk about the book itself and also about the real world issues that inspired her.

This event is free and open to the public and we encourage anyone interested in the future of New Orleans’ creative art scene come by to learn more about how they can help protect and foster it.

Rising Tide 7 is on the air

If you can't make it today for whatever reason, click the sign to open the webcast. If you enjoy the show, consider the "Donate" button at the top of the TV.

Panel Discussion: Black and White and Red All Over

Panel Discussion: Black and White and Red All Over - The Digital Future of the New Orleans Media Market. Late in the evening of  May 23, employees of the Times-Picayune read in the New York Times that their jobs would soon be lost or significantly altered as the 175 year old paper would be folded into a new "digitally focused" media company.  The print edition of the paper would be reduced to a three day per week schedule.  Over 200 employees would be laid off or reassigned in the process.  The summer following the T-P's announcement has seen a lively discussion about the future of the news media in New Orleans and elsewhere.  Some have argued against the changes altogether. Others have suggested they aren't happening fast enough.  A still more nuanced and complete view will take into account questions about the needs of the community being served, as well as the costs of "doing journalism" and how those costs are covered.  Looming over all of this is the concern that New Orleans is losing its "paper of record" where a great cross-section of the community is presented with a comprehensive consensus view of the issues and events that matter most to them.  Precisely defining the vacuum the Times-Picayune will leave in local news coverage may be an elusive proposition, but in the meantime, there is no shortage of entities and "alliances" lining up to try and fill it.   Will the upheaval in the news industry eventually lead to an era of clearer focus for readers in New Orleans? Or will the fragmented nature of the digital lens merely bring about a more robust confusion?  This panel and more will be presented on two stages at the Rising Tide 7 Conference on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012. Moderater: Peter Athas - A longtime New Orleanian, lapsed lawyer and musician, Athas has been blogging about politics, music and whatever else seizes his fancy as "Adrastos" since 2005. His writing appears at First Draft, Humid City, and Back of Town.  Kevin Allman - Editor at The Gambit, the alt-weekly newspaper in New Orleans, Allman has been the editor of Gambit since 2008, where he has been covering the transition at The Times-Picayune since the night the story broke. In a previous life, he worked for the L.A. Times, and his stories have appeared in publications from The Washington Post to the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Last year, his questioning of then-presidential candidate Michele Bachmann about Louisiana public schools' teaching of "intelligent design" made national news. In July, he received the Press Club of New Orleans' highest honor for editorial writing, the Ashton Phelps Sr. Memorial Award. Robert Morris - News Director at Uptown Messenger Morris began his journalism career in 2003 as a reporter for a weekly newspaper in his hometown of Hattiesburg, Miss. He quickly moved to progressively larger newspapers: the Palatka (Fla.) Daily News; The Courier, a New York Times regional paper in Houma, La.; and most recently The Sun News in Myrtle Beach, S.C., as first a reporter covering crime, politics and special investigations and finally as editorial page editor. Robert’s reporting has taken him from the inside of a modern-day slave labor camp in northern Florida to Washington, D.C., for the inauguration of President Obama. He covered the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on the Mississippi Gulf Coast before taking a job at The Courier in Houma. While there, Robert’s coverage of the cultural effects of wetlands loss around Houma and the investigation and arrest of serial killer Ronald Dominique swept the Louisiana Press Association awards. UptownMessenger.com is a local, independent online source of news, commerce and knowledge for Uptown New Orleans that had its formal launch in September 2010. Jason B. Berry - An independent, investigative blogger whose primary focus is on local government corruption here in the New Orleans metro area, Barry has through his own blog, American Zombie, and other local media outlets, helped expose numerous corruption issues ranging from the New Orleans IT office scandal during the Nagin administration to the cover up of the ongoing effects of the BP oil spill.  Jason has a background in video production and online media distribution.  In 2006 he co-directed a documentary on the New Orleans public school system titled "Left Behind".  He is currently working on a new documentary chronicling corruption in the New Orleans metro area in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill that is tentatively titled, "Kleptopolis".  He is also a proud recipient of the 2009 Rising Tide Ashley award and contrary to popular belief he has never been sued for libel...at least not yet.    James O'Byrne - Director of content at NOLA.com. Bio forthcoming. Katy Reckdahl - As staff reporter for The Times-Picayune, Reckdahl has covered New Orleans since 1999. Her stories have tackled topics from  homelessness and HIV-positive women to Mardi Gras Indians and jazz musicians. She has won numerous awards, including a Casey Journalism Center Medal, the James Aronson Award for Social Justice Journalism, and the Press Club of New Orleans's Alex Waller Memorial Award.

 

Panel Discussion: The Education Experiment - Petri Dish Reform in New Orleans and Louisiana

This panel and more will be presented on two stages at the Rising Tide 7 Conference on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012.   Panel Discussion: The Education Experiment - Petri Dish Reform in New Orleans and Louisiana Louisiana is famous for many reasons but since Hurricane Katrina, it has become the poster child of national K-12 education reform, being touted as a “radical experiment in reform”  in the New York Times (August 14, 2008).  Recently Governor Jindal's reform agenda dominated the 2012 legislative session and the national media with legislative priorities revising teacher evaluation and implementing a voucher system. The reforms have drastically altered the process for evaluating teachers while virtually eliminating tenure. In addition, the voucher program has diverted  nearly $2 billion in public education funds to private institutions resulting in controversy concerning the curricula of the some of the approved voucher schools. Proponents claim the program is about empowering principals and parents by giving them more choices and creating competition.  Critics charge that it is no less than an attack on the very concept of public education. Meanwhile, New Orleans, with its diverse system of various types of charter schools with their own boards, remains the state's (and some would say the nation's) most preeminent "laboratory"  for educational experimentation.  During a recent television appearance, Senator Mary Landrieu praised "a brand new entrepreneurial, public school system that's attracting middle class white and black families, Hispanics, back to the system and seeing extraordinary gains in academics, freeing up our principals to be great and expecting our teachers to be great." Critics have charged that the charter system decentralization makes its governance less accountable and transparent and that its reliance on the Teach For America program devalues experienced educators. Many also claim that the selective admissions policies in many of the most sought after charter schools encourages racial and class segregation. Critics also charge these same charter schools of failing to provide services for special needs students.   Education in New Orleans has undoubtedly become synonymous with innovation.   The question remains whether it will also be associated with progress. Moderator: Jessica Williams thelensnola.org Jessica Williams is the education reporter at The Lens, the city's first nonprofit online newsroom. Williams covers education in general, and the city's charter schools in particular, and regularly monitors and guides coverage for the brigade of reporters involved in the Charter School Reporting Corps, who cover each of the city's 46 charter school boards.  Some of her work at The Lens has included: charters' failure to follow open-meetings, open-budgeting, and public records laws, stories that resulted in many charter school boards becoming knowledgeable about their legal obligations and changing internal procedures; persistently high out-of-school suspension rates in New Orleans schools, despite many schools' pledge to implement strategies aimed at keeping kids in school; and the rising costs public-school parents pay each year for enrichment and other purposes to supplement their child's taxpayer-subsidized education. She is a New Orleans native and a proud New Orleans Public Schools graduate. Brian Beabout - An Assistant Pofessor of Education at the University of New Orleans and a founding board member of the Morris Jeff Community School. His research on post-Katrina school reform has been published in the Journal of Educational Change, Multicultural Education, and the School-Community Journal. Elizabeth Walters - A writer, editor and high-school teacher in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. She holds a B.A. from Smith College and received her Post Baccalaureate training for Louisiana teacher certification from the University of New Orleans. She recently served as a judge for the Newspapers in Education and Education Article categories of the 2012 Maine Press Association journalism awards. Zack Kopplin - A student at Rice University and a recent graduate of Baton Rouge Magnet High School.  Zack grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and he is working to make sure that he and other Louisiana kids will be able to get jobs after they graduate. Since June, 2010, Zack has led the effort to repeal the Louisiana Science Education Act, Louisiana’s misnamed and misguided creationism law.  He is organizing Louisiana students and citizens in support of his repeal.  When not fighting for science, Zack likes to play soccer and swim. website http://www.repealcreationism.com/ Dr. Lance Hill - Executive Director of the Southern Institute for Education and Research, a tolerance education and race relations research center based at Tulane University in New Orleans.Hill holds a Ph.D. in history from Tulane University, where he has taught US History and Intercultural Communication. His scholarly research field is the history of race relations, the radical right and ethnic group trauma. He is the author of The Deacons for Defense: Armed Resistance and The Civil Rights Movement In 1993, Hill co-founded the Southern Institute for Education and Research at Tulane University, a race and ethnic relations center. The Institute's tolerance education program-the most comprehensive project of its kind in the South-has provided training to more than 4,000 teachers from 785 schools in the Deep South. Hill is the principal trainer for the Southern Institute's cross-cultural communication program which teaches skills to improve communication and collaboration among ethnic groups in the United States. Hill brings a unique perspective to the analysis of the impact of hurricane Katrina; he is not only an expert on the history of race relations in the Deep South, but he also remained in New Orleans throughout hurricanes Katrina and Rita where he participated in community-organized humanitarian relief work. Hill has published a series of commentaries in local and national publications on his experiences during the rescue and race and equity in issues in the recovery. He has frequently been cited in national media on post-Katrina race relations in New Orleans, including The New York Times, Time Magazine, ABC News andBBC News. Caroline Roemer Shirley - Executive Director Louisiana Association of Charter Schools http://lacharterschools.org/ Caroline has more than 20 years of experience organizing, developing and managing corporate and political communications strategies and public policy initiatives with an emphasis on message development and coalition building. Born and raised in Bossier City, Louisiana, Caroline left her home in 1991 to work around the country on political campaigns, eventually founding her own consulting firm, Roemer Bell, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Clients have included mayors, congressmen, governors and Fortune 500 companies. Returning to Louisiana in 2005, Caroline became the first executive director for the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools in the fall of 2006. The LAPCS currently represents more than 90% of charter schools in Louisiana and is recognized as the leading advocacy organization on behalf of charter schools in the state.

 

Keynote: Lolis Eric Elie

Rising Tide is pleased to have New Orleans based writer and filmmaker Lolis Eric Elie as a keyote speaker at Rising Tide 7. Lolis is ubiquitous. Whether you know his work from the HBO series Treme or his thrice weekly column ('95-'09) or in the soon to be thrice-weekly Times-Picayune, if you're from New Orleans you know his work. A recognized expert on New Orleans food and culture his writing has appeared in The Oxford American, Gourmet, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Downbeat and The San Francisco Chronicle among other publications. A former commentator for CBS News Sunday Morning, he has also appeared often on National Public Radio programs. This panel and more will be presented on two stages at the Rising Tide 7 Conference on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012. Keynote: Lolis Eric Elie  Bio: Lolis Eric Elie is a New Orleans based writer and filmmaker. Most recently, he joined the staff of the HBO series Treme. Working with the award-winning director Dawn Logsdon, he coproduced and wrote the PBS documentary, Faubourg Treme: the Untold Story of Black New Orleans. His essay, “America’s Greatest Hits,” is included in Best African American Essays: 2009. From 1995 to 2009, he wrote a thrice-weekly column for the New Orleans’ Times-Picayune. A recognized expert on New Orleans food and culture, he is the author of Smokestack Lightning: Adventures in the Heart of Barbecue Country and co-producer and writer of Smokestack Lightning: A Day in the Life of Barbecue, the documentary based on that book. He is editor of Cornbread Nation 2: The Best of Southern Food Writing. A contributing writer to The Oxford American, his work has appeared in Gourmet, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Bon Appetit, Downbeat and The San Francisco Chronicle among other publications. His work is included in the anthologies Best Food Writing: 2008, Streetlights: Illuminating Tales of the Urban Black Experience, and That‘s What I Like (About the South: and Other New Southern Stories for the Nineties). A former commentator for CBS News Sunday Morning, he has also appeared often on National Public Radio programs. He has an MA from the Columbia School of Journalism in New York and an MFA from the University of Virginia.

RT7 Keynote: Lawrence Powell

To know where you are going, you need to know where you are from. Continuing in Rising Tide's tradition of relevent and pertinent historical speakers, we are pleased to announce New Orleans writer, editor and academic Lawrence Powell as a keynote speaker at Rising Tide 7.  Known to be an engaging and entertaining speaker, Powell recently wrote "The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans," a novel on the interesting and temultuous beginings of New Orleans from its imperiled first settlements to the eventual statehood of Louisiana. This speaker and more will be presented on two stages at the Rising Tide 7 Conference on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012. Keynote: Lawrence N. Powell Bio: Until his retirement in June 2012, Lawrence N. Powell held the James H. Clark Endowed Chair at Tulane University, where he also established and directed the New Orleans Center for the Gulf South.  He has written and edited twelve books and numerous articles.  His most recent contributions are The Accidental City: Improvising New Orleans (Harvard 2012) and George Washington Cable’s New Orleans (LSU 2008).  His first book, New Masters: Northern Planters During the Civil War and Reconstruction won the Governor’s Award from Yale University Press in 1980. Troubled Memory:  Anne Levy, the Holocaust, and David Duke's Louisiana (UNC Press) won the Lillian Smith Book Prize from the Southern Regional Council and the Kemper and Leila Williams Prize from the Louisiana Historical Association, both in 2000. It was also named by Booklist as one of the ten best Holocaust books of the year and was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in the category of the Holocaust. His professional and community service has been extensive, ranging from membership on the boards of the Amistad Research Center, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Louisiana State Museum Board, to the presidency of the Louisiana History Association and a stint on the executive committee of the Southern Historical Association.  A co-founder as well as president of the Executive Committee of the Southern Institute for Education and Research at Tulane University, from 1989 to 1992 he was vice-chair of the Louisiana Coalition Against Racism and Nazism (which he also helped found). For five years, until June 2005, he served as executive director of the Tulane-Xavier National Center for the Urban Community (NCUC), which administered the resident initiatives program for the Housing Authority of New Orleans, the city’s national demonstration Welfare-to-Work grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, as well as the city’s JOB1 Youth Career Center.  From 2002-2004 NCUC also administered the Individual Development Account Collaborative of Louisiana (IDACL), a statewide partnership of bankers, financial literacy trainers, credit counseling agencies, and other service providers to assist the working poor buy homes, start businesses, and further their education. More than a productive scholar, Powell has also been an activist citizen, particularly in the arena of civil rights. He has chaired and organized national civil rights conferences and has been an expert witness in several federal voting rights cases in Louisiana. In 1998 he received the "George Washington Lucas Community Service Award" from the New Orleans branch of the NAACP. A former Guggenheim Fellow, 1999 he was named “Louisiana Humanist of the Year” by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.  In 2008 he was elected a Fellow in the Society of American Historians in recognition of literary distinction in the writing of history.

Three New Panels...

Three Rising Tide 7 panels have just been announced! These panels and more will be presented on two stages at the conference Sept. 22, 2012. Register now at EventBrite.

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Panel Discussion: Mardi Gras Moms and Who Dat Dads: A Discussion on Parenting in New Orleans

The parenting panel at the Rising Tide Conference will discuss issues unique to raising children in the City of New Orleans. Topics will include parental concerns like crime, education, and hurricanes, but will also include hopes for the future of our culture, and what it means to raise the next generation of New Orleanians.

• Keith Spera - writer of the Times-Picayune’s parenting column “The Paternity Test.” Twitter
  
  
• Ashley Bond - founder of local online magazine and resource guide NolaParent. Facebook, Twitter
  
  
• Andrea Dewenter - local parenting and immersion education blogger at Pistolette.net and NolaFrancaise.com. Facebook, Twitter
  

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Panel Discussion: Community or Commodity?
We've all heard it said that "tourism is the lifeblood of the New Orleans economy." The city is a frequent host to major conventions and high-profile special events and boasts a burgeoning film industry subsidized by a generous state tax credit.

But as the city's economy becomes more and more dependent on the selling of its culture and entertainments, does the commodification of those elements also stifle them? As we focus more and more on selling "what makes New Orleans New Orleans" to visitors, at what point does the culture produced and revered by the city's residents cease to belong to them anymore?

At times it feels like our most beloved public spaces are always up for sale.  Jackson Square becomes the site of a private corporate party, the Superdome gets a hood ornament, the city streets are frequently appropriated by film crews, the sidewalks become guerrilla advertising vectors. Residents can be forgiven for wondering whether just going about the business of living their daily lives they might be interfering with the set of a commercial... or maybe an HBO drama.  Even the Mayor, at times, doesn't make distinguishing what's real from what's fake any easier. 

What, then, are the real costs and benefits of the "cultural economy" in New Orleans?

Moderator: Kalen Wright - Neighborhood activist, writer, frequent contributor to NOLAFemmes.com

• Deborah Cotton - Freelance Writer, Videographer  Notes From New Orleans, Big Red Cotton's You Tube Channel, contributor atGambit's Blog of New Orleans
  
  
• Meg Lousteau - Executive Director Vieux Carre Property Owners, Residents, and Associates Inc. VCPORA.org
  
  
• Brian Boyles - Creative Director The People Say Project http://www.thepeoplesayproject.org/
  
  
• Alex Rawls - Freelance Writer, MySpiltMilk.com, Offbeat
  
  
• Mari Kornhauser -  Independent filmmaker, French Quarter resident, advocate for abused pit-bulls. She also is an associate professor teaching screenwriting in the LSU creative writing program and has written for Treme since season two.
  

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Panel Discussion: Take This Job and Love It: Owning Your Own Business in NOLA

The entrepreneurs panel at Rising Tide will feature a frank discussion about what it takes to run a business in the Crescent City. Topics will include finding a space for your business, navigating city hall, and alternative spaces for doing business (craft fairs and the like). 

• Chris Trew - The New Movement Theater, Twitter
  
  
• Rhonda Findley - Pop City, Facebook
  
  
• Jeremy Miller - Shultzilla, Twitter

Rising Tide 7 Father's Day Coupon

Special Rising Tide 7 Father's Day Coupon
Last chance for $18 admission to New Orleans New Media Conference

Did you miss out on our special Festival Season pricing for Rising Tide 7? Here's your last chance to snap up one of those $18 registrations. Rising Tide 7 is offering a Father's Day weekend registration price of $18. You can register for Rising Tide 7 at Eventbrite and select "Father's Day Coupon" as your registration option - but this will only last through Sunday!

Rising Tide 7 will be on Saturday, September 22nd at Xavier University, the same location as last year's Rising Tide conference. We will be unveiling a top-notch slate of main stage programming over the summer, so be sure to nab your registration at the special price this weekend. A preview of some of the great panels we're putting together can be found below. We can't wait to dispel some myths together in September!

New Orleans is never short on news - despite what the Newhouse family might think - and Rising Tide will be a forum for everyone who cares about the future of this city and region to hear and learn from panelists, keynotes, and each other.

A Preview of Rising Tide 7

Every year, Rising Tide provides a unique forum for the critical examination of the city's most pressing issues and greatest assets. From our early years as a conference, pointing a lens at recovery efforts that fell short, Rising Tide's mission has been to gather and amplify citizen voices in service to building a greater future for New Orleans based on a thorough examination and active discussion of the issues facing our city now and in the future.

This year's conference will continue in that tradition. The recent restructuring of the Times-Picayune, and its untold effects on journalism, truth-telling, and democracy in New Orleans, will be discussed on the main stage. Participants will be announced in a future email.

Rising Tide will once again feature an additional stage of programming. We are excited to announce the following panels:

• Parenting in New Orleans, featuring: Ashley Bond of NOLAParent.com, Andrea Morvant of Pistolette.net, and Keith Spera, writer of the Times-Picayune's blog "The Paternity Test"
• The changing roles of New Orleans neighborhood associations, moderated by Alan Williams of Neighborland
• The challenges for new business owners and entrepreneurs, featuring Jeremy Miller of Shultzilla and Chris Trew of the New Movement Theater.

This is just a small portion of the incredible programming we will feature on Saturday, September 22nd at Xavier University. Register this weekend for the lowest possible price and we will see you there!

Rising Tide Vendor Applications Available Now

Rising Tide offers a limited number of spaces each year for vendors and non-profit organizations to promote their work. The audience we attract is an engaged, civic-minded, educated and social media savvy crowd from all over the Gulf South. These are the types of people who can be evangelists for your brand in print and online. This is not only a fantastic venue to sell your products directly but also a great marketing opportunity. We offer an early bird discount for those who submit an application and payment by August 24, 2012. Vendor spaces start at $75 and include one full registration to the conference as well as breakfast and lunch. Additional registrations are available at a discounted rate. Please download the application for complete pricing.

2012 vendors:
Miss Malaprop

2011 vendors:
Bayou Soap Co
Dirty Coast
Jane Brewster
Miss Malaprop
NOLA Tee
Octavia Books
Skillshare
Still Waters Jewelry
The Lens
The New Movement Theater
Tulane University Dept of Sociology
Yelp

Rising Tide 7 Now Open

Registration for Rising Tide 7 is now open at Eventbrite...

Content is coming together for this year's conference and announcements will be made soon. But if the Conference's reputation is enough to compel you to register, your faith will be rewarded with our "Festival Season" pricing of only $18. Trust us and register now for a fantastic rate.

Past featured speakers have included David Simon (creator of Treme, The Wire and The Corner), Richard Campanella (Tulane professor and author of Geographies of New Orleans), Mac McClelland (blogger and writer for Mother Jones), Harry Shearer (writer, actor, host of the weekly radio show Le Show), John Barry (author of Rising Tide), Dave Zirin (author of Welcome to the Terrordome) and authors Christopher Cooper and Robert Block (Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of Homeland Security).

Panels from past Conferences have included: 

• Discussions on environmental issues raised by the BP Oil Disaster (RT5, RT6)
• Crime and safety at the onset of the Serpas / Landrieu administration (RT5)
• The growing influence of social media on both journalism and activism (RT1, RT3, RT6)
• Food & culture in the city (RT3, RT6)
• The development and importance of brass bands from high school marching bands to gigging musicians (RT6)
• Presentations on flood safety and levee protection (RT2, RT3, RT5)
• An education panel  on elementary and secondary education with teachers, parents and administrators (RT3)
• Mental health in the wake of the flood (RT4)
• City, state and national politics panels (RT1, RT2, RT3, RT4, RT5)

Like "Tech School" at RT7 there will be a second stage of programming this year that will include dialog and involvement with attendees on issues affecting New Orleans.

As always, Rising Tide registration includes lunch and breakfast.

Get involved in the Rising Tide program

Do you have ideas for the next Rising Tide conference?  Wonderful! You're invited to share them at the next RT organizing meeting, which will focus on program content for Rising Tide 7.

Bring your suggestions for the show and join our discussion on Wednesday, May 9, 7pm at Xavier University. We'll meet in room 205 of the University Center (building 17 on the .pdf map here.)

RT7 Dates

The dates for Rising Tide 7 have been set! Sept. 22 once again at Xavier University. Registration will be opening soon and content planning is underway. See you there.

Three ways to help Nola Defender

Our friends at Nola Defender suffered a tough robbery recently. Please click the link below to learn how you can help them recover. Link!

Come plan the 7th annual Rising Tide with us!

Please help us make the next Rising Tide a bigger and better success by bringing your ideas and suggestions to our next meeting. We'll convene at 7pm next Wednesday, March 7, at the Half Moon Bar & Grill in the LGD (1125 St. Mary).  The atmosphere will be open, casual and fun. Spread the word, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Rising Tide Supports RTA's TIGER III Grant Application

Sent today to Veolia.

Dear Madams and Sirs:

Rising Tide, Inc. is a Louisiana non-profit group of community members who strive to be a mechanism through which citizens concerned about their community inform themselves and each other about issues that affect their lives. As such, our membership and board are made up of individuals who remain informed of infrastructure developments in New Orleans. Because of this, we strongly support the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority (“RTA”) TIGER 3 application for the expansion of the streetcar service in New Orleans along the St. Claude Avenue corridor from Elysian Fields Ave to Poland Ave.

The TIGER 1 investment in New Orleans made by the Loyola Streetcar line has resulted economic development in our downtown business and entertainment district. The RTA has committed $75 million in its own bond funds to an extension of this line along the historic French Quarter. The St. Claude Streetcar line proposed in this application for TIGER 3 funds will extend that prosperous streetcar line further into the growing neighborhoods on both sides of St. Claude Avenue downriver. As engaged citizens, we believe the extension of the streetcar will benefit New Orleanians of all economic backgrounds in many of the diverse communities the proposed St. Claude line will serve.

We thank you for listening to the priorities of businesses, residents, and public agencies and supporting this streetcar's development.

Sincerely,

Rising Tide, Inc.


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