{"product_id":"wide-awake-in-the-pelican-state-stories-by-contemporary-louisiana-writers-9780807130346","title":"Wide Awake in the Pelican State: Stories by Contemporary Louisiana Writers","description":"\u003cp\u003eWide Awake in the Pelican State -- which mimics the title of Dinty W. Moores contribution to the collection -- brings together twenty-one of the finest modern writers who claim Louisiana as home  having lived all or some part of their lives in the Pelican State. Each author shares the knack of telling a good story  a Louisiana tradition that dates back two hundred years to the tales told by African American griots and the stories swapped among Mississippi river workers on boats  in taverns  and around campfires. Though united by talent and place  these writers speak with inflections that vary by gender  race  education  religion  and time spent elsewhere. Their stories are also richly diverse  ranging from Ernest Gainess humorous portrait of black culture in rural Louisiana to Tim Parrishs aching depiction of white working-class family life in Baton Rouge  from Ellen Gilchrists acerbically funny rendering of wealthy New Orleans bankers to Richard Fords flinty unfolding of a father-son relationship in the marshy netherworld south of the Crescent City. The pieces span the full swath of Louisiana experience  be it the life of a Vietnamese refugee in Lake Charles or the miraculous appearance of the image of Jesus on a refrigerator in Holly Springs. In addition to their Louisiana-rooted inspiration and highest regard for craft  the stories in Wide Awake in the Pelican State share a deep humanity. These are stories about people -- noble and nefarious  some living high and others down on their luck -- as they fathom the tragic depths and comic heights of love  betrayal  family  change  and life writ large. Contributors to Wide Awake in the Pelican State: John Biguenet  James Lee Burke  Robert Olen Butler  Kelly Cherry  Moira Crone  Albert Belisle Davis  Charles deGravelles  John Dufresne  Richard Ford  Ernest J. Gaines  Louis Gallo  Tim Gautreaux  Norman German  Ellen Gilchrist  Joan Arbour Grant  Shirley Ann Grau  Dinty W. Moore  Tim Parrish  Tom Piazza  Nancy Richard  James Wilcox.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45951485345845,"sku":"ByrdShop_0807130346","price":66.92,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780807130346.jpg?v=1788109519","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/wide-awake-in-the-pelican-state-stories-by-contemporary-louisiana-writers-9780807130346","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}