The 31st annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival will begin Wednesday in New Orleans. The festival is a five-day celebration of the life of Williams, a late distinguished playwright. The festival is jam-packed with a myriad of events revolving around literature and theatre.
Williams came to New Orleans in the 1930s. Long before he wrote the plays that would make him one of theatre’s most recognizable names, he first hoped to land a job with the Works Progress Administration. Although he did not get the job, he fell in love with the city, said Peggy Scott Laborde, author and founding member of the festival.
This love for New Orleans is reflected in Williams’ works, with several set in the city,— including one of his most famous plays, “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
The iconic scene from this play, which was later adapted into a film, involves the main character yelling his wife’s name, Stella, at the top of his lungs. The festival includes a shouting contest in which participants yell “Stella” and a panel of celebrity judges determine the winner.
“I always enjoy our Stanley and Stella shouting contest,” Laborde said. “[It’s] amazing to see how 25 contestants can yell ‘Stella!’ in 25 different ways. For a few years we’ve even had a mime.”
The humor of having a mime in a shouting contest embodies the playful side of the event.
“We take pride in not being stuffy,” Laborde said. “While the panel discussions have serious moments, we also have events that have a lighter touch.”
The theme of this year’s fest centers on commemorating the 100th anniversary of closing Storyville, the infamous red-light district in New Orleans, Laborde said.
Events include walking tours, writing and theatre panels, writing marathons, plays and master classes with the likes of NPR’s Roy Blount Jr. and advice columnist Amy Dickinson, just to name a few. It’s no wonder the fest was named one of the top 10 literary festivals in the nation by USA Today.
The festival’s impressive itinerary and large scale is the result of careful planning and budgeting.
“It is truly a year-round effort,” Laborde said. “Now in its 31st year, we have a great staff, but in the early days it was very much a hands-on effort.”
She said the biggest challenge in organizing the event is raising money, but they do a lot with the money they receive.
“As Mr. Williams’ character Blanche Dubois said in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ ‘I have always depended on the kindness of strangers,’” Laborde said. “Well, after three decades, we have friends but still need our audience and supporters to grow.”
Laborde said she hopes attendees enjoy learning about writing and seeing what the city has to offer.
“Our mission is to showcase our rich literary heritage with both locals and visitors,” she said. “It’s important that our residents enjoy [it] but also important that we draw fans to the city to enhance our economy.”
The festival will be held from Wednesday to Sunday with activities running from morning to night. While some activities are free, others do cost money to participate. Tickets can be purchased on the festival’s website.

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Courtesy of Peggy Scott Laborde

The 31st annual Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival will be held March 22-26.