Maurice Carlos Ruffin to receive Louisiana Writer Award
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Maurice Carlos Ruffin's new book, "The American Daughters," is due out in February. Photo: Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
Maurice Carlos Ruffin will receive the Louisiana Writer Award at the Louisiana Book Festival on Saturday.
Driving the news: The festival returns to downtown Baton Rouge for its 19th year. The free event features author talks, panel discussions and book signings.
We caught up with Ruffin in this Q&A, which has been edited for length and clarity.
Who dat? The New Orleans-born author has written two books — "We Cast a Shadow" and "The Ones Who Don't Say They Love You" — and his third, "The American Daughters," is due out in February.
Where he went to school: McDonogh 35, before graduating from law school at Loyola University.
- Once a full-time lawyer, Ruffin began focusing on his writing in the past several years.
What he's looking forward to at the festival: "A chance to see so many writers that I love and respect. … I've been going for years, so it feels like going home."
- Ruffin will be in conversation with Tad Bartlett at the State Library Seminar Center at 11am. He'll sign books at the Cavalier House Books Tent at noon.
A festival event he'll try to attend: A Louisiana Poets presentation at 2pm with "wunderkind" Karisma Price.
His forthcoming novel is … "a labor of love that comes from the stories of my ancestors and research I've done. It's a book about a bunch of Black women who form a spy ring to fight the Confederates during the antebellum period.
- "It was so much fun to write to imagine what my ancestors and their community were like in the 1840s and 1850s."
Something New Orleans is missing: "Good economic opportunities for young people, especially young Black kids. I would like to see more equity in education and the criminal justice system and in the companies that are a part of the community."
If he could roll with any Mardi Gras krewe: "Two: Zulu and Muses. … Those are the two parades I'm always happiest to see."
What he's reading: Amy Tan's "The Joy Luck Club," a graphic novel by Shelby Criswell called "Queer As All Get Out," and Karisma Price's "I'm Always So Serious."
Will he write a graphic novel? "It's gonna happen. It's only a matter of time."