Please do not attempt to adjust your set

The Rising Tide #RT8 live cast is on the air

Rising Tide this Saturday at Xavier!

#RT8 Keynote speaker Gen. Russel Honore is making news.

Former panelist Zack Kopplin doing the same.

Panels on Charter School Accountability, Creating Community for Writers of Color, and Beyond Tourism/Beyond Recovery.

Plus Tech School, an "unconference," lunch, and all kinds of fun for only $20 if you register today!

Posterized

Rising Tide 8 is this Saturday.  Tell your friends.  Tell them to bring theirs.

Lt. Gen. Russel Honore tells oil companies to clean up their mess

In a full page ad in today's Advocate. Jeffrey has the details here.

Honore will be the keynote speaker at Rising Tide VIII. Register today.



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

LT. General Russel Honore to deliver the keynote for Rising Tide 8

Rising Tide is pleased to announce that LT. General Russel Honore will deliver the keynote address for its eighth annual new media conference.

Honore commanded the Joint Task Force responsible for coordinating military relief efforts in areas effected by Hurricane Katrina and the flooding of New Orleans. His leadership in 2005 provided a stark contrast to failures by FEMA and other government entities. Currently Honore is a Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization and a CNN Preparedness Contributor. 

His latest book is "Leadership in the New Normal."

This year Honore has spoken on preparedness topics related to the Bayou Corne sinkhole disaster as well as the Flood Authority's coastal erosion lawsuit against oil and gas companies.

Register for Rising Tide 8 here. 

More conference schedule information here. 

Charter School Access & Accountability panel

The panel on Charter School Access & Accountability will focus on the following question:

Are charter schools in New Orleans more or less responsive to democratic principles than our old School Boards, and how can we address the access and accountability issues for the present and future of New Orleans?

As 80% of our public schools are now Charter Schools, the business of covering charter schools has moved from weekly Parish-wide school board meetings to a variable number of meetings by a much larger number of Boards, which leaves the coverage up to more flexible news organizations like The Lens and Uptown Messenger.  Charter schools and these  reporters often tussle over the exceptions to open meetings laws, public records requests and other access issues.  Do parents have similar issues? What is the parent’s recourse if they are not happy with how their charter school is run?

Moderator:

Scott Sternberg is an attorney at the firm of Baldwin, Haspel, Burke & Mayer. Among many other clients he works for The Lens and Uptown Messenger, and represents clients before the Louisiana Board of Ethics and other governmental entities. Sternberg has worked with the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, among  other good government groups.  Sternberg is married to an educator and consequently holds some teacher-oriented views on education policy.

Panelists:

Steve Beatty is the editor of The Lens news website. He originated the Lens’ Charter School Reporting Corps, which covers boards that govern over 75 schools in Orleans Parish. This year the Corps won The New Orleans Press Club’s first place award for Community News.  Beatty has three children who attend charter schools.

Jaimme Collins is an attorney at Adams & Reese who regularly represents charter schools.

In 2013, Collins received the National Diversity Council's Glass Ceiling Award for her diversity efforts and leadership in the workplace. In 2011, she received "Women of the Year" honors from New Orleans CityBusiness. Collins is a member of the Board of Directors for the Children’s Bureau of New Orleans— an agency which is dedicated to offering free mental health services exclusively to children.

Marta Jewson is a freelance journalist who covers charter schools for The Lens and Uptown Messenger. From 2010 to 2012 she served as an AmeriCorps member with Project Homecoming while working as a freelance reporter. After interning at Gambit, Marta began reporting for The Lens’ Charter School Reporting Corps in the fall of 2011. She began reporting for Uptown Messenger in the fall of 2012, and Mid-City Messenger in January 2013.

Aesha Rasheed is a consultant and researcher who formerly reported on education for the Times Picayune. In 2007 Rasheed created the  “New Orleans Parents Guide,” an essential resource for information on public and charter schools in New Orleans. She also founded the New Orleans Parent Organizing Network, which supports parents in their effort to organize for quality public schools. This summer Rasheed was recognized with a Point of Light award for her work to improve education in the city.

Announcing: Rising Tide 8 Panel Discussion

The eighth Rising Tide Conference will take place on September 14 on the campus of Xavier University. Register today at http://risingtidenola.com/

Beyond Tourism Beyond Recovery

In a recent editorial, Governor Bobby Jindal became the latest in a growing string of commenters to call New Orleans “America’s Comeback City.”   Since 2007, its population has grown faster than that of any other American city. And over the course of its long recovery from disaster it has largely bucked the trend of national economic downturn.

As the recovery period draws to a close, how is the city preparing to maintain this momentum? According to the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, “the New Orleans area has experienced notable growth in knowledge–based industries, including higher education and insurance services, while maintaining older industrial strengths.”  In 2012 New Orleans led the nation in business startups per capita.  The New Orleans Business Alliance has completed a strategic plan to take advantage of these assets and build a stronger more diverse economy as the city moves forward.

But even with these developments in progress, New Orleans remains as reliant as ever on tourism.

Tourism has been the city’s traditional calling card and remains so through the recovery.  But its dominance is not without consequences. Tourism wields tremendous influence on the city’s business community, on its politics, and ultimately on the day to day life of its residents.

Residents often complain that the city prioritizes the needs of the tourism business over those of neighborhoods with regard to streets, lighting, transit and other basic infrastructure.   Meanwhile, within those neighborhoods, businesses dedicated to fostering New Orleans’s trademark cultural cache can create livability issues for nearby residents who have to deal with the noise, litter, and other inconveniences associated with city’s famous amusements.

Finally, the very act of turning the city’s unique cultural heritage into a set of mass produced touring experiences can diminish the authenticity of that very culture.  Is it worth it? According to a recent Loyola University study, the average salary in tourism and hospitality is only $26,000.

Can we do better by the waiters, cooks, musicians, artists, tour guides and the like who support the “cultural economy”? Does the industry  have too heavy and influence on the city’s major land use and infrastructure decisions?  How do we balance the demands of the tourism industry with the needs of neighborhoods and those of us who just like to live here?  And is the city doing enough to diversify its economy beyond tourism as it moves beyond recovery?

Moderated by Charles Maldonado: Staff Writer at The Lens

Charles Maldonado is The Lens’ government accountability reporter, covering the city of New Orleans and other local government bodies. He previously worked for Gambit, New Orleans’ alternative newsweekly, where he covered city hall, criminal justice and public health. Before moving to New Orleans, he covered state and local government for weekly papers in Nashville. In Knoxville, Tenn., Maldonado received numerous awards for his reporting of a billion-gallon coal ash spill at a Tennessee Valley Authority power plant. A native of Detroit, Maldonado and his wife are expecting their first child.

Kevin Fox Gotham, Ph.D. is a professor of sociology and associate dean of academic affairs in the School of Liberal Arts at Tulane University in New Orleans. He has research interests in urban redevelopment, real estate and housing policy, tourism, and post-disaster recovery and rebuilding, and sustainability studies.

He is the author of several books including: Race, Real Estate and Uneven Development (2014 SUNY Press), Authentic New Orleans: Race and Culture in the Big Easy (2007, New York University Press), and Critical Perspectives on Urban Redevelopment (2001, Elsevier). His new book (co-authored with Miriam Greenberg), Crisis Cities: Disaster and Redevelopment in New York and New Orleans (Oxford University Press) will be released in early 2014.

Brice Miller is a New Orleans jazz trumpeter and cultural engagement and public humanities specialist. For many years he taught jazz education for New Orleans Public Schools and created K-16 music and art education programs. He is presently an assistant director with Community Affairs at The University of Alabama, specializing in intercultural and diversity issues on campus, community/scholarly engagement and outreach using the arts and public humanities.

As a jazz artist and performer, Miller has enjoyed a phenomenal career as a musician and entrepreneur, traveling internationally since age 17. He is also the leader of Mahogany Brass Band, one of New Orleans’ only young brass bands maintaining the legacy of the tradition while still pushing the genre forward. Miller has performed at Carnegie Hall on three separate occasions, Kennedy Center, festivals throughout Europe including Umbria and North Sea jazz festivals, and Tivoli Gardens in Denmark to name a few.

Miller is a two-time graduate of Xavier University in New Orleans, where he earned a Bachelor’s in Music Education and a Master’s in Educational Administration and Leadership. Miller works for The University of Alabama Crossroads Community Center, an initiative of the Office of Community Affairs.  He is an Interdisciplinary Ph.D. candidate at The University of Alabama with a concentration in community and scholarly engagement using the arts and public humanities.

Meg Lousteau is the executive director of the Vieux Carré Property Owners, Residents and Associates (VCPORA), a non-profit neighborhood advocacy group formed in the 1930s to protect and preserve the French Quarter. Lousteau also serves on the board of the Historic Faubourg Tremé Association, and on the PRC’s Property Advisory Committee.

Lousteau earned a Masters degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of New Orleans’ College of Urban and Public Affairs. She worked as assistant director of the Preservation Resource Center’s Operation Comeback program, and later became founding executive director of the Louisiana Landmarks Society. After Katrina, Lousteau became involved in real estate and renovations. However, her love of preservation and advocacy lured her back to the non-profit world, and in November of 2008, she accepted a position as the first executive director of VCPORA.

Robin Keegan is a professional planner at GCR Inc. with over 18 years of experience in housing, economic development, community planning and housing program design. She is currently managing the New Orleans Economic Development Plan for the Business Alliance and spearheading housing recovery efforts in New York post-Hurricane Sandy. Before joining GCR, Keegan served as Director of Real Estate Planning for the Housing Authority of New Orleans and Executive Director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority, overseeing $14 billion in funds for housing, infrastructure and economic development initiatives.

Keegan earned an M.S. in Planning and Preservation from Columbia University and a B.A. from Macalester College. Before moving to Louisiana, Keegan provided economic development consulting services in New York, serving as Deputy Director for the Center for an Urban Future and Project Manager for the New York Industrial Retention Network. She has served as Adjunct Professor in Economic Development at Columbia, instructing on economic development through the arts.

Mark Romig serves as President and CEO of the New Orleans TourismMarketing Corporation (NOTMC), the city’s official leisure travel promotion agency. He is an established public relations and marketing professional and is accredited (APR) by the Public Relations Society of America. Romig has been involved in a variety of historic and milestone events throughout his career, including the development of the Hotel Inter-Continental New Orleans, the 1984 Louisiana World’s Fair, and the wildly successful Idea Village New Orleans Entrepreneur Week. Romig was recently tapped by the Saints to succeed his father Jerry as the Stadium Announcer for the home games in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. He was Co-Chair of the Media & PR Committee for the New Orleans Super Bowl XLVII Host Committee.

Romig is a member of the Board of Trustees and Board Secretary for Xavier University of Louisiana and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Emeril Lagasse Foundation. He currently serves as a member of the New Orleans City Park Board of Commissioners and on the board of directors for Covenant House New Orleans. Romig taught public relations courses at Tulane’s University College for several years.

Romig graduated from Brother Martin High School and attended the University of New Orleans, where he received his B.S. from the School of Business Administration (School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration). He was named the school’s outstanding alumnus in 2012.

Deborah Cotton: we can fix the violence problem

2013 Rising Tide keynote speaker Deborah Cotton wrote a must-read essay for Next City, titled "I was shot in New Orleans, but I'm not mad at my shooter."

Check it out.

@BeingNOLA tweets about Rising Tide

.@risingtide is in its 8th year. It is not strictly a tech conference, though we do have a Tech School for instruction in social media tips
— I AM NOLA (@BeingNOLA) August 20, 2013

I tell people who are curious that the conference is for anybody interested in the issues affecting #nola's future. ANYbody.
— I AM NOLA (@BeingNOLA) August 20, 2013

.@risingtide keeps conference fees low ($20 all-day includes a light breakfast & lunch) & tries to get good programming together on #nola.
— I AM NOLA (@BeingNOLA) August 20, 2013

Bottom line? It's fun and I love it. I love that @DebCotton will be speaking this year, that @melanatednola will be a part of it.
— I AM NOLA (@BeingNOLA) August 20, 2013

Best conference I've been to. And the cheapest. MT @BeingNOLA: More info on @risingtide can be found at http://t.co/LPB9sXKLXj
— Stephen Danley (@SteveDanley) August 20, 2013

Throwback Thursday

Rising Tide remembers Richard Campanella's presentation at Rising Tide 6, our first event at Xavier University.




Like what you see? Registration is open now for Rising Tide 8. Admission $20 in advance, $40 at the door, show student ID for discount. Breakfast and lunch included.

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

Creating Community for Writers of Color: MelaNated Writers Collective at Rising Tide 8

Far too often writers of color are unheard, under-represented, and undervalued in the literary world. MelaNated Writers Collective (@melanatednola) was established in 2010 to create a network of support and resources for writers of color in New Orleans. Members of MWC will discuss its struggles and success as a collective and why New Orleans is a ripe city for literary rebirth. Panelists will discuss how the group’s mission, vision, writers workshop, and how it engages community and partners with other locals.

Moderator: Jarvis Q. DeBerry, an editorial writer and columnist, has written for The Times-Picayune since 1997. He was on the team awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. In 2007, 2011 and 2013, his column was given first prize by the Louisiana/Mississippi Associated Press Managing Editors Association. DeBerry has had poetry published in several anthologies, most recently The Ringing Ear: Black Poets Lean South.

Panelists:

jewel bush writes a weekly opinion column on politics, literature, and women's issues for Uptown Messenger. Her work has also appeared in The Courier, The Washington Post and The Times-Picayune. bush has participated in the Voices summer workshop for writers of color at the University of San Francisco as well as Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop at Texas A&M University. In July 2010, she founded MelaNated Writers, a multi-genre collective for writers of color in New Orleans.

David Thaddeus Baker is a media coordinator and journalist based in New Orleans, LA. He is a native of the city and works as an associate and web editor for The Louisiana Weekly newspaper – the oldest African-American newspaper in the Southeast Louisiana region – where he has been employed since 2004. Baker earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Dillard University in 2004 and has studied Public Relations at Tulane University’s University College.

Kelly Harris – Poet and founder of Poems & Pink Ribbons, a writing workshop for breast cancer survivors and their loved ones. Her poems have appeared in Say it Loud: Poems for James Brown, Pluck Journal, and Yale University’s Caduceus. She also serves on the board of STAIRNola (Star the Adventure in Reading). 

Gian Smith is a New Orleans based artist. His craft spans over several media including writing, acting, and video production, but he is probably most notably recognized as a spoken word poet. Gian has made several television appearances, some on local New Orleans stations, some international including VH1 and HBO. His poem ‘O Beautiful Storm’ was featured in a preview for season 2 of HBO’s Treme, which resulted in an interview on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition. Smith is also well known locally for his community organization including NOYOpresents: Pass It On open mic. He and his partners have co-hosted the event since November of 2008. Smith can often be found at local high schools and middle schools when asked to speak to children and aspiring poets.

More information on MelaNated Writer’s Collective:

MelaNated Writers is a contemporary incarnation of previous black artist collectives in New Orleans such as: Negro Writers Project, a BLKARTSOUTH, the Congo Square Writers’ Union, and more recently, NOMMO Literary Society.

MWC is composed of New Orleans natives, as well as transplants from other southern cities and places like Chicago, California and London. While the group is predominantly African-American, it includes members of who have roots in the Philippines, India and Malaysia. MelaNated Writers are journalists, professors, MFA students, published fictionists and poets, and even one Pulitzer winner. Indeed, the membership roll holds clues to the names that will populate the pantheon of Southern writers in the very near future.

MWC has hosted a number of successful literary events: A MelaNated Summer (2012), a series of public readings held at locations around the city like the New Orleans Museum of Art and JuJu Bag attracted more than 300 literature lovers; MWC’s signature event, The Literary Jook Joint (December 2012) featured nationally-renowned poet and photographer Thomas Sayers Ellis as well as local legends Dr. Jerry Ward, Dr. Mona Lisa Saloy and Kalaamu ya Salaam; The Literary Jook Joint (March 2013) held in conjunction with the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival. MWC also engages a local and national audience on Facebook and Twitter.

Despite changes in the publishing world and local dismal literacy rates, MWC works to create opportunities for writers that grow the audience for literary artists of color.

Registration for Rising Tide is open now. Admission $20 in advance, $40 at the door, show student ID for discount. Breakfast and lunch included.

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

Tech School is Back at Rising Tide 8

Want to learn more about using social media? Katy Monnot, author of Bird on the Street, hosts Tech School at Rising Tide 8 at Xavier University – University Center on Saturday, September 14, 2013 from 10am – 5pm. 

Panel lineup:

Working With Bloggers –Join Bridgette Duplantis from Experimental Mommy; Maria Sinclair from Babies, Blogging, and the Bayou; and Shercole King from Goodnola.com and Minoritywierdos.com for a discussion on how small, local businesses can leverage the power of blogs to help with promotions. Moderated by Victoria Adams, Network Relations Manager at the Idea Village.

Personal Branding: When You are What You’re Selling – Megan (Braden-Perry) Capone, Celeste “Metry Chick” Haar, and Marielle “NOLA Chick” Songy talk about how to promote yourself and present your work.

Using Visual Tools in Online Promotion – Addie K. Martin of Culicurious.com and Jess Leigh of Jess Leigh Jewels answer questions about selecting the right images, when to share, and how to maximize marketing potential. Moderated by Cara Jouglard of Peanuts are Evil Photography.

Content Marketing – presented by Steve Maloney of Search Influence.

Conference registration is open now. Admission $20 in advance, $40 at the door, show student ID for discount. Breakfast and lunch included.

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 8 Keynote: Deborah Cotton

Rising Tide will be rolling out information on the conference program all week, but we'd like to start things off by announcing that Deb Cotton, a powerful voice and advocate for New Orleans culture, will give the keynote address at Rising Tide 8.

For years, Ms. Cotton has reported on brass bands, New Orleans music, and second lines for a number of local media organizations, including Notes on New Orleans published on NOLA.com and the Gambit's Blog of New Orleans. Her voice and perspective serve as an authority on subjects that are associated with the beating heart of New Orleans, but are too often taken for granted or mischaracterized. She spoke at Rising Tide 6 on the Brass Bands panel (video below), and we're excited to announce that she has joined the lineup as our keynote at Rising Tide 8.

As noted by Kevin Allman earlier today on Gambit's Blog of New Orleans, Ms. Cotton began publishing on her own website New Orleans Good Good shortly before being critically injured at the Mother's Day second line. As Rising Tide organizer Leigh C. noted on Humid City, "I couldn’t help but think that one of the greatest tributes to her toils was Ronal Serpas making the point that the second line was not to blame for the shootings – and most everyone agreeing with that assessment."

Rising Tide is honored to have her speak to the conference once again.



Registration for Rising Tide 8 is open now.

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

Diamonds Bones and Ash

Among his other contributions to Rising Tide over the years, Greg Peters created the artwork for five of the seven official conference posters including this striking image in 2011. He will be missed by many.

Rising Tide 8 - Save the Date!

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

SAVE THE DATE!

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.

Online registration is available through Rising Tide’s website and Eventbrite portal. Early online registration is $20 and will run through Thursday, September 12. Registration at the door is $40. Registrants with valid student ID are $18. Lunch is included in the price of admission, and vegetarian options will be available.

The conference is a one day event with programming presented in a variety of formats including presentations, directed conversations, keynote addresses, and on-stage panel discussions addressing issues relevant to New Orleans and the Gulf South’s ongoing recovery, diverse history, unique culture, or emerging concerns. Watch this summer for announcements regarding the program content, schedule, and keynote address by following Rising Tide on Twitter (@RisingTide), the Facebook, or blog.

CONFERENCE BACKGROUND

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.

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

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 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.


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

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.

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