I am lucky enough to work with a number of talented individuals. Their work has enhanced the scope of many essays featured on the site.
Thomas Walsh (WWNO) is an independent radio producer and audio engineer who lives in New Orleans. After making his way to public radio in 2010, Thomas has produced features for Louisiana Eats!,Nola Life Stories, and engineered storytelling events like The Moth. A self- proclaimed movie geek, he's seen every film listed on the American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Movies.
Jessica Fender, award-winning journalist, co-founded the New Orleans-based blog Traveler Broads with her business partner Kerry Maloney. The pair has authored several guides to New Orleans, including the “Interactive Field Guide to Mardi Gras,” and they are currently producing the YouTube series Quarantine History. For more info check out travelerbroads.com
Caroline Thomas, carnival artist, has worked in New Orleans Mardi Gras for 12 years, painting and designing floats, most notably Krew of Proteus and Krewe of Rex, the last two remaining 19th-Century parades in the city. She is also a professional costume designer and an avid researcher of masking and processional arts from around the world. For more on Caroline check out FeastandFolly and C_to_the_Line on instagram.
Joe Stolarick (joestolarick.com) is an audio engineer and musician based in New Orleans, LA.
He grew up in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania and studied Music with an emphasis in Music Recording Technology and Percussion at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA. In 2007, he completed an audio production internship at Smithsonian Folkways Recordings in Washington D.C. After graduation in 2008, Joe worked in audio preservation at George Blood Audio/Safe Sound Archive in Philadelphia before devoting the next three years of his life to community service. As a member of AmeriCorps, Joe rebuilt homes ravaged by tornados and hurricanes, tutored third graders, managed community gardens, and cut hiking trails. In 2012, Joe moved back to New Orleans intent on continuing his career in music.
In 2014, Joe was hired as Audio-Visual Production Specialist for the Louisiana State Museum / Old U.S. Mint and has provided audio related services for the National Park Service, WWOZ New Orleans 90.7 FM, American Routes (PRX), the Birdfoot Chamber Music Festival, Video Now, Inc., Gumbo Productions, Ralph Madison Productions, The Music Shed, Piety Street Studios, Elephant Quilt Productions, Friday’s Films, and Propaganda Group, Inc.
An accomplished musician, Joe performs and records regularly with the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park Band (better known as the “Down on Their Luck Orchestra” or – “DotLO”). He has also shared the stage and/or studio with Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes & The Louisiana Sunspots, the Panorama Jazz Band, Kelcy Mae, Aaron Nigel Smith, Beth Patterson, Kim Carson, James Westfall, Margie Perez, Erica Falls, Richard Scott (Dukes of Dixieland), Jason Rhein (Rotary Downs) and has played on three official releases from the National Park Service. He has studied privately with Johnny Vidacovich, Simon Lott, and Robert Nowak (Reading Symphony Orchestra).
Ryan Sparks (SouthernGlossary.com) Ryan Sparks a writer based in New Orleans, Louisiana. He's been a writing tutor, submissions editor for a small press, copywriter, and arts & entertainment blogger. He currently runs Southern Glossary, an online zine about contemporary art, photography, and documentary films in the south and freelances for other sites and publications.
Tom James (writer and poet) Tom James is a poet, writer, folksinger and songwriter residing in Wichita, Kansas. His history of the Walnut Valley Folk Festivals and the Mossman legend, "Crossing The Walnut River One More Time", can be found at: http://oldfolkie71.blogspot.com/.