This year’s Saints and Sinners Literary Festival is shaping up to be the best ever! From Thursday, May 8, through Sunday, May 11th, we are turning up the heat in the French Quarter for GLBT writers and readers!

The festival unofficially opens on Thursday, May 8th, with “Read Me Something Mister” at the W Hotel French Quarter, when some of the festival’s visiting literary luminaries read from works by their favorite New Orleans authors. Tickets to this event are $25 and can be purchased at www.sasfest.org. On Friday the festival officially begins with this years master class series which include:

• Mark Doty: Memoirs
• Stephen McCauley: Characters that Live and Breathe
• Val McDermid: From Idea to Finished Book
• Dorothy Allison: A Conversation on the Writing Life
• Jim Grimsley: Fixing That Problem Manuscript
• Michelle Tea: Unconventional Ways to Promote Your Book
• Aaron Hamburger: The Importance of Setting

We’ll welcome everyone to the festival Friday evening with a *censored*tail reception. Saturday and Sunday will be filled with a variety of panel discussions with topics ranging from publication issues, marketing, erotica, memoirs and even journalism. There will be something for everyone at the Sixth Annual Saints & Sinners.

In addition to the classes, discussions and reading series, there will also be some theater featured at this years event. “Us,” Tim Miller’s one-man, one-night show that occurs on Saturday, May 10th, at the Marigny Theater, ricochets between Miller’s love affair with Broadway musicals to an exploration of gay marriage, exile and the injustices lesbian and gay people face in the good ol' USA.

A Day Without Sunshine is a new solo performance by Elizabeth Whitney and directed by Mark Finley. The show explores recent histories of “family values” with a specific focus on pageant queen, singer, and orange juice spokesperson turned virulent anti-gay activist

For the full Saints and Sinners schedule and to register online, check out sasfest.org.

 

Once again, volunteers contributed to another great event. Art Against AIDS, 2007 was a huge success. Our valued volunteers assisted in guaranteeing that everyone had a good time.

We are now in the planning stages for our 6th annual Saints & Sinners Literary Fest, May 8 - 11, 2008. Authors from across the country come to New Orleans to help NO/AIDS Task Force raise money through master classes, readings and other activities geared towards exploring lesbian and gay literature. We are looking for volunteers to help with set-up, registration, room and session monitoring and a host of other duties. Interested parties can contact Doreen at (504) 821-2601 ext. 215 or doreent@noaidstf.org to sign up or visit www.sasfest.org for additional information and a fullschedule for the event.  

Toby Lefort is holding his annual crawfish boil fundraiser to benefit his team for the NO/AIDS Walk on Sunday, April 27th, from 3pm until the crawfish are gone! The boil will take place at the Four Seasons Lounge in Metairie at 3229 N Causeway Blvd (MAP). It's only $10.00 all you can eat and all the proceeds benefit the NO/AIDS Walk. 

NO/AIDS Task Force is offering a free AIDS Awareness and Volunteer Training workshop on Saturday February 23 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The training will be held at NO/AIDS Task Force's main offices at 2601 Tulane Ave., 5th floor (map) .

Topics to be covered include medical and psychosocial aspects of HIV/AIDS, peer support, infected/affected issues, risk reduction, and more. This training is a great opportunity if you need to brush up on your HIV knowledge and it will also make you eligible for a wide range of volunteer opportunities with NO/AIDS Task Force.

Space is limited, so to reserve your spot, contact Doreen Tollerson at doreent@noaidstf.org or by phone at 504-821-2601 ext. 215.

 

2008 marks the 25th anniversary of NO/AIDS Task Force. The agency was officially formed in October of 1983. To commemorate 25 years of service to the community, NO/AIDS will be kicking off a year-long campaign highlighting the agency's past work as well as our future direction. Make sure you mark your calendars for this year's events as they promise to be big:

• Saints & Sinners Literary Festival - May 8 - 11
• Dining Out For Life - July 16
• NO/AIDS Walk - September 14
• Art Against AIDS - December 6

In addition, NO/AIDS is planning a number of events specifically to commemorate our 25th Anniversary, so be sure to check back as things develop. 

NO/AIDS now has a Myspace page. Feel free to to add us as a friend to keep abreast of all the NO/AIDS activities.