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Renowned American novelist Dr Jewell Parker Rhodes talks to culinary historian Dr Jessica Harris about New Orleans’ legendary 19th-century voodoo queen, Marie Laveau. Rhodes’ highly acclaimed first novel, Voodoo Queens, recreated the story of Laveau, who exerted an extraordinary influence over both black and white followers. There is little known for certain about her life. She was a hairdresser with wealthy clients and it is believed she mixed Roman Catholic beliefs with African spirits and religious ideas. It is thought she was able to exert power by acquiring inside information on her wealthy clients.

Rhodes’ novels on the themes of history, African-American spirituality, race and gender. have won awards such as the American Book Award and the Black Caucus of the American Library Award for Literary Excellence. She is Piper Endowed Chair of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing at Arizona State University. Harris is the author of 11 cookbooks documenting the foods and foodways of the African Diaspora including Hot Stuff: A Cookbook in Praise of the Piquant and Sky Juice and Flying Fish: Traditional Caribbean Cooking. This is an opportunity to see two great US writers who are flying over especially to be at the festival.

Presented by the Virginia G Piper Centre for Creative Writing at Arizona State University