The fall 2015 issue of Louisiana Cultural Vistas magazine

The fall 2015 issue of Louisiana Cultural Vistas magazine chronicles the last sixty years of our state’s politics. As Louisiana approaches Election Day, we’re posting new features to KnowLouisiana.org, including interviews with our contributors and classic content from our archives.

This week we debut: 

“Mr. Edwards Goes to Paris,” David Johnson’s interview with photographer Philip Gould, whose photo of Edwin Edwards graces our cover. Gould discusses the raucous 1984 trip through Notre Dame, Monaco and Versailles, where more then 600 supporters celebrated Edwards’s reelection.

“They Only Exist Within Us,” Robert Mann’s roundtable discussion with veteran political strategists Gus Weill, Roy Fletcher and Ray Strother. Listen to audio clips of the conversation for their reflections on Huey Long, Jimmie Davis and the current fascination with candidate debates.

And this 1992 article by filmmaker Paul Stekler on the making of the classic documentary Louisiana Boys: Raised on Politics.
Plus…

• Michael Martin on Victor Bussie and the battle over right to work legislation in Louisiana.
• Edward Haas on the birth of the Superdome.
• Richard Campanella on the origins of the “neutral ground.”
• Our interview with Gov. Edwards.

The issue is a companion to the Louisiana Governors Project, a series of seven public events dedicated to providing a job description for Louisiana’s highest office. Produced by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the project continues on Thursday, Sept. 24 at the Louisiana Humanities Center in New Orleans with a panel discussion on Gov. David Treen.  Robert Mann leads a conversation with Bubba Henry, Lanny Keller, Sally Nungesser, and Norman Robinson. Click here for more info.

Why do we call it the neutral ground?

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