Join us for powerhouse Sundays, a new, monthly series featuring eminent writers and photographers. Susan Hartman—a journalist, who teaches at NYU and ICP—will be the curator and host. In the intimate Arena lounge, guests will present their work, then hang out, answer questions, and sign books. Wine will be served. Afterwards, head out into DUMBO for dinner or drinks.

About the participants:

Nicole Cooley who grew up in New Orleans, recently published her third book of poetry, Breach, a collection of poems about Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Coast. She directs Queens College's new MFA program in creative writing and literary translation.

Cynthia Hogue, who's won Fulbright and NEA Fellowships, has published five collections of poetry, the latest being The Incognito Body. A critic, as well as a poet, she has taught in the MFA program at the University of New Orleans.

Peter Cooley, a longtime resident of New Orleans—where he directs the creative writing program at Tulane—is the author of eight books of poetry, the most recent being Divine Margins. His poetry has also appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and Poetry.

Stacy Parker Le Melle is the compiler of The Katrina Experience: An Oral History Project, and the author of the memoir Government Girl: Young and Female in the White House. She has written political and social commentary for The Huffington Post and Salon.com, and served as the primary contributor to Voices from the Storm: The People of New Orleans on Hurricane Katrina and Its Aftermath (McSweeney's).