New Orleans Crime and Suspense Fiction

Local authors Danny Cherry Jr. and Michael Allen Zell discuss their latest work, the art of crafting crime fiction, how New Orleans provides a backdrop for their narratives, and more. The conversation is facilitated by Benjamin Morris.

Free and open to the public; donations gratefully accepted. Donations support One Book One New Orleans' year-round community literacy outreach.

This panel is sponsored by the Pinckley Prizes for Crime Fiction.

The Andre Callioux Center for Performing Arts and Cultural Justice is accessible to community members who require mobility-related ADA accommodations. Parking near the venue is free, though somewhat limited. The nearest RTA stop is at N. Broad and Columbus.

MEET THE PANELISTS

By day, Danny Cherry Jr. is an MBA-havin', caffeine-addicted corporate drone. But at night, he is a novelist, short story writer, essayist, and a sometimes-journalist. He is a frequent contributor to Antigravity Magazine, and has written for: Buzzfeed News, Politico, and The Daily Beast; and published fiction for Apex Magazine, Fiyah Lit Mag, amongst others. His work has been acknowledged in Locus Magazine recommended reading list for 2022, as well as the Best American Sci-fi and Fantasy 2023 notable stories list. His recently released debut novel, The Pike Boys, is a historical crime drama based in 1920s NOLA, and can be purchased wherever you buy books. Follow him on social media on Twitter (X), TikTok, Instagram, and BlueSky @ DeeCherryWriter, where he posts pictures of his Teacup Poodle, Teddy!

A native of Mississippi, Benjamin Morris is the author of Coronary (Fitzgerald Letterpress, 2011), Hattiesburg, Mississippi: A History of the Hub City (Arcadia/History Press, 2014), Ecotone (Antenna, 2017), and The Singing River (Belle Point Press, 2025). He holds an MSc in English Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Edinburgh, and among other honors has received a Pushcart nomination, the Academy of American Poets Prize from Duke University, and the Chancellor’s Medal for Poetry from the University of Cambridge, where he earned his Ph.D. The recipient of academic and creative fellowships from the Mississippi Arts Commission and Tulane University, his writing appears regularly in the United States and Europe. He lives in New Orleans.

Michael Allen Zell is a New Orleans-based novelist, screenwriter, journalist, and playwright. He is best known for his crime fiction series featuring Bobby Delery, a Tulane University Criminology professor, who is forced to right wrongs on the streets of New Orleans. The L.A. Review of Books praised with, “Zell demonstrates a gallows humor and a fine ear for entertainment…like the best crime fiction, the story invests deeply in setting, and it succeeds by virtue of its author’s palpable love for New Orleans and the people who live there.” Susan Larson in The Times-Picayune said, “What really keeps us turning pages is Zell’s authorial voice, his insights into human nature, and the dark sense of humor that comes out of observing city life.”

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