Mimi Read’s Journalist Portfolio

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New Orleans lawyer transforms Whitney Plantation into powerful slavery museum

New Orleans lawyer transforms Whitney Plantation into powerful slavery museum

The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate — At Whitney Plantation, one of the antebellum estates that line the Great River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the architectural centerpiece is a Creole-style main house where hand-painted ceilings are adorned with flowers and vines. Out front are a matching pair of pigeonniers and an alley of oak trees whose branches theatrically drag the ground.

Choosing to Ride Out the Storm (Published 2008)

Choosing to Ride Out the Storm (Published 2008)

The New York Times — Domestic Lives NEW Orleans HERE in New Orleans, August and September are the months when even the most provincial of us begin studying maps of equatorial Africa. We've learned to track the atmospheric disturbances that begin there, innocent-seeming churnings of air and water.

Loving New Orleans, With a Ready Escape (Published 2007)

Loving New Orleans, With a Ready Escape (Published 2007)

The New York Times — NEW ORLEANS JOANN CLEVENGER, a New Orleans restaurateur, first came here as a teenager, and she loves the city with the romantic zeal of a convert. She's never felt the need to escape it, even temporarily. "New Orleans fuels my creative juices," said Ms. Clevenger, 68, who presides over her nouvelle Creole restaurant, the Upperline, with Auntie Mame aplomb.

New Orleans, Where Rot Is Noble (Published 1990)

New Orleans, Where Rot Is Noble (Published 1990)

The New York Times — LIKE most New Orleanians, Peter Yokum is not a keen follower of the latest interior design trends. Rather, the 41-year-old artist belongs to what might be called the Tennessee Williams school of decorating.

Artist finds contentment, inspiration far from big cities

Artist finds contentment, inspiration far from big cities

The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate — ST. AMANT - Here's an update from the wilds of Ascension Parish: 34 years after he fled New Orleans to avoid its engrossing melodramas and finally get some work done, artist Douglas Bourgeois is still living alone in the middle of nowhere. At 63, he's a confirmed rural hermit.

Tama Grows Up (Published 1992)

Tama Grows Up (Published 1992)

The New York Times — A MODERN writer's work, it seems, is never done. Just when she finishes the prolonged ordeal of grueling monasticism and tortured creativity more commonly known as writing a novel, it's time to go out and sell the thing. "My job should require two very different people," said 34-year-old Tama Janowitz.

Real Cajun Food, From Swamp to City (Published 2009)

Real Cajun Food, From Swamp to City (Published 2009)

The New York Times — NEW ORLEANS IN a back room at his elegant restaurant, Herbsaint, the chef Donald Link has a conventional office filled with electronic devices, a photograph of his wife and children and four nondescript black swivel chairs. There's just one maniacal touch: his sausage closet.

In Chicago, Tinted Green (Published 2008)

In Chicago, Tinted Green (Published 2008)

The New York Times — CHICAGO SEVENTEEN years ago, Frances Whitehead and James Elniski were married inside a florist's leaky old greenhouse, where the resident parrot seemed to mock their vows with what sounded like sardonic laughter. The location was, in a way, prophetic. The bride and groom couldn't have known it, but another sort of green house eventually would come to dominate their lives.

Life as a Repast, Not Yet Complete (Published 2008)

Life as a Repast, Not Yet Complete (Published 2008)

The New York Times — NEW ORLEANS IT was two days after Fat Tuesday, and this city had begun the annual jag of repentance known as Lent. But Kim Sunée, a Korean-born writer, was experiencing powerful food lusts, as she often does.

A Daughter Discovers Branches of the Family Tree Pruned by Her Father (Published 2007)

A Daughter Discovers Branches of the Family Tree Pruned by Her Father (Published 2007)

The New York Times — NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 6 - In a white-box living room in an apartment on lower St. Charles Avenue here, the dining table was set for a family party: plastic bowls of chips, dip and salsa; a plastic bag of sepia-toned family photographs waiting to be opened; and a copy of Bliss Broyard's new book, "One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life - A Story of Race and Family Secrets."

A Gift to Black Cuisine, From Ray Charles (Published 2005)

A Gift to Black Cuisine, From Ray Charles (Published 2005)

The New York Times — Dillard University is advertising to fill chair in black culinary studies and other aspects of black culture; position is first of its kind in country and was created by gift from Ray Charles; some think cookbook writer Jessica Harris would be good candidate (M)

New Orleans lawyer transforms Whitney Plantation into powerful slavery museum

New Orleans lawyer transforms Whitney Plantation into powerful slavery museum

The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate — At Whitney Plantation, one of the antebellum estates that line the Great River Road between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the architectural centerpiece is a Creole-style main house where hand-painted ceilings are adorned with flowers and vines. Out front are a matching pair of pigeonniers and an alley of oak trees whose branches theatrically drag the ground.

Go Inside Designer Tom Scheerer's Beachy Bahamas Vacation Home

Go Inside Designer Tom Scheerer's Beachy Bahamas Vacation Home

Architectural Digest — Tom Scheerer is no stranger to the world of sumptuous houses outfitted with every conceivable frill and comfort. The New York-based decorator, known for his breezily chic yet utterly correct interiors, grew up as part of a well-heeled East Coast set. He's been in and out of its cribs and clubs since the day he was born.

Miles Redd Decorates an Eclectic Houston Mansion

Miles Redd Decorates an Eclectic Houston Mansion

Architectural Digest — View Slideshow Most people have blue moments at one time or another. Interior designer Miles Redd, on the other hand, often feels deliriously yellow. A few years ago, when a prominent Houston couple was considering him as a possible decorator for their 17th-century-French-style mansion in the historic River Oaks neighborhood, the Manhattan-based Redd flew into town for a visit.