In Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi, this year’s pick for the East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s “One Book One Community” read, the author recounts his work as a steamboat captain on the river before the Civil War, details his travels to New Orleans as an older man, and on the way roasts the appearance of Baton Rouge’s “pathetic” Old State Capitol, “the ugliest building on the Mississippi.” Some ice for that burn? It’s still an “otherwise honorable place.”

In celebration of the man and book—the first one ever submitted to a publisher as a typewritten manuscript—that helped put the Southern United States on the literary map, the Main Library at Goodwood will host a free kickoff party for “One Book One Community” this Saturday, February 11, at 6 p.m. With free food like catfish, hushpupppies and Mississippi mud pie, children’s games, face painting, cake walks, and Chautauqua performer Warren Brown making an appearance as Mark Twain himself—as well as live Twain-era music performed by singer and songwriter James Linden Hogg, whom inRegister featured in our February issue—the event is a treat for local literary enthusiasts.

To keep updated with forthcoming local readings, events and discussions related to Mark Twain and Life on the Mississippi, check out the InfoGuide at ebrpl.libguides.com/twain.