$25 Superpack: I Heart New Orleans

Fun fact: More Microcosm authors live in New Orleans, Louisiana than in any other single city. They know, and if you've ever been there, you know, that there's something special and brilliant about that city, and much as its changed in the decade since Katrina, that unique, energizing, exuberant something is stronger than ever. Here's a selection of books and zines that begins to get at the heart of NOLA's spectacular, contradictory highs and lows. First, two books: Katrina's Sandcastles is Kaycee Eckhardt's warts and all account of returning home after the hurricane to teach high school (a lot of the stories are pretty devastating, but there's always a kernel of magic and hope, perhaps symbolized by Eckhardt's account of witnessing a cathartic, Katrina-themed burlesque revue). Urban Revolutions is a book about bicycle culture and planning that is steeped in New Orleans-ness, including a chapter on the city's unheralded rise to bike-friendliness and another one on bicycling during Mardi Gras. (Also recommended: This interview with author Emilie Bahr on our blog, including her compelling story about what bicycling meant to the city's recovery.) And two zines that give you very different sorts of glimpses of life in the city: I Hate this Part of Texas #5 is a joyous snapshot of community and Rocket Queen #2 contains fascinating and insightful stories about working at a New Orleans dance club.