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Jason Berry

Home Featured Authors & Panelists Featured Participant Lineup 2026 Jason Berry

New Orleans investigative reporter and author Jason Berry gained national prominence for landmark coverage of Catholic Church clergy abuse in Lead Us Not Into Temptation, Vows of Silence, and the IRE Award-winning Render unto Rome. His books on New Orleans culture include Up From the Cradle of Jazz and City of a Million Dreams. A Guggenheim, NEH, and Civitella Ranieri fellow, Berry contributes to The Guardian and Daily Beast, and is the author of plays and fiction, including Last of the Red Hot Poppas.

 

 

Schedule

9:00 am to 9:45 am
State Library, Second Floor, Meeting Room
Conversations with Jason Berry
Jason Berry and Howard Hunter

10:00 am to 10:45 am
Cavalier House Books Tent
Book Signing

 

Conversations with Jason Berry

Conversations with Jason Berry offers an intimate look at the life and mind of one of America’s most fearless investigative journalists and cultural historians. Across twenty-three compelling interviews, Jason Berry (b. 1949) reflects on the forces that have shaped his work—from uncovering corruption in the Catholic Church to chronicling the rich cultural and political landscape of Louisiana.

Berry’s groundbreaking exposés on clerical abuse established him as a leading voice in investigative journalism, yet his journey is equally personal—a struggle with faith, institutional betrayal, and an unwavering commitment to the truth. Beyond journalism, Berry’s deep love for his home city led him to become one of New Orleans’s most celebrated historians. His critically acclaimed book City of a Million Dreams: A History of New Orleans at Year 300 cements his legacy as a vital interpreter of the city’s contradictions, resilience, and enduring beauty.

This collection offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a writer whose work continues to shape public discourse, blending sharp inquiry with a profound understanding of the human condition.