Spots remain for LBF WordShops! Learn about the festival's master-class writing workshops and reserve your seat here.

This website has a .gov link

The .gov means it’s official.

Louisiana government websites often end in .gov. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a Louisiana government site.

HTTPS Connection

The site is secure.

The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Jason Peterson

Home Featured Authors & Panelists Featured Participant Lineup 2026 Jason Peterson

Jason Peterson’s byline has appeared in Performer Magazine, The Current, American Songwriter, Living Blues, and elsewhere. When not writing, Peterson can be found building a to-be-read pile of books that will hopefully not topple over and also playing bass guitar. He was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and now lives with his wife, two kids, and a scruffy dog in south Louisiana, where he’s still getting used to trading snow for swamps.

 

 

Schedule

10:30 am to 11:30 am
Iberville Building, Le Francois Room B
Little Books, Big Lives: Picture Book Biographies
Artie Bennett, The Tenth Man: A Miracle of Jewish Faith and Friendship in New Orleans
Carlotta Walls LaNier and Lisa Frazier Page, Carlotta's Special Dress: How a Walk to School Changed Civil Rights History
Frank Murphy, Charnaie Gordon, and Anastasia Magloire Williams, Heroic Heart: An Illustrated Biography of Joe Delaney
Jason Peterson, Blues with a Butter Knife: The Unstoppable Music of CeDell Davis
with moderator Lauren Landry

12:30 pm to 1:00 pm
Children’s Author Tent 1
Blues with a Butter Knife: The Unstoppable Music of CeDell Davis
(Ages 7 to 10)

1:15 pm to 2:00 pm
Cavalier House Books Tent
Book Signing

Blues with a Butter Knife: The Unstoppable Music of CeDell Davis

Young CeDell Davis learns to play the blues unlike anyone else—with his guitar upside down and a butterknife in his hand—and becomes a legendary musician.

Renowned Black illustrator R. Gregory Christie brings the blues legend to life in this nonfiction picture book for ages 7–10.

For young CeDell Davis, the blues cut straight to his heart. He wanted to play, but he had no instrument. He became an inventor: nailing wire and a rusty barrel ring to the side of his house so he could jam all day.

When he finally got a real guitar, CeDell played better than ever–but when he was about 10 years old, his body grew weak. After years spent battling polio in the hospital, he was finally well enough to come home and dust off his guitar. But he couldn’t play it. Polio had weakened his left, fretting hand and stiffened his right, strumming hand. Turning his guitar upside down and grabbing a butterknife from the kitchen, CeDell invented a whole new way to play the blues—a way that would one day get him up on stage, jamming with his musical idols.