"As the weeks and then months slipped by, the news faded into the background but I knew that the rebuilding had barely started. Common Ground was organized by New Orleans residents just after Katrina, and was bringing hundreds of volunteers to help; I decided to be one of them."

"I talked one night to a woman who had left her last semester at college and returned to Common Ground after volunteering in January because she just had to...she said “So why aren’t more people your age coming down to help? Do you really have so many commitments, or is it because you just can’t imagine changing your life for awhile?”...That’s a damn good question. Any of y’all got an answer? "

"There were some sad and poignant moments...Marva Wright, whose music I've loved for ages, talked about losing everything and mentioned things like her wedding rings and her mother's photographs in particular."

"I felt a pang of sadness at what a treasure  New Orleans is and how it’s struggling to fully recover and get its mojo back."

"In New Orleans...Nothing, not even death, could muffle the music or deter the spirit there.  That is until Katrina, an unwelcome guest that barged into New Orleans with mayhem in mind. The hurricane wreaked havoc on a city, a culture, and a musical heritage...The storm swallowed the most vulnerable parts of New Orleans then puked them out in a mass of fetid muck, wooden debris, and sodden dreams."

P.T. At Large 9/08

“I want to capture the joy New Orleans generates and to remind people that this unique city is still suffering. New Orleans needs a rebirth. Pull out your wallets and put on your dancing shoes. This is an opportunity for all of us to help with the baptism,”