FUHWE: The writing experience with Frank Etheridge

Sep 06, 2016 • Extra/ordinary, Interviews

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Frank Etheridge and group at the Ignatius Reilly statue (Photo credit: Frank Etheridge)

Some people get bored with the place they live. The routines. The same spectacles. The daily grind. That is not what happens in New Orleans. In fact, just yesterday I saw three grown men get whipped with a leather strap in broad daylight. Did I mention they were also wearing chaps?

When people come to New Orleans they want to experience what all of us who live here have the great fortune to experience on a daily basis. That is where FUHWE comes in. They are looking to host visitors, pair them up with New Orleans locals, and have those locals take the visitors around this city we all love.

We had a conversation with one of the hosts for FUHWE, Frank Etheridge. He heads-up the literary experience with FUHWE, and we wanted to know what exactly makes his tour different from everything else.

Let’s start off with some basic information. What is the area of New Orleans you focus on in your experience?

French Quarter

What is that certain something you bring to the group when you are showing them around the neighborhood?

I’m a local writer talking about writers I love and taking guests to the exact spots where they found inspiration. I read from selected works at all seven stops and share how these literary works reflect New Orleans’ unique culture and rich history.

What’s one fact or secret that you tell the group you are hosting that you can share with all of us?

That before the tragic mass-shooting in an Orlando nightclub, the former Upstairs Lounge on Chartres was the site of the most fatal hate crime against gays in American history. The gruesome event is eloquently placed into fiction in local writer Alex Johnson’s “Forever Tonight.”

What has been the biggest surprise to you while working as a host with FUHWE?

How deep and never-ending the history of literature in New Orleans is.

What experience at FUHWE would you want to take?

The Treme Culture Tour.

To learn more about FUHWE and the local experiences they provide, you can check them out on their website or get their APP here.

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