Playwright Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) was born Thomas Lanier Williams in Mississippi. He wrote many plays, short stories, novels, and more. He spent some time in New Orleans at various points in his life and it influenced many of his works including A Streetcar Named Desire and Vieux Carré.In 1986 a festival was created to honor Tennessee Williams and to promote literary programs and education. The festival is a five day long event and it includes panel discussions, music, plays, and other events like the Stanley and Stella Shouting Contest. The events are at several different venues throughout the French Quarter. This year the festival is March 21-25. More information about the festival can be found here http://www.tennesseewilliams.net/.
Tennessee Williams was an American writer from the South. Many of his characters were based on his own family and life. His first real success was the play The Glass Menagerie in 1944. His next work, A Streetcar Named Desire, won him a Pulitzer Prize. Later in life, he was insecure that he could not duplicate his early works' success and used sleeping pills and liquor to quiet his restless mind.
