Louisiana

New Orleans, LA

March 12–15, 2026 Tulane University 6823 St. Charles Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118

The Atlantic Across America tour stopped in Louisiana at the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University on March 12–15, 2026.

On March 12, The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, sat down with historian and filmmaker Ken Burns, author and journalist Walter Isaacson, Atlantic staff writer Clint Smith, and historian Annette Gordon-Reed to reflect on the evolution of the American idea as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.

On March 13, Atlantic staff writer George Packer was in conversation with Salman Rushdie reflecting on belonging, regret, and the cost of our choices. Atlantic staff writer Clint Smith also joined Annette Gordon-Reed, Charles Blow, and Imani Perry in a conversation about how geography, migration, and regional identity influence American life, politics, and culture. The Atlantic’s managing director, Evan Smith, sat down with David Rubenstein for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership, history, and the preservation of America’s cultural and civic institutions. George Packer returned to the stage with Daniel Kehlmann and Nathaniel Rich to discuss how fiction explores societies under strain and the choices individuals make when social, political, and environmental pressures challenge human bonds.

On March 14, The Atlantic’s Evan Smith interviewed the newly elected mayor of New Orleans, Helena Moreno, and explored how national challenges take shape at the city level, including civic trust, economic opportunity, infrastructure, culture, and the responsibilities of local leadership. Later that day, Atlantic staff writer David Brooks sat down with Walter Isaacson to take audiences on a deep dive into the creation of one of the most influential sentences in history: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”