Poetry. With accompanying CD. Born in Romania, Andrei Codrescu understands the spirit of his adopted New Orleans, a city that steadfastly "refuses to conform to anything that is known about it." When Hurricane Katrina blew through, the New Orleans landscape changed yet again and Codrescu recorded it all. Now, with the help of the New Orleans Klezmer AllStars, he brings us the poetry--and the music--of its wreckage and recuperation. Racous homages to the Big Easy, spirited laments for its dispossessed, and wry reports of its slow road to recovery, Codrescu's "Maelstrom: Songs of Storm & Exile" is performed on the accompanying CD by the New Orleans Klezmer AllStars--forming the heart of a collection that also honors the artists, lovers, and cultural icons who have influenced Codrescu's life.

Writer and NPR commentator Andrei Codrescu was working on a film exploring life along the Mississippi, when Katrina slammed into his hometown. After hosting scores of refugees in his Baton Rouge home, Codrescu released his essay collection New Orleans Mon Amour, becoming one of the many important voices celebrating New Orleans culture, recording its devastation, and awakening America's conscience.