Today's video is a holdover from the New Orleans Bookfair in 2005 and a new segment in our series called The Katrina Tapes. Filmed just days after a mandatory evacuation order was lifted, the series contains the poignant reactions of New Orleans' offbeat literary community to the destruction of their hometown.

Today's 2-minute segment features school teacher James Newton, whose parents met and married in New Orleans. Wanting to contribute directly to the recovery, Jim sought out a teaching position in the city.

In an update to this piece, Jim tells us that his efforts to become a teacher in New Orleans were rebuffed by the Louisiana Department of Education, which was still in shock and not reponding very well in those days. So Jim took a position with the heavily-damaged Jackson County, Mississippi, school district, which welcomed him with open arms.