

Tue, Sep 30
|The Garden District Book Shop
Rory and Rosary O'Neill at the GDBS
Join us at the Garden District Book Shop on September 30th for an author talk with Rory and Rosary O'Neill on their new book THE HAUNTED GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS
Time & Location
Sep 30, 2025, 6:00 PM
The Garden District Book Shop, 2727 Prytania St, New Orleans, LA 70130, USA
About the event
The Garden District Book Shop is thrilled to host authors Rory O'Neill, PhD and Rosary O'Neill, PhD for their new book The Haunted Guide to New Orleans on Tuesday, September 30th. In addition to the author talk, there will be a musical performance by Rachelle O'Brien and Eric Laws featuring original music inspired by the book.
The event is free and open to the public.
THE HAUNTED GUIDE TO NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans thrums with ghosts, some so strong that they terrify holy Voodoo priests. But this
guide for the truly intrepid leads to the ancient ghosts that patrol the French Quarter and the
spirits that dine at Antoine’s and Commander’s Palace and settle in for the long haul at Hotel
Monteleone. Enjoy the shade of giant oaks while the undead duel nearby and track down vampires
climbing from flooded caskets in Lafayette Cemetery. Learn how Voodoo can connect the living
with departed ancestors, who can guide and protect. This city abounds with ruptured tombs and
Gothic mansions like Madame LaLaurie’s, where the tortured spirits will never rest. Rory O’Neill
Schmitt and Rosary O’Neill guide readers to the places where evil ghosts horrify and good ghosts
inspire.
About the Authors
Rory O’Neill Schmitt, PhD, manages faculty development at University of Southern California’s
Bovard College. Her award-winning short film, Garden District, has garnered more than twenty
awards from around the world. Dr. Schmitt has penned three books with Arcadia Publishing and
The History Press: Navajo and Hopi Art in Arizona (2016), New Orleans Voodoo: A Cultural History
(with O’Neill, 2019) and Edgar Degas in New Orleans (with O’Neill, 2023).
Rosary O’Neill, PhD, is a Senior Fulbright Drama Specialist and winner of nine Fulbright Awards.
She has published nineteen plays with Concord Publishers (Samuel French Publishers) and has
published three play anthologies and six books. A professor emerita at Loyola University New
Orleans, Dr. O’Neill founded Southern Rep, the first repertory theater in New Orleans.