It's ironic but Hazel Branch was one of the lucky ones. She and her family just dodged Hurricane Katrina by leaving New Orleans ' Ward Nine just ahead of the storm.

Hazel Branch's story will be presented at the Metropolitan Library System in a new play called "The Gumbo Pot" by Oklahoma City playwright DWe Williams. Williams' play tells the story of Branch's escape and the establishment of a new home in Midwest City .

"We were supposed to be gone three days," Branch told Metro Library magazine. "That's how many days of clothes I told everyone they could take."

Branch was warned to leave New Orleans by her older brother, Floyd Gordon, who has worked at Tinker Air Force Base for 35 years.

"He'd been following the storm for days," Branch said. "He said, 'you've got to get out and get out now.'"

One September Saturday after the storm, DWe Williams and the members of the theatrical troupe Rhythmically Speaking visited the Victory Kitchen to offer what help they could to the people made homeless by the storm. Williams sat down next to Branch, and her story captivated the writer.

Williams is one of the four founding members of Rhythmically Speaking, created in 1996 to produce a Black History Month program for the Oklahoma Children's Theatre. The company is still going strong, writing and producing about two new shows every year.

Their 13 February presentations of "The Gumbo Pot" will all be at the following Metropolitan Library System locations:

• Thursday, Feb. 2 at 7:00 p.m. at Del City Library
  
• Saturday, Feb. 4 at 2:00 p.m. at Southern Oaks Library
  
• Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 1:00 p.m. at Capitol Hill Library
  
• Saturday, Feb. 11 at 2:00 p.m. at Belle Isle Library
  
• Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 10:00 a.m. at Ralph Ellison Library, and 3:00 p.m. at Luther Library
  
• Thursday, Feb. 16 at 4:00 p.m. at Choctaw Library
  
• Saturday, Feb. 18 at 2:00 p.m. at Downtown Library
  
• Monday, Feb. 20 at 7:00 p.m. at Midwest City Library
  
• Friday, Feb. 24 at 10:00 a.m. at the Village Library
  
• Saturday, Feb. 25 at 10:30 a.m. at Warr Acres Library, and 2:00 p.m. at Bethany Library
  
• Monday, Feb. 27 at 6:30 p.m. at Edmond Library.

Admission is free, but seating is limited. The program is made possible through a grant from the Friends of the Metropolitan Library.

The Metropolitan Library System of Oklahoma County includes 12 libraries and five extension libraries. Libraries include Belle Isle, Capitol Hill, Ralph Ellison, Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library and Southern Oaks in Oklahoma City, as well as Bethany, Choctaw, Del City, Edmond, Midwest City, Village and Warr Acres. Extensions are located in the communities of Harrah, Jones, Luther and Nicoma Park and include Wright Library in Oklahoma City . You can also reach us at www.metrolibrary.org.