Sunday, July 31, 2016

Attention poets and spoken word artists: Word Crawl literary marathon approaches in downtown Lafayette!

            It’s that time of year, when poets, spoken word artists, storytellers, songwriters and other artists gather for a 12-hour literary marathon called the Word Crawl. A fund-raiser for the annual Festival of Words, the Word Crawl will be from noon to midnight Saturday, Sept. 10, at six venues throughout downtown Lafayette.
            Here’s how it works:
            Collect sponsors and sign up for a spot during the 12 hours of the marathon. Daytime hours welcome all ages and evening hours are reserved for more adult material. There’s even a portion of the marathon dedicated to Francophone writers!
Word Crawlers will wind down Jefferson Avenue and visit the following venues: Carpe Diem Gelato and Espresso Bar, Cité des Arts, Lafayette Science Museum, Steam Press Coffee & Café, Tsunami and The Wurst Biergarten. 
            Last year’s event featured more than 40 artists performing a wide variety of material and helped raise funds for the annual Festival of Words which brings established authors from all over the world to Acadiana to give public readings, writing workshops in community centers and public schools. 
            If you would like to share your own stories, poems, etc., pick up a packet by contacting KajynSaint@gmail.com, Alex Johnson at PoeticSoul337@gmail.com or by calling (713) 933-4448.


Writing contest
Entries are now being accepted for the inaugural South Louisiana chapter of Romance Writers of America anthology. Stories must be Mardi Gras themed, set in New Orleans and have a romantic element. The word length is 2500 to 7500 words and the deadline is Nov. 1. Entry fee is $20 with all proceeds going toward SOLA’s programming and events. Stories will be selected by judges with an eye for quality writing. For more information, please go to www.solawriters.org.

Conferences
The Magic of Books will host a day of workshops, guest speaker presentations, book signings and reception on Sept. 17 at the University of Southern Mississippi’s FEC Auditorium at Long Beach, Miss. The guest speaker will be Judge Randy Pierce, author of “Pain Forgiven” and “Mississippi Mud.” For more information, visit http://themagicofbooks.com or http://gcwriters.org/event16_magicofbooks.html.

Louisiana Ebooks
Lashonda Beauregard offers a time travel story in which musician West Barrington falls asleep on the eve of 1927 and awakens in Harlem in 2016 with “The Harlem Renaissance Time Traveler’s Diary.” The Louisiana author is a graduate of UL-Lafayette.
Arlene Messa writes suspense and intrigue under the name A.C. Mason and her latest mystery e-book is available for pre-order Monday. Both print and ebook will be released Sept 1 by Wings ePress. For more information, visit www.anneclayremason.com.
Kiara Jonai of Ville Platte has written numerous urban fiction novels. Her latest is “Unsympathetic Ways: Amira’s Way” and is available as a free download.
Josephine Templeton of Baton Rouge will release “Broken,” book two of “The Fallen Angelle Series,” an urban fantasy with romantic elements, on Monday. For more information, visit www.josephinetempleton.com.
Trudy Robideaux has published “Parish,” a novella where three Louisiana domestic violence victims narrate the horror they experienced at the hands of those they loved.
Keith Joseph Nickerson of Lafayette has seven books available on Amazon. A native of Broussard, the UL-Lafayette graduate said his writing style reflects his old school, Southern rearing and rural upbringings.

New releases
Nettye Johnson Faith operates a Christ-centered wellness organization offering education, products and coaching services to help adults grow in spiritual and physical stewardship. She has written a book titled “Put Your Faith Where Your Fork Is” on tackling health and weight management from a “science-based, faith-empowered perspective.” For information, visit http://faithwhereforkis.com
Leah McPhearson Miller, who lives in northern Louisiana and writes under Leah Rae Miller, is the author of the young adult romantic comedy “The Summer I Became a Nerd.” Her latest is “Romancing the Nerd.” Both books are published by Entangled Teen.

Southern bookstores
            Second and Charles in Bossier City is not just about books. They buy and sell a variety of items, such as CDs, comic books, vinyl records and video games. But there’s also lots and lots of books. The eclectic store also hosts events, such as last night’s Harry Potter midnight release party. The bookstore is located at 2001 Airline Drive in Bossier City with another location in Covington. You can follow them on Facebook or at http://2ndandcharles.com.

Book events
Get Pop-Cultured with Barnes & Noble, a month-long celebration of pop culture with special events, will run through Aug. 7 at the Lafayette store. On Saturday, the store celebrates Marvel Universe beginning at 7 p.m. with trivia, coloring, cosplay and exclusive samplers, including the first storyline for Mosaic.
Local author and TV show producer Sudie Landry and author and publisher Neal Bertrand have started a monthly book rally for local authors. The next rally will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Thensted Center, 268 Church St. in Grand Coteau. Authors include Terry L. Bethea, “The Ark Series;” Melissa Abraham; Charlie Leger, “The Golden Thread: A Modern Cajun Fairy Tale” (pen name C.K. Leger); Ann Warner, “The Rodney Letters: Love and Sacrifice in World War II;” Paul Marx, author and owner of KBON Radio Station; Vicky Branton, “Donkey Otie’s Forever Birthday Story;” Bob Bienvenue; Cheri Carlton, “I Am We;” Carola L. Hartley; Jeanette Poole; Carrie Simon and Bertrand, owner and publisher of Cypress Cove Publishing and author of “Dad’s War Photos: Adventures in the South Pacific” and three cookbooks.

Cheré Coen is the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country.” She writes Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire. Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.

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