UL-Lafayette to host Banned Book Read Out

            Banned Books Week begins tomorrow and runs through Sunday, bringing focus to the censorship of books throughout America. The event began in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. You might remember in the 1984 film, “Footloose,” a group of citizens burning books in front of the library.

            If you think things have cooled off, think again. Since 1982, more than 11,300 books have been challenged, according to the American Library Association, and 307 challenges happened in 2013. Some of the most challenged titles that year included “Captain Underpants,” “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morison and “The Hunger Games.”

            Banned Books Week is sponsored by the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Association of American Publishers, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, the National Association of College Stores, the National Coalition Against Censorship, the National Council of Teachers of English, PEN American Center and Project Censored.

            At 3 p.m. Wednesday, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette Dupré Library will host its third annual Banned Book Read Out in celebration of Banned Books Week. Students, faculty and community members are invited to read a passage from one of their favorite banned or challenged books outside the Ernest Gaines Center on the third floor of the library. The event is free and open to the public.

 Acadie launch

            Warren A. Perrin and Mary Broussard are launching “Acadie Then and Now: A People’s History,” a collection of 65 articles by 55 authors that showcase Acadians from around the world, at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, at Vermilionville in Lafayette. The book focuses on the Acadian communities in the United States, France and Canada. All profits from the book will be donated to 22 Acadian museums located in three countries. The book was also co-directed by Phil Comeau, an award-winning filmmaker and author living in Montreal. Prior to his death, Cajun artist George Rodrigue gave permission to use his painting, “Spinning Cotton in Erath (1977),” for the book’s cover. Contributors to the book include Louisiana singer, songwriter, poet and activist Zachary Richard; Cajun folklorist, author and UL-Lafayette professor Dr. Barry Jean Ancelet; Acadian poet, playwright and professor Dr. Herménégilde Chiqsson; and activist and journalist Jean-Marie Nadeau, who catalyzed the inaugural Congrès mondial acadien.

AWP Award

            Acadiana Writing Project Teacher Consultant and Iberia Parish teacher Margaret Simon has been named the recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English’s 2014 Donald H. Graves award for excellence in teaching writing. Simon will receive the award at NCTE’s annual national meeting in November. 

Faulkner’s birthday

            William Faulkner’s birthday is Thursday, but it falls in the middle of the Jewish high holidays so the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society will celebrate the novelist’s birthday at 1 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, at 818 St. Charles Ave. in New Orleans. Also, because of the Saints game, the event will include a festive brunch instead of a summer supper, not to mention the fun starts after church services, since it’s a Sunday. Talk about being inclusive! Net proceeds from the event will go to support the non-profit Faulkner Society. For more information, visit http://www.wordsandmusic.org.

Book events

            Michael Marshall will discuss his book “Gallant Creoles: A History of the Donaldsonville Canonniers” at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Jeanerette Museum, 500 E. Main St. in Jeanerette. Composed of Creole and Cajun citizen-soldiers, the Donaldsonville Canonniers were originally organized as a militia company in 1837 and were one of the most active and highly regarded Louisiana units during the American Civil War. The event is more suitable for an adult audience.

For information, visit JeaneretteMuseum.com.

            A film series honoring Ernest Gaines will be held at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the South Regional Library in Lafayette; this week “A Lesson Before Dying” will be shown. Visit ernestgaines.louisiana.edu or facebook.com/ErnestGainesCenter for more information.

            Michael Rubin will be speaking and signing “The Cottoncrest Curse” from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Old Governor's Mansion, 502 North Blvd. in Baton Rouge. Light refreshments will be served at 6 p.m. at the event presented by the Foundation for Historical Louisiana. For more information, visit www.fhl.org.

            Delphine Hirasuna will sign “The Art of Gaman” from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at the World War II Museum in New Orleans. She will offer a presentation at 6 p.m. at the
Stage Door Canteen, following by the signing. During World War II, the 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast were ordered into barbed-wire enclosed internment camps, allowed to bring only what they could carry. “The Art of Gaman” relates how the internees practiced the discipline of gaman enduring the seemingly impossible with patience and dignity by creating objects of beauty and utility out of scrap and found materials. For information, call (504) 528-1944.

            The DwnTown Poetry Krewe will offer an open mic and variety show at 2 p.m. Saturday at 101 Jefferson St., Suite 100, in downtown Lafayette. Poets, musicians, and people of other talents are invited.

            Bad Art Fête, which celebrates the ugly side of art, is ongoing through September at the Lafayette Library. Original art may be submitted (one entry per person) through Oct. 10. Voters will determine the best during voting at ArtWalk from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 11.

            Dennis Ward will read excerpts from his debut novel, “Mademoiselle Gigi” and Bonnie Friedman will screen her documentary “Operation Sussex” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, at NUNU Arts and Culture Collective in Arnaudville. For more information on Operation Sussex, visit alliance-productions.net.

Cheré Coen is the author of “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana” and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.

Great books, authors, relaxing spa — does it get any better?

            What’s better than a retreat to a full-service spa in the hills outside Austin? How about a spa retreat that features book and authors?

            Lake Austin Spa near Austin is offering a “For the Love of Books Author Series” in which authors visit the resort and offer classes to participants as well as chances to enjoy spa services with them. Coming up in July is “Readers Love Romance” with New York Times bestselling authors Tessa Dare, Kerrelyn Sparks and Lori Wilde. There will be writing workshops, a wine and chocolate reception, wine and cheese chat and chances to enjoy activities with all three. Dare is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of nine historical romance novels and three novellas. Sparks is the New York Times bestselling author of the Love at Stake series that’s up to book 15 and Wilde is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 70 works of romantic fiction. 

            Coming up later this summer is Patricia Schultz, author of the international bestsellers “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” and “1,000 Places to See in the UnitedStates and Canada Before You Die” and Katrina Kenison, author of “The Gift of an Ordinary Day: A Mother’s Memoir” and “Magical Journey: An Apprenticeship in Contentment.”

            Lake Austin Spa is a full-service resort owned by Louisiana natives Michael W. McAdams, who lives in the Dallas area, and William W. Rucks IV of Lafayette. The two men met at LSU.

Cracker Jack Awards

            Who knew that Jim Davis, the director of the Center for the Book at the Louisiana State Library, was a Cracker Jack collector? And because of this knowledge Davis wrote the introductory first chapter history of Cracker Jack in “The CrackerJack Collection: Baseball’s Prized Players,” a book that celebrates the 100th anniversary of one of the greatest baseball card collections in the world. Recently, “The Cracker Jack Collection” by authors Tom Zappala and Ellen Zappala took the silver prize in the Independent Book Publishers Association Benjamin Franklin Awards, bumped out by “A Passion for Grouse: The Lore and Legend of America’s Premier Game Bird,” which took gold. Davis, who has a great sense of humor, quipped, “I think it should have been the gold winner, of course, but I won’t ‘grouse’ about it.”

New releases

            When Ibby Bell’s father dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1964, Ibby is sent to live with her eccentric grandmother, Fannie, in New Orleans. Fannie’s African American cook, Queenie, and her daughter, Dollbaby, take the young girl under their wings and teach her the ways of the South, in addition to the dark secrets of Fannie’s house and life, in Laura Lane McNeal’s “Dollbaby.” McNeal discusses and signs copies of the book at 6 p.m. Thursday at Garden District Book Shop in New Orleans.

Books Talks

            The second Bayou State Books Talks by the UL-Lafayette Center for Louisiana Studies begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday with Michael Marshall speaking about his book, “GallantCreoles: A History of the Donaldsonville Cannoniers,” at the South Regional Library, 6101 Johnston St. in Lafayette. The book explains the 19th-century Louisiana militia company, highlights its activities during the Civil War and includes biographies of each Donaldsonville Canonnier who served. The event is free and open to the public, and books will be available for purchase.

Book events

            The Bayou Vermilion Preservation Association’s upcoming lecture series “Clean Steams” will feature Dana Nunez Brown, who will speak about “Plants that Soak It Up and Slow the Flow” at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Southside Library. Brown is a Louisiana landscape architect and author of a new book, “Using Plants for Stormwater Management.” The talk will be free to the public, but reservations are required; visit www.BayouVermilionPreservation.org or call 591-1582.

            Voices Season Reading Series presents a special evening of literary readings by poets J. Bruce Fuller, Hillary Joubert and J.K. McDowell at 7 p.m. Thursday at Carpe Diem! Gelato – Espresso Bar in downtown Lafayette. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Clare L. Martin at martin.clarel@gmail.com.

            Sam Irwin will sign “Louisiana Crawfish: A Succulent History of the CajunCrustacean” from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Old Governor’s Mansion, sponsored by the Foundation for Historical Louisiana.

            Cajun French poet Beverly Matherne will read from her work in French and English with accompaniment by professional drummer and percussionist Michael Tramonte at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Ascension Parish Library-Gonzales Branch, 708 S. Irma Blvd. in Gonzales. A book signing and reception will follow. Free, but call to register at (225) 647-3955.

            Mark Sutter, author of “Edible Wild Plants of Texas,” will offer a four-hour workshop on finding edible plants from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Vermilionville in Lafayette. For more information and to register, contact Jolie Johnson by calling (337) 233-4077, Ext. 211 or email Vville@BayouVermilionDistrict.org.

            Several authors will be signing copies of their books at the Ville Platte Bastille Day festivities from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Ville Platte Civic Center Pavilion. Authors include Mary Gehman, author of “The Free People of Color of New Orleans;” Jane Vidrine and Jean Kiesel, authors of “Evangeline Parish;” and John LaFleur, author of “Laissez Les Bontemps Rouler: Could ‘Louisiana French’ Have Survived Without the Acadians? Commerce, Confusion & the Consequences of ‘Cajun’ Cultural Identity.”

            To commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the Allied invasion at Normandy, which was June 6, Lafayette novelist Dennis Ward and documentary filmmaker Bonnie Friedman will present their related artworks at 3 p.m. Saturday at Cité des Arts Theater in downtown Lafayette. Ward will discuss his historical novel, “Mademoiselle Gigi,” based on a true story of Gisèle “Gigi” Carriton, a young Jewish girl who survived the Nazi occupation of France. Friedman will screen her documentary “Operation Sussex,” which honors the men and women of a secret allied spy mission. The author and filmmaker will answer questions and have books and DVDs available for purchase and signing. For further information, contact Ward at (337) 453-0726 or ZydecoDen@bellsouth.net.

Cheré Coen is the author of “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Historic Guide to Acadiana,” both from The History Press, and co-author of “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets.” She teaches writing at UL-Lafayette’s Continuing Education. Write her at cherecoen@gmail.com.