Two ULL Press titles look at French Louisiana traditions

            The University of Louisiana Press will release two works of children’s/adolescent literature this Wednesday at Pop’s Poboys in downtown Lafayette. They are “Madame Grand Doigt” by Yvette Landry with illustrations by Cullen Anthony Bernard and “Jean-le-Chasseur et ses chiens” by Barry Ancelet with illustrations by Denise Gallagher.

            Landry is an award-winning singer, songwriter, musician and educator. Her first children’s book, “The Ghost Tree,” received a nomination for the Louisiana’s Young Readers Choice Award and represented Louisiana at the National Book Fair in Washington, D.C. Bernard is a visual artist and illustrator from Lafayette and the owner and operator of Folklore Goods and Supply, a local business that focuses on unique functional art and apparel.

            The book follows the old Cajun folktale of a creepy old woman with long fingernails who grabs little kids who don’t fall asleep, no doubt told by parents over the years to get their children to go to bed. In Landry’s tale, two adolescent girls find the real Madame Grand Doigt in the woods near their camp, along with some terrifying discoveries.

Ancelet is a retired professor of modern languages and folklore at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Gallagher is a designer and illustrator based in Lafayette. They’ve collaborated on an adaptation of a Louisiana French folktale in which Jean-le-Chasseur finds a beautiful young woman while hunting in the woods with his dogs. What the dogs see, however, is something different and they rescue their master from what is really an old witch with a hatred for love.

The main text of “Jean-le-Chasseur et ses chiens” is written in a style of Louisiana French meant to mirror its oral origins. In the back is an English translation.

Both books will be available for purchase at Wednesday’s event along with autographing by the authors and illustrators. Light refreshments will be served.

Landry will also be offering a workshop on songwriting and storytelling at the Festival of Words literary event Nov. 4-5 in Grand Coteau.

Cavanaugh Lecture

Ashley Weaver, author of “Death Wears a Mask,” will discuss the “delicate art of murder,” getting published and editing at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Alexandria Museum of Art in Alexandria. Weaver, who has a masters in library science from LSU, is also the author of “Murder at the Brightwell.” Her next novel, “A Most Novel Revenge,” hits bookstores in October.

LSU library

To kick off Homecoming Week at LSU, the LSU Libraries Special Collections will host Faye Phillips, author of “The Golden Band from Tigerland: A History of LSU’s Marching Band” (LSU Press, September 2016), co-authored with Tom Continé, at 6 p.m. Tuesday (informal pre-talk reception to begin at 5:30 p.m.) in the lecture hall of Hill Memorial Library on the LSU campus.  Director of Bands Emeritus Frank Wickes, who wrote a foreword for the history, will also be on hand to sign copies. Books will be sold onsite by the LSU Barnes & Noble.

Book events

            Camille Pavy Claibourne will speak on “Finding Faith in Caring for Others” at 10:30 a.m. today at Grace Presbyterian Church in Lafayette. Claibourne is the author of “Purses & Shoes for Sale: The joys and challenges of caring for your elderly parents” and “Dying in God’s Hands.”

            New Orleans author Whitney Stewart will discuss and sign her new book, “Feldpost: The War Letters, Friedrich Reiner Niemann” at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Octavia Books of New Orleans. The book documents the life and frontline experiences of a German soldier from the 6th Infantry Division from 1941-1945. Niemann was sent to the Russian Front four times and wrote his final two letters home from Poland on Jan. 12, 1945, before he disappeared during the Soviet Vistula-Oder Offensive. After the war, the Niemann family preserved Reiner's letters and photographs, and shipped them to New Orleans where Reiner’s sister, Liselotte Andersson, had emigrated. The documents surfaced after Hurricane Katrina flooded the family house. Stewart is Andersson’s daughter-in-law, and with Denis Havel has translated the letters. Stewart grew up in New England and is the author of numerous children’s books, adult nonfiction, and travel writing.

            The Rotary Club of Abbeville will host a book drive from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Azul Tequila in Abbeville. Cost is $10.95 per person plus a book donation. All books will be donated to Light House Christian Preparatory School to help them get a library started. Other book drop-off locations are Abbeville Electric, Facts-5, Abbeville Chiropractic Clinic, Melancon Jewelers and Gulf Coast Bank.

            New Orleans Storycom will be Sept. 29 to Oct. 2 at the Wyndam Garden Baronne Plaza, New Orleans

Josh Capps and Toby Daspit will read as part of the Thursday Night Reading presented by the UL-Lafayette English Department, EGSA and Sigma Tau Delta at 7 p.m. Thursday at Poets, 1043 Johnston St.

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.

Letters About Literature contest now open

The Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana announces the 24th annual Letters About Literature (LAL) contest, a national reading and writing competition for students, sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and coordinated in state by the Louisiana Center. To enter, fourth- through twelfth-grade students write a personal letter to an author of any genre, living or dead, explaining how that author’s book, poem, or play changed the students’ views of the world or themselves.

Students may enter through their schools or local libraries, or on their own. There are three competition levels: Level 1 for grades 4 – 6, Level 2 for grades 7 – 8, and Level 3 for grades 9 – 12.

The national LAL team selects finalists from each state for each competition level, then Louisiana winners are chosen by a panel of judges including teachers and librarians from throughout the state. Louisiana winners receive $100 for first place, $75 for second place, and $50 for third place and are honored at the Louisiana Book Festival, held each fall. First place-winning letters are submitted to the Library of Congress for the national competition with the chance of winning up to $1,000.

Each student’s letter and entry coupon — available online — must be sent directly to Letters About Literature, c/o Project Manager C. Gourley, 81 Oliver St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18705. Note that the earlier postmark deadline for Level 3 is Nov. 2, and the deadline for Levels 1 and 2 is Jan. 9, 2017. The entry forms and information, as well as teacher’s guide with lesson plans, may be downloaded at www.read.gov/letters.

This annual writing contest for young readers has been made possible by a grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation and by gifts to the Library of Congress fund and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, which promotes the contest through its affiliate Centers for the Book, state libraries and other organizations.
            In Louisiana, the contest is made possible by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana with the assistance of the Louisiana Writing Project and the Louisiana Library and Book Festival Foundation. Funding for prizes is provided by the Library of Congress grant.

Cheré Dastugue Coen is the author of several Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire. She is also 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.

Vella chosen for 2016 Louisiana Writer Award

The State Library of Louisiana through its Louisiana Center for the Book has chosen New Orleans native Christina Vella as the 2016 recipient of the Louisiana Writer Award, an honor bestowed annually to recognize outstanding contributions to Louisiana’s literary and intellectual life.

Vella is the author of “Intimate Enemies: The Two Worlds of the Baroness de Pontalba,” “The Hitler Kiss” written with Radomir Luza, “Indecent Secrets: The Infamous Murri Murder Affair,” “George Washington Carver: A Life” and “Ataturk and the Unveiling of Turkey,” in publication.

In addition to her full-length works, Vella has written a number of book chapters, including “The Country for Men with Nerve” in “Degas and New Orleans,” “New Orleans at the Time of the Battle,” in “The Battle of New Orleans Reconsidered,” “Dorothy Dix” and “The Baroness Pontalba” in “Louisiana Women: Their Lives and Times” and “El Corazon de España,” in “Permanencia Cultural de España en Nueva Orleans.” She has also contributed several articles to the online encyclopedia Louisiana History and taught for many years taught at Tulane University, most recently in the Master of Liberal Arts program

Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser and State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton will present Vella with the 17th Louisiana Writer Award on Saturday, Oct. 29, in an opening ceremony of the 2016 Louisiana Book Festival. Vella will also discuss her work and career with fellow historian and professor Curtis Manning, executive director of the Louisiana Institute for Higher Education, at the festival.
            For more information about the festival and Vella, visit LouisianaBookFestival.org.

Cheré Dastugue Coen is the author of several Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire. She is also 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.

Tuesday ebook spotlight: 'The Big Uneasy'

Pauline Baird Jones has assembled two novels and a short story, the first three installments in the Big Uneasy series, for only $5.99. This bundle features the law-abiding Baker family who reside in New Orleans.

Here’s the description of the three stories:

“Relatively Risky:” A quirky artist must unravel her parent's secret past before the mob erases her future. But will the protection of a handsome homicide detective Alex Baker be her only hope of surviving the Big Easy? The oldest of 13, Alex does two things: he solves murders and avoids children. Until the day Nell Whitby foils a carjacking, knocks Alex off his feet and turns his life upside down. 

“Family Treed:” will Nell survive dinner with the “killing cousins?” Nell’s not sure why the mob wants to have dinner with her. She is sure she wants a cop at her side. Alex wouldn’t let Nell go in without him, despite much unease from his many siblings. But will they get out alive? 

Dead Spaces: “be careful what you dig for.” A forensic surgeon in the New Orleans Coroner’s Center — and part of her dad’s Baker’s Dozen — Hannah Baker thought she knew where to dig, how and what to slice, and when to walk away. But when her big brother gets her involved in the exhumation of a couple of old coffins, she realizes the past can’t be ignored. Not when it's been simmering up a big pile of trouble for longer than Hannah’s born days. Only New Orleans could produce a “Baked” gumbo of the mob, shadowy figures from the past, annoying figures from the present, murders, attempted murders, and a really cute detective who is technically off limits on account of he’s her big brother’s partner. Good thing NOPD Detective Logan Ferris doesn’t know the meaning of “off limits,” because once more the Big Easy is getting mighty uneasy. 

Pauline Baird Jones is the award-winning author of 17 novels of science fiction romance, action-adventure, suspense, romantic suspense and comedy-mystery, as well as several short story anthologies. “Girl Gone Nova” and “Out of Time” were EPIC Book Award winners. Her eighth novel, “The Key,” won an Independent Book Award Bronze Medal (IPPY) for 2008 and is a 2007 Dream Realm Awards Winner. With the closing of L&L Dreamspell, Pauline has opted to independently publish. Originally from Wyoming, she and her family moved from New Orleans to Texas before Katrina. You can find out more about her books (and get free stuff for subscribing to her newsletter) at paulinebjones.com.

Louisiana Book News is written by journalist Chere Dastugue Coen, who writes Louisiana romances under the pen name of Cherie Claire. The first two books in her award-winning series are free as ebooks! For more information and to sign up for her newsletter visit www.cherieclaire.net.