Darrell Bourque was born in southwest Louisiana in 1942. He is the author of five books of poems: Plainsongs (issue # 1 in the Cajun writers series of Cross Cultural Communications, Merrick, NY), The Doors Between Us, Burnt Water Suite, The Blue Boat, and Call and Response: Conversations in Verse (with Jack B. Bedell). He was named the Artist of the Year by the Acadiana Arts Council in 2001 and served as both President of the National Association of Humanities Education and Editor in Chief of its journal Interdisciplinary Humanities. He was named poet laureate of Louisiana by Governor Kathleen Blanco in 2007 and was reappointed to the position in 2009 by Governor Bobby Jindal.
CONTACT
Casa Azul Gifts
MAIL:
P.O. Box 252
Grand Coteau, LA 70541
PHYSICAL ADDRESS
232 ML King Dr.
Grand Coteau, LA 70541
PHONE
(337) 662-1032
Performances begin at 7:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Most events are free, and all ages welcome. Open Mic follows featured performances for literary readings. Call for more details: 337-662-1032.
Events
2012
GRAND COTEAU VOICES: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE COMPLICATED
Beginning in 2012, we will begin featuring the true stories of Grand Coteau natives and residents. Each month we will feature someone to tell his or her story of a life in Grand Coteau. Stories might include memories of school, family life, work, or visiting the town businesses such as the Smith Store in which Casa Azul is located.
Stories may be funny or sad; angry or Joyful. But all of the stories will be personal and true.
If you would like to recommend someone to particpated, please call Patrice at 337-662-1032.
FEATURED PERFORMERS & AUTHORS and ARTISTS
Lana Wiggins is a Cajun-hippie-gypsy poet who survived Katrina and 14 moves in the last 15 years and didn’t lose a single book in any of those moves. Despite teaching hundreds of uninterested undergrads how to use bullet points and work logs, Lana managed to spin out a quirky novel about growing up as a young flower-child in the deep, dirty south during the 1960’s. Lana is the author of Notes from Refuge which is a series of poetic narratives about life in post-Katrina New Orleans. Lana will be reading an excerpt from her manuscript, God’s Karma: Memoirs of a Flower-Child.
2012 EVENTS
This page was last updated: February 29, 2012
Cultural Arts Collective, Inc
JANUARY
Thursday, January 12: The Gris Gris Sisters with Jo Englerth, Becca Begnaud, Patricia Cravins and Bonnie Camos
Saturday, January 14: LA MESA ESPANOL . 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 26: Murray Shugars (poetry) with Grand Coteau Voice: Joseph "Sonny" Eaglin (true stories) 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. plus open mic.
FEBRUARY
Thursday, Feb. 2: "South American earth goddess Pachamama and the 2012 Prophecies" Slide Lecture and book signing event for Pacha Mama: earth realm, by artist Lynda Frese with poetry reading by Dr. Darrell Bouque (poetry) contributor. Plus open mic. 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m
.
*Saturday, February 4: Readings of Original Works by Patrice Melnick and Clare L. Martin. LOCATION: Carpe Diem! Gelato - Espresso Bar. 812 Jefferson St, Lafayette, LA 70501
Martin. LOCATION: Carpe Diem! Gelato - Espresso Bar. 812 Jefferson St, Lafayette, LA 70501Thursday, Feb 9: Concert. Kevin Johnson will share homemade sourdough bread (available for sale) and discuss the process. He will play my original songs from the new record Lightning on the Earth, followed by an open music jam. 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 11: LA MESA EN ESPANOL . 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 16: Tony Leuzzi with Grand Coteau Voice: Ann Marie Jean (true stories) plus open mic. 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Thursday, February 23: La Scene Ouverte--Open Mic En Francais! 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 25: La Table Francaise (Host Mavis Fruge). 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
MARCH
Thursday, March 1: Leslie D. (Spoken Word) and Grand Coteau Voice: Juanita Decuir (true stories) plus open mic. 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 17: The 7-Mile Yard Sale PLUS. Arnaudville, Grand Coteau, Sunset. 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 22: The Writers of Opelousas High School. plus open mic. 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 27: FILM--Howard Citizen directed by Sharon Donnan. Followed by Q & A with director.
Thursday, March 29: Carol Rice, Christopher Shipman & Benjamin Lowenkron (poetry) plus open mic. 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
APRIL
Thursday, April 12: Constance Adler (Fiction) and TBA.
Thursday, April 19: Clare Martin and Lana Wiggins (poetry) plus open mic. 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
MAY
Thursday, May 10: Ms. Etha Simien Amling (true stories) and Latasha Weatherspoon.
Thursday, May 24: La Scene Ouverte--Open Mic En Francais. 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Thursday, May 31: Zayne Turner and Jocelyn Young (poetry) plus open mic. 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
JUNE
June 21: Workin' Man and the Retirees
June 28: Renee Taylor (poetry) and Grand Coteau Voice Ruby Gardner (true stories ). plus open mic.7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
JULY
July 7: Grand Coteau 101: Lessons on the Arts and Living Well.
July 13: No event
July 26:
AUGUST
August 30: La Scene Ouverte--Open Mic En Francais!
SEPTEMBER
September 27: Multilingual Open Mic
OCTOBER
FESTIVAL OF WORDS
October 30 -- November 3
(date tentative)
NOVEMBER
November 24: Le Grand Noel
November 29: La Scene Ouverte--Open Mic En Francais!
DECEMBER
December 27:
Chancelier "Xero" Skidmore was born is Plaquemine, Louisiana. He DJ-ed, MC-ed, became a father, moved to Baton Rouge, became a poet, ranked in the top 5 slam poets in the country (twice), became an educator, and is now becoming something else. Would you like to watch? He teaches poetry through the Big Buddy Program's WordPlay Teen Writing Project, he plays percussion for a brass/funk band called The Michael Foster Project, he's the artistic director for a youth theater non-profit called City at Peace-Baton Rouge, he's the host of The Eclectic Truth Poetry Slam and Open Mic, he is co-founder of The Baton Rouge Poetry Alliance, and he's trying really hard to get better at everything he does.
Christopher Shipman lives in Baton Rouge, LA with his wife Sarah, his dog George, and his two cats Jack and Adele. Shipman received a MFA in poetry in 2009. He is the author of Human-Carrying Flight Technology (Blaze Vox Books) and the co-author of Super Poems (forthcoming from Kattywompus Press). His poems have appeared in literary journals such as Cimarron Review, Exquisite Corpse, The Offending Adam, La Fovea, and Salt Hill, among many others. He has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and has been featured on Verse Daily. He is poetry editor for DIG Magazine of Baton Rouge and teaches English at Baton Rouge Community College.
Learn more about Christopher at www.christophershipmanwritingwork.com
Kevin Johnson: Learn about Johnson and EarthStar Primal Habitat at http://www.earthstar.newlibertyvillage.com/
Murray Shugars’ first book of poems, Songs My Mother Never Taught Me, appeared in April 2011. He grew up in Muskegon County, Michigan, but currently resides in Vicksburg, with his wife, Sandra and daughters Samantha and Miranda. Mr. Shugars is an Associate Professor of English at Alcorn State University and also serves in the Mississippi Army National Guard.
Check out Drive-by Poetry by students from the Magnet Academy of Cultural Arts at Raising Cane's in Opelousas! October, 2011. Thanks to Cheryl Castille and St. Landry Tourism for filming and making this available!
New Jersey native Leslie D! has spent the last ten years electrifying microphones in southern Louisiana as a slam/performance poet. She has graced stages in various parts of the country as both poet and photographer. Leslie was a member of the 2011 Baton Rouge National Poetry Slam Team, which was the first in Baton Rouge to consist of all female members and compete on a National Poetry Slam finals stage (group piece finals). She is the author of three chapbooks Re- Vision, Shutter’s Eye, and Scrapbook and producer of two spoken word CDs Reflections (live) and Sol Diva. Leslie was also a published youth writer in various poetry anthologies from the age of 7 through age 17 and holds a minor in creative writing from Xavier University of Louisiana.
Workin' Man and the Retirees do a family jam: father and songwriter Mike McDonald, daughter and performance poet Bonny McDonald, and multi-instrumentalist son-out-law Scott Stephenson play a mix of blues, folk, country, and tomfoolery. Louisiana natives who know how
to pass a good time, the group has been playing together since 2008. With layered vocals, two guitars, and a flute, they play a set of original songs, with stories, an occasional poem, and a classic
cover or two sprinkled on top.
Constance Adler teaches a creative writing workshop and writes a blog, Emily Every Day. Her writing has appeared in Spy Magazine, Utne Reader, Self, Cable Guide, Baltimore Magazine, Philadelphia Magazine, Oxford American, and Gambit, New Orleans’s alternative newsweekly.
Forrest Roth's fiction has appeared in NOON, Denver Quarterly, Quick Fiction, Sleepingfish, Caketrain and other journals, and he is the author of a peculiar little novella about Japanese calligraphy and auguring clouds, Line and Pause (BlazeVOX Books). He is currently an English Ph.D. student at ULL.
Benjamin S. Lowenkron has published a chapbook of poems, "Preacher's Blues" and a full-length graphic novel of poetry, "Bone River" is forthcoming this winter (both from Ampersand Books). He teaches in the English and the Humanities departments at Baton Rouge Community College where he a faculty adviser for the poetry club. He received his MFA from LSU in 2009 and his BA in English from the College of William and Mary in 2005.
Toby Daspit, the self-proclaimed “Bard of the Blue Dog Cafe,” is Associate Professor of Education and Co-Director of the National Writing Project of Acadiana at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He is the author/co-author of numerous academic books and articles on the intersections of popular culture and education, and is co-editor of the recent Complicated Conversations & Confirmed Commitments: Revitalizing Education for Democracy (2009, Educator’s International Press). A frequent reader in the Lafayette and New Orleans poetry scene, Toby’s poems have been published in several journals and anthologies including The Quarterly, di-vêrsé-city, and The Maple Leaf Rag. He is the author of the chapbook Anatomy of a Ghost (and other poems not about you) (2006, Southern Hum Press). Though he wants to be Bob Dylan, his personality most closely resembles Alvy Singer’s in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, and he has unwittingly dedicated himself to full realization of Nicanor Parra’s maxim: “Given two women, you’d choose the one that never existed.”
Anna Purdy is a Lafayette Poet. She is also a food and entertainment writer for The Independent Weekly.
Reggie Scott Young is a member of the English faculty at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he teaches literature and creative writing. His reluctant posts sometimes appear in various blogs under the title of “Reggie—A.D.” (“Three blogs, however infrequently posted, all for the price of none!”) One of the blogs, “Reggie—A.D., In Progress,” features previously published poems, stories, and essay, along with excerpts from unfinished works. He is currently working on a collection of novellas and long stories titled The Inbetween Man.
Clare L. Martin’s debut collection of poetry, Eating the Heart First, will be published fall 2012 by Press 53 as a Tom Lombardo Selection. Martin’s poetry has appeared in Avatar Review, Poets and Artists and The Centrifugal Eye, among others. She has been nominated for Dzanc Books’ Best of the Web, for Best New Poets and Sundress Publication’s Best of the Net. Her poems have been included in the anthologies The Red Room: Writings from Press 1, Best of Farmhouse Magazine Vol. 1, Beyond Katrina, and the 2011 Press 53 Spotlight. She is a graduate of University of Louisiana at Lafayette and is a Teaching Artist through the Acadiana Center for the Arts.
