Family History Book Showcase
On Tuesday, October 24, the Opelousas Museum will showcase books of family history. Family historians are invited to bring their own books to display, discuss, sell and trade. Formats can be family history, historical fiction, biography, memoir, cookbook, scrapbook or notes for a book-in-progress. Each writer will have the opportunity to briefly describe their book or project. The evening will also include vendors: archivists, writers, publishers, designers and researchers.
The featured speaker will be award-winning journalist and author Cheré Dastugue Coen. Coen has done extensive research of her own in St. Landry Parish. She will discuss the writing process from concept to publication.
This free event takes place on Tuesday, October 24 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Opelousas Museum, 315 N Main St., Opelousas, LA 70570.
For more info, or to be a vendor, contact Patrice Melnick 337-948-2589; museum@cityofopelousas.com
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Cheré Dastaugue Coen
Cheré Dastugue Coen is an award-winning journalist and author living in Marietta, Georgia. A native of New Orleans, Cheré began her career in communications at the 1984 World’s Fair. She has worked for or currently writes for Variety magazine in Hollywood, AAA Southern Traveler, Country Roads magazine of Baton Rouge and Renaissance Publishing of New Orleans, among other publications and blogs. In addition to being a freelance travel and food writer, she pens the weekly Weird, Wacky and Wild South blog and contributes to Travel the South Bloggers.
Her fiction includes the “The Cajun Series” of historical romances, “The Cajun Embassy” series of contemporary romances and the “Viola Valentine” paranormal mystery series under the pen name of Cherie Claire.
Her nonfiction books include “Forest Hill, Louisiana: A Bloom Town History,” “Haunted Lafayette, Louisiana” and “Exploring Cajun Country: A Tour of Historic Acadiana” by The History Press; the cookbook travelogue “Cooking in Cajun Country” with “Cajun” Karl Breaux (2009, Gibbs Smith Publishing) and “Magic’s in the Bag: Creating Spellbinding Gris Gris Bags and Sachets,” with Jude Bradley (2010, Llewellyn).
She has published two genealogy books on her family — she spends way too much time on Ancestry.com — and taught the ULL lifewriting course for 10 years. This past June she received a master of arts in writing from Spalding University in Louisville.
While in town, Cheré will be presenting at two events:
Tues, Oct. 24: Family History Book Networking Night at the Opelousas Museum – 5 to 8 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 25: Lifewriting workshop at Nunu’s in Arnaudville – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
FMI: 337-453-4223; information@nunucollective.org
