The Origins of the Jambalaya Writers' Conference

Aside from teaching a popular modern dance course at Nicholls State University, family friend and collaborator Angela Hammerli also created an eclectic six-week event held at various venues in Thibodaux and Houma that she called Jubilee—Festival of the Arts and Humanities, for which she registered as Director on September 20, 1999. Angie tapped her diverse social connections to A-list local and international artists and performers to share the secrets of their crafts in disciplines such as dance, music, theatre, and television and film.

Over the first few years of the festival, I—a writer and editor—noticed one artistic field not covered: writing. Once, at a family gathering, I mentioned this to Angie, but having enough on her plate she waved off my suggestion, promising “maybe one day.” Nonetheless, I gently nudged, reminding her that a writers’ conference would be a wonderful addition to her new festival and would be one of a kind in the area, but each year the response was the same. That is until 2003, when she said she would enlist some renowned authors and poets, as well as agents, editors, and commercial royalty publishers from East and West coasts to present at a one-day event.

But she wanted commitments from me: to give a presentation on writing and publishing, to serve on a panel of authors, and to provide critiques and suggested edits of submissions from attendees at the Festival in April 2004. I enthusiastically agreed, and the Jubilee Jambalaya Writers Conference was born. Early speakers included L.A. by way of LA theatre and television writer, director, and producer Julie Hebert (ER, Numb3rs, The West Wing, American Crime); Locus Award- and Lord Ruthven Award-winning fantasy, sci-fi, and horror author Barbara Hambly; editor in chief of the Del Rey science fiction and fantasy division of Random House Betsy Mitchell; Louisiana Poet Laureate Darrell Bourque; and many others.

The festival was an unexpected phenomenon, growing exponentially in attendance for nearly a decade. Unfortunately, due to failing health, Angie relinquished her role as director, tragically succumbing to illness August 20, 2020. However, as an endearing legacy, the Jubilee Jambalaya Writers’ Conference continues, although under a name that dropped “Jubilee.”

The vivacious, multitalented founder, Angela Mitchell Hammerli, is remembered also as a Distinguished Service Professor, Endowed Professor, and Associate Professor of Human Performance Education at the university where she taught for forty-two years. And although the Jambalaya Writers’ Conference currently celebrates its eighteenth year on March 4, 2023, it should be remembered that it was part of a twenty-four-year-old festival that began from the tireless enthusiasm of one of Thibodaux’s most passionate promoters of the arts and humanities. 

Smith is a family friend of Hammerli's, and his aunt and uncle worked with her on dance productions at Nicholls State University. The Jambalaya Writers Conference takes place March 4 from 1 pm–6 pm at the Terrebonne Parish Library. Read more about it, here.