Photos courtesy Christopher Woods (L) and Rebecca Wells (R).
Regional readers and name-droppers alike have much to look forward to this year, with several events drawing in writers of a certain caliber of célébrité. Join the entourages in welcoming bestselling authors to our beloved Louisiana. And don’t dawdle—tickets to these events are going fast.
Books Along the Teche Literary Festival (April 5–7): New Iberia’s historic district brightens with spring and storytelling for its fourth annual literary festival. This year, #1 New York Times bestselling author, and Alexandria native Rebecca Wells will host a symposium on Saturday at the Sliman Theater, discussing her book Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.
“We’re very excited to have her,” said festival coordinator Barbara Gautreaux. “She’s created this incredible sisterhood in her readers. Women, mothers, girlfriends, daughters—it brought them all together.” Gautreaux said that her symposium will be focused on this—on relationships between women. “It will be very entertaining, very funny!” promised Gautreaux, who also noted the significance, especially at this festival, of celebrating a Louisiana writer—“someone who finds home here.”
Tickets to the Symposium are $15 and can be purchased at booksalongthetecheliteraryfestival.com.
Walker Percy Weekend (May 31–June 2): The Walker Percy Weekend in St. Francisville has drawn hundreds of visitors for the past five years for a whirlwind of lectures, panels, readings, and social and culinary events inspired by the author’s work. This year, the lineup of presenters includes not one, but three bestselling authors including New York Times columnist David Brooks, author of Hillbilly Elegy J.D. Vance, and esteemed biographer Walter Isaacson—who will all discuss various themes in Percy’s novels.
“Three nationally famous best-selling authors on stage in a town of 1,700? Have we died and gone to heaven, or what?” said festival co-founder and programming chair Rod Dreher.
“As fun as its going to be to drink bourbon with David Brooks and Walter Isaacson, and eat crawfish with J.D. Vance,” Dreher continued, “I hope people don’t lose sight of what having writers of that caliber come to St. Francisville means.”
Tickets to individual lectures and panel discussions will be available on May 1, but you can purchase an all-access festival ticket for $225 now at bontempstix.com.
Southern Garden Symposium (October 18 & 19): For thirty-one years, historic St. Francisville has hosted hundreds of garden enthusiasts for its annual Southern Garden Symposium. Over a weekend of hospitality marked by elegant social events, local food, and afternoon tea, visitors will absorb a treasury of ideas and inspiration to take home to their garden. This year, the symposium welcomes the distinguished English horticulturist and garden designer Chris Woods, author of Gardenlust: A Botanical Tour of the World’s Best New Gardens, as its keynote speaker.
Woods described the book—a collection of fifty of the world’s most awe-inspiring gardens—as “a love letter to the planet.”
He plans to discuss the various trends in horticulture, biodiversity, and cultural diversity that he has encountered during his extensive travels. And though he’s traveled to gardens far and wide, he hasn’t had the chance yet to visit South Louisiana. “It’s a great opportunity to attend and speak about my book but also to spend a few days in that region—I’ve been wanting to visit for quite some time.”
Tickets to the Southern Garden Symposium will be on sale later this spring at bontempstix.com.
