A plethora of literature-related events came and went in Iberia Parish this past weekend as the Books Along the Teche Literary Festival hosted its busy schedule of speakers, artists and writers. 

The festival, which was originally founded to celebrate the work of internationally acclaimed novelist James Lee Burke and his Dave Robicheaux novels which are largely set in New Iberia, has expanded over the years to become a hub for amateur and professional writers to promote their own works while attending workshops and events that will help them in their literary craft. 

Each year, the festival sees a mix of fans of Burke who have come from all over the world to see the city written about in the Dave Robicheaux series, as well as people in Acadiana who are looking for a chance to connect with other writers. 

Chances to sell books are also part of the event, with downtown Main Street being converted into a book fair where local residents and event-goers could walk around and check out the works of the many authors who set up shop with their fiction and non-fiction books available for purchase. 

Some of the workshops that were available included professional seminars on how to write and publish a book, along with other lectures about local culture. Some of the lectures on Friday included a talk on local faith healing with Mary Perrin, a workshop on travel writing with Chere Coen and a talk on poet Jack Bedell at the Iberia Parish Library. 

Talks on investigative journalism, children’s book writing and a symposium were also part of the three day slate of events.