From left, Joyce Richards Case presented the Life Writing instructor Kim B. Graham, a gift card from the morning class in appreciation for 10 years of working with the students. Graham holds the orchid presented by Julaine Deare Schexnayder, right, on behalf of the afternoon class. 

In front of more than 100 peers and guests, members of the University of Louisiana Lafayette Life Writing classes of New Iberia read portions of their new book, “Between the Pages,” released at a book signing Wednesday. 

Thirty class members made one or two contributions to the published book printed in Acadiana. Life Writing classes have been held for more than 10 years at the Iberia Parish Library.

UL adjunct instructor Kim B. Graham said in her introduction, “Memoirs are not written to be famous, but to be known; to place a value on a moment in time. This particular genre of writing is more about how one remembers one’s life, or a section of that life, not the outcome of the life as a whole.”

The stories were generated as assignments in two classes, one that meets in the morning, the other an afternoon. Writing class members whose stories are included are Catherine V. Alleman, Diana Aucoin, Kathy Baus, Rochelle Bernard, Sylvia Segura Bienvenu, Jane Breaux, Dottie Broussard, Joyce Richards Case, Vicki B. Clement, Walter H. Daniels MD, Judith T. Dauterive, Hazel Dupre Delahoussaye, Lana Downing, Michael Durand, Liz Granger, Herman Hartman Sr., Ruthie Heard, Anne Adcock Hebert, Françoise G. Hebert, Carolyn Viator Judice, Amainta Lamperez, Gus Lamperez, Phyllis Belanger Mata, Bebe Nall, Clara Lourd O’Neill, Glenn Oubre, Kathy Rosamond, Julaine Deare Schexnayder, Barbara Schwing and Dee Smith.

For more than 10 years many of the members of the class have been gathering to write and review one another’s stories. Every member in the class is featured in the book some have two stories. This is the second book published, the first about five years ago and before that selected stories were copied by Graham or the library to circulate among the class. 

“They all have a different style and way to tell their story, but we try to make sure they write as they speak so they don’t loose themselves in the writing. They all write very well,” Graham said.

Case read one of two stories published, the one explaining why the love story between she and her husband of more than 27 years is called, “Pickin’ and Grinnin’.” Michael Durand’s story, “Around Old New Iberia” is literally a journey around his old neighborhood as a teenager and how it has changed after all these years. 

The book is divided into sections on Family, Love and Life. Judith T. Dauterive did the work of laying out the book and Kathy Baus did the cover.

“I was looking through some of my old photography and chose it and came up with the title. I threw out a couple of titles but everybody seemed to like this one,” Baus said. 

Some of the recurring class members have multiple books published, including Baus, the “Poet Laureate of the Class,” she said. Joyce Richards Case, whose family was in newspaper publishing in Texas, has four books set in the publishing world similar to her family stories. Lana Downing is expecting to have her second book published shortly. Phyllis Belanger Mata and Julaine Deare Schexnayder commentaries on life are published regularly as guest columnists in The Daily Iberian. 

“I am very proud of them. They worked very hard, they’re diligent, they love each other and really do well listening to what is said and then doing it,” said Graham. 

Look for copies of “Between These Pages” at Iberia Parish Library or ask at Books Along the Teche.