Readers are not the only ones considered by organizers of the Teche Area literary festival. Whether a book or movie fan, this year’s Books Along the Teche Literary Festival has both in mind.

For the third year a Great Southern Writer will share their views with an audience about writing their popular book, developing characters, and answering questions from the audience. The guest writer, Rebecca Wells, will discuss her book, and the popular movie of the same name — “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” — the Southern classic which premiered as a theatrical feature in 2002, will have three free showings throughout the festival. 

The novel, set in rural Louisiana in the 1950s, created a movement for women prompting Ya-Ya girlfriend groups to be formed nationwide. Wells earned the American Booksellers Award and the Western States Book Award for the novel. In addition to being an author, she is a playwright and an accomplished actress who will be bringing her stories of female friendship and mother-daughter relationships to audience members in a two-hour presentation at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 6 at the Sliman Theater, 129 E. Main St. in New Iberia. 

Tickets to the event are $15 with the first 200 ticket holders to be seated in the Sliman Theater where Wells will speak live on stage. Holders of tickets numbered past 200 will see a live broadcast of Wells from inside the Essanee Theater, 126 Iberia St., where refreshments will be served. Tickets are available through Eventbrite.com and will be available for purchase at the door. All Access Ticket holders will have reserved seats.

Movie showings at The Grand Theater in New Iberia will be at 2 p.m. Friday, April 5, and Sunday, April 7, and at 4 p.m. Saturday, April 6. Center Stage Readers Theater will perform an edited version of the book, written and produced by Mike and Wendy Parich, at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Essanee Theater.

Books Into Movies

This year the subject of how a book becomes a movie also will be discussed with the presentation “Books Into Movies” from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 6, at The Sliman Theater. After decades in the business offices of Los Angeles studios, Linda Thurman returned to her home state of Louisiana and dipped her foot in the growing industry before compiling “Hollywood South,” an inside narrative of both history and filmmakers expectations marred by corruption.

“From the chairman’s office of a Hollywood studio to the corridors of the Louisiana legislature, Hollywood insider Linda Thurman follows the rise and subsequent corruption of Hollywood South,” the book liner states. “Thurman’s front-row seat to key discussions sheds light on the shadowy and convoluted relationship between politics and entertainment.”

From a different perspective, St. Martinville native and attorney Allan Durand will share his experience on making a film with the help of the Sundance Institute. “Belizaire the Cajun,” written and directed by Acadiana’s Glen Pitre, was completed in 1986 and nominated for three film festival awards, including Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize, before publication of the book in 1988. 

The panel will be moderated by Teche Life editor Vicky Branton who along with other author/filmmakers are attending the Louisiana Entertainment Summit this week in Baton Rouge.

For more information on the festival, contact Barbara Gautreaux at 380-4279 or techefest@gmail.com, or Cathy Indest at 298-7964, cathy.indest@lhcgroup.com For travel information, visit IberiaTravel.com.