Nestled in the heart of South Acadiana, the 8th Annual Books Along the Teche Literary Festival in New Iberia on April 5–7, 2024, will feature a weekend filled with a Jazz-It-Up opening reception, workshops for writers, a Dave Robicheaux walking tour, culinary demonstrations from chef Jay Ducote and Susanne Duplantis, a presentation on Creole history with award-winning author and folklorist, Mona Lisa Saloy, a live Q&A Zoom call with James Lee Burke, a sculpture presentation with award-winning artist, Shirley Scarpetta, a Cajun Fais Do-Do and Dinner with music from Terry Huval and the Jambalaya Cajun Band, a hop-on, hop-off trolley, and much more!

On Saturday, April 6th from 1-2:45PM, the 2024 literary special guest for the Great Southern Writer Symposium and Book Signing will feature nominated NAACP Image Award author and filmmaker, Natalie Baszile. Baszile is the author of Queen Sugar and We Are Each Other’s Harvest. Queen Sugar is a critically acclaimed series directed by award winning writer/director Ava DuVernay and co-produced by Oprah Winfrey for OWN. We Are Each Other’s Harvest is a non-fiction anthology of work celebrating African American farmers, land, and legacy. The Great Southern Writer Symposium is sponsored by LEH, the Iberia Parish Library, and 64 Parishes.

“The Books Along the Teche Literary Festival is a celebration of books, reading and southern culture. I’ve been aware of the festival for many years, and I recall the locals referring to it at the James Lee Burke Festival. I remember in the early days hearing about the festival because I have friends who live in New Iberia,” said Baszile.

As Saturday’s keynote speaker, Baszile is thrilled to once again visit the south but in lieu of researching, this visit gives her the opportunity to interact with those who support the arts. She reflects on her time spent in New Iberia during the early days of writing Queen Sugar. To this day, Baszile continues to keep in touch with her Louisiana cousins and friends. “Yeah, I just love them to death. You know, they’re lovely, lovely people,” she says while reminiscing.

Although Baszile’s father grew up in North Louisiana, it was a good friend who lives in San Francisco but grew up in New Iberia that introduced Baszile to Acadiana life. Baszile quickly fell in love with Acadiana life when she discovered sugar cane, the Cajun and Creole food, and the culture. “It was just a very special time,” said Baszile, effortlessly describing the culture as rich, unique, irresistible, warm, and gracious. “My soundtrack while writing Queen Sugar was Zydeco,” she said. “Artist like Buckwheat Zydeco, Keith Frank, all of that! You know, Queen Sugar was so musical. The language is musical, which is what I love. I love the Louisiana accent, the South Louisiana accent.” She mentions how the language is incredibly unique and her favorite accent of all time. “Oh, I just love it!” She recalls every single moment. “Creating Queen Sugar was just a very special time and it really allowed me to create this whole world that I thought readers would really love.”

Natalie Baszile’s second book, We Are Each Other’s Harvest, also speaks to receiving inspiration from time spent in Louisiana. “I really only met two sugarcane farmers, an older gentleman named Cleveland Provost and his friend Bill. I spent time with them, especially Mr. Provost and they were very kind to me but in the back of my mind, the question that lingered was…where are all the other Black sugarcane farmers? And more broadly, I began to think, where are the other Black farmers, period? And you know, Queen Sugar is fiction, of course, but as I began to really explore that question in the wake of Queen Sugar, and I saw how audiences responded.” She continued, “To this question of land ownership, land stewardship, land that had been in Black families for generations. Yes, I really thought if I have an opportunity to amplify that story and provide a platform for Black farmers who have suffered in the past, but also the young, new generation of farmers who are approaching agriculture and farming through a different lens and they’re returning back to the land. I wanted to tell that story.”

Currently, Baszile has been busy telling true stories through the lens of the film industry. Currently working on a documentary film series, Harvest chronicles one young fourth generation farming family. Baszile, along with a team of filmmakers, is telling the story of the family and their land. “When I was working on, We Are Each Other’s Harvest, both my editor and I had this sense that there could be an opportunity to do something with those stories beyond the book.”

My best kinship moment with Baszile, however, was the unexpected topic of our love for a few classic childhood books. One by one, Baszile reached underneath her desk to pull out four of a few of her very own beloved books…Little Bear, Whistle for Willie, the Snowy Day, and Peter Rabbit. “Yeah,” she says, “they’re the reason I think I’m a writer today. You know, I just…they bring me great comfort.” Fast forward to Baszile’s young adulthood, coming into the influence of African American literary greats such as Tony Morrison, Alice Walker, and Gloria Naylor, she reflects on the role these Black women played in her beliefs. “When I was in college, reading these books opened up another world for me. It was a revelation. It was the first time I saw the possibilities for my own life, a life where I could write by telling stories, using my imagination. It was magical, absolutely a magical time.”

When Baszile speaks of her southern family and connections, the dynamic pureness of Zydeco music, boudin sausage, she reflects on her time spent in the south creating stories. When asked, “if you could retire completely, what would you do?” Her response was simply, “well, you know, I don’t think I’ll ever really retire from writing!”

Natalie Baszile will be speaking on Saturday, April 6th from 1-2:45 p.m. at the Sliman Theater, 129 East Main St, New Iberia, LA. This ticketed event is $25.

A book signing will take place after the presentation.

For additional information on the Books Along The Teche Literary Festival on April 5-7, 2024, visit BooksAlongTheTecheLiteraryFestival.com. For more information on Natalie Baszile, visit nataliebaszile.com. Experience Queen Sugar streaming on the Oprah Winfrey Network.