Books Along the Teche Literary Festival celebrates 10 years of Southern storytelling

IBERIA PARISH — The Books Along the Teche Literary Festival is celebrating its 10th year, bringing literature lovers from out of state and out of the country to celebrate Southern storytelling.

The event started as a pipe dream 37 years ago for Lorraine Kingston, owner and operator of Books Along the Teche.

"From the get-go, I realized this community had so many independent authors and writers. At one point, after a few years, I had 60 published authors from this area with books in the store. And my pipe dream was to have an author walk, just like the art walks," Kingston said.

Over time, the idea transformed into a tradition that inspires deep loyalty among attendees. Kingston noted that one couple from North Mississippi visited the festival this morning. The husband turns 100 in November this year, and his wife has attended eight of the 10 festivals, saying she feels like she is coming home.

That loyalty is shared by the festival's co-chairs, Deb Lindsey and Paul Lindsey. They first attended the festival a few years back from Mexico and loved it so much that they had to get involved. Ever since, they have been doing their part to share that love with as many people as possible.

"We made sure that every single one of our literary festival sessions, the panels, the speakers, the presentations — all of those are fully open to the public and free," Deb Lindsey said.

Every step of the way, Deb Lindsey and Paul Lindsey have kept access and approachability at the forefront. This extends to their keynote speaker, Rick Bragg, whose narratives focus on working-class families in the American South. Paul Lindsey wanted someone all festival-goers could identify with.

"We have a lot more in common than we do that we're different, and I think that we've kind of lost that... in um our current age, so I think that's what Rick Bragg brings to the table," Paul Lindsey said.

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