Jambalaya writers’ conference

19th Annual Jamablaya Writers’ Conference: Saturday, October 5, 2024

The Jambalaya Writers’ Conference has celebrated over 18 years of readers and writers attending panels with esteemed authors and publishing agents. This program would not be possible without the support of the Friends of the Terrebonne Public Library. JWC continuously strives to promote art within the community. Writers and readers alike are encouraged to attend. Stay tuned for more information.

See the schedule and panelists for each previous year below.

Presenters

Folwell Dunbar is a former Peace Corps volunteer, elementary, middle and high school teacher and coach, program director and principal. He has worked with schools and districts in all but three states, and his musings on education and other topics have appeared in numerous publications, including Teacher Magazine, Independent School, Middle Ground, School Administrator, Edutopia, Pacific Standard, and The Lens. He is also the author of He Falls Well: A Memoir of Survival. A graduate of Duke and Tulane, Folwell is a native New Orleanian.

Ernest Foundas Chef Ernie was born in New Orleans and grew up around food industry. As a child, he tinkered in restaurants owned by his grandparents in Boston, and learned cooking techniques from Chef Paul Prudhomme. As soon as he could get jobs in kitchens, he began working dishes, prep, and quickly moved to the line, with a particular interest in sauces.

Abram Shalom Himelstein is the editor in chief at the University of New Orleans Press and co-founded of the Neighborhood Story Project. He has written for The Daily Racing Form, The Houston Chronicle, and Next City. He is the author of Let Us Die in New Ways: The Gospel According to Moses, and co-author of Tales of a Punk Rock Nothing.

Brandon Stouff is a screenwriter and filmmaker based in Houma, Louisiana. Brandon works full-time as an electrician and lighting tech on film productions in Louisiana. Brandon is the screenwriter and director of the feature film “Dear Kate,” that was filmed in Terrebonne Parish. Between productions, Brandon assists local marketing agencies in creating video advertisements and campaigns. He graduated as the Valedictorian of his class at Full Sail University in 2015 where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Cinematography. Brandon was also the recipient of the Advanced Achievement Award. Brandon aspires to create stories and films that are character-driven, thought-provoking, and inspire people to look at life in a perspective outside of their own.

Adrian Van Young is the author of three books of fiction: the story collection, The Man Who Noticed Everything (Black Lawrence Press), the novel, Shadows in Summerland (Open Road Media), and the collection, Midnight Self (Black Lawrence Press in October 2023). His fiction, non-fiction & criticism have been published or are forthcoming in Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading, Black Warrior Review, Conjunctions, Guernica, BOMB, Granta, McSweeney’s and The New Yorker online, among others. He teaches high school Creative Writing and English, and lives in New Orleans with his family. More at: adrianvanyoung.com.

Emma C. Wells is the author of THIS GIRL’S A KILLER (2024 Sourcebooks). She loves anti-heroes, dark humor, witty banter, and ride-or-die friendships. Twisty relationships are her kryptonite (or catnip–depending on how you look at it).