History: Jubilee Jambalaya Writers' Conference
Jubilee Jambalaya Writers' Conference grew out of an idea of Dr. Olivia Pass’s, which brought together published authors and editors and aspiring writers hungry for critiques. After several years of success with this project, Woody Falgoux suggested a writers’ conference, and the Terrebonne Main Library agreed to host it. Nicholls State University includes the conference as part of their annual Jubilee, a celebration of the arts and humanities, and Student Publications helps with publishing an anthology of works growing out of the conference.
The conference takes a full Saturday in early April and invites to the beautiful main library in Houma, Louisiana, authors, editors, and agents to host for about 200+ attendees a series of readings, workshops and presentations. The Committee considers its immediate goals to be (1) the bringing together of literary devotees and the writers they enjoy, (2) the offering of time for writers and readers to network, (3) the sharing of the art and craft of writing, and (4) the critiquing of work written by aspiring authors. The committee¹s long-range goals are loftier: we would like to see unpublished authors become published authors, and newly-published authors become well-known. We have seen some success in this area, as Woody Falgoux and June Shaw move into their second and third publications.
The Friends of the Terrebonne Public Library have generously provided funding, and corporate sponsors include Bent Pages Bookstore, ABDON-Callais Offshore, SWeeDee Garbage Disposal, and Community Bank. The conference has also enjoyed support by the Houma-Terrebonne Arts Council and, as part of Jubilee, from the LEH. This network of support has allowed the committee to ask participants for only $25 registration to cover the cost of food for the day. In the last two years, the committee has sponsored a contest for the opening chapter of novels, which has increased excitement and participation.