Festival of Words celebrates written, spoken word

            The Fifth Annual Festival of Words — featuring author readings, public readings, community and school creative writing workshops, drive-by poetry in the streets and more — will take place Nov. 8-10, 2012, in Grand Coteau, Sunset, Arnaudville and surrounding communities. The event celebrates the written and spoken word and includes well-known authors such as Jarvis DeBerry, Kelly Harris, Randall Kenan, Patrice Melnick, Bonny McDonald, Chancellier “Xero” Skidmore and Louisiana Poet Laureate Julie Kane.

WORKSHOPS: Authors will lead community poetry and fiction writing workshops during the week of the festival and its final day, Nov. 10. 

LITERARY READINGS: Readings by featured authors and spoken word artists will take place in the community centers of Grand Coteau and Sunset. Readings are free, but donations welcome.

AUTHORS IN THE SCHOOLS: The Festival of Words brings authors to the local schools to conduct creative writing workshops in October and November. 

COMMUNITY EVENTS: On the Festival’s final day, Saturday, Nov. 10, there will be Drive-by Poetry, live poetry performances from both youth and adults, in area cafes and gift shops of Grand Coteau. There will also be original performances on the outdoor Community Stage, tours of the old St. Peter Claver High School and Christ the King Church in Grand Coteau, oral history sessions and booksignings by local authors at the Book Fair, sponsored by the Writers’ Guild of Acadiana, among other events.

For a complete schedule, visit festivalofwords.org. For more information, contact Patrice Melnick at (337) 662-1032 or email festivalwords@gmail.com.