Sketches of My Cajun Life

Sketches of My Cajun Life
Author: Jim Labove
Publisher:
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2018-10-27
Genre: Art
ISBN: 9781724195562

Sketches of My Cajun Life: Volume 2 is an art book featuring illustrations of different unique aspects of Cajun life. As with the first volume, the book shines a light on the culture of the "bayou Cajuns" of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana, as they lived and worked in the mid-twentieth century.In some ways, bayou Cajuns are a world apart from their cosmopolitan Creole Cajun brethren who settled further east. As the Acadian diaspora spread throughout America following the Great Expulsion, groups of Cajun emigrants developed their own unique customs, traditions, and recipes as they made contact with new peoples and areas, leading to many regional permutations of Cajun society. As with other ethnic groups, there is no no one true version of Cajun culture, despite the tendency for Cajuns to be treated as a single monolithic group within the American imagination.Born in the remote salt marshes of Southeast Texas to a family of commercial fishers, author and artist Jim LaBove was raised with a unique perspective on Cajun life. Far removed from big cities and many of the conveniences of modern life available to other groups of people at the time, Jim spent his childhood fishing, crabbing, and hunting around Sabine Pass, Texas, with little contact with the outside world. In his spare time, Jim would draw the wildlife, plants, landmarks, food, and tools that he saw around him. This hobby stayed with him throughout his life, even as he moved away from the salt marshes to pursue a college education and new life experiences.Jim's drawings reveal the world of bayou Cajuns to be desolate, humble, and hard-lived, but nonetheless filled with strange beauty and grace all around. Taken as a whole, they paint a vivid picture of a side of Cajun life that many folks may never know exist. As with the first volume, the sketches herein are compiled from material gathered for the "Cotton's Seafood" line of Cajun autobiographical cookbooks.In its pages, you'll find hundreds of field sketches (many exclusive to this book) covering many aspects of bayou Cajun life, conveniently grouped by subject matter. Interspersed throughout the book are Jim's brief thoughts on the art in each section, including memories that tie the subjects of his drawings to his life as a Cajun and ruminations on the significance of how learning more about the subjects can lead to a broader understanding of Cajun culture.Spanning years of research, planning, writing, and illustrating, Sketches of My Cajun Life: Volume 2 is a one-of-a-kind glimpse into Cajun life through folk art, and our Cajun family could not be prouder to share it with yours.

Sunrise Over Keith Lake

Sunrise Over Keith Lake
Author: Jim LaBove
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 330
Release: 2018-01-21
Genre:
ISBN: 9781983445378

Southeast Texas native Jim LaBove returns to the bayous and salt marshes of his youth in Sunrise Over Keith Lake, a Cajun autobiographical cookbook. With a focus on the lives of his aunt, uncle, and cousins, Jim combines stories of his Cajun childhood with traditional recipes, field sketches, and period photographs to tell a one-of-a-kind story that might surprise even the surest of lovers of Cajun culture. The book is framed by the legacy of the historic Sabine Pass Lighthouse, which borders Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana. Thought to be the oldest brick structure remaining in the area, the "Sabine Light" was once an important resource for marine commerce in the area before falling into disuse and neglect early-to-mid 20th century. In considering the fate of this link between two states that has slowly been lost to time, Jim recognized the parallels between it and the people of the area surrounding the lighthouse. Sunrise Over Keith Lake is the second installment in the "Cotton's Seafood" line of autobiographical cookbooks about bayou Cajun culture in the mid-20th century. Within these books, Jim recounts the stories, adventures, and harsh lessons of life experienced by a group of people often adjacent to (but rarely the focus of) national attention: The Acadian diaspora who settled in the salt marshes of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana. The bayou Cajuns of this region lived rough, humble, unheralded lives far removed from the cosmopolitan Creole Cajun culture of New Orleans that often comes to mind in modern popular culture. The "Cotton's Seafood" books are in part a way for Jim to shine a light on the plurality of experiences and cultures that define and influence true Cajun life: As with other groups of people, there is no single monolithic "Cajun experience" to be found in the real world. In reading Sunrise Over Keith Lake, you will see a Cajun way of life that is totally distinct and unique to the area where Jim grew up. Along the way, Jim complements his remarkable stories with authentic bayou Cajun family recipes, giving you a further window into the world of this group of people (as well as a collection of unique and tasty recipes you can try for yourself). Throughout the book, Jim also painstakingly illustrates his memories with field sketches of food, animals, plant life, and objects unique to bayou Cajun culture. The first book in the series (also titled Cotton's Seafood) was released in 2016. It focused on Jim's recollections of his parents' lives, work, and recipes, and took its name from his father Cotton's seafood business. In 2017, this was followed by Sketches of My Cajun life, an art book and supplemental entry in the series featuring a new collection of Jim's grouped field sketches, grouped by subjects relevant to Cajun interests. A second art book is scheduled for publication in 2018.

De Petits Morceaux de Charbon

De Petits Morceaux de Charbon
Author: Floyd Sonnier
Publisher: Acadian House Publishing
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2002
Genre: Artists
ISBN: 9780925417466

This is the autobiography of pen-and-ink artist Floyd Sonnier of Lafayette, Louisiana. Written and illustrated by Mr. Sonnier, the book tells the story of growing up as a French-speaking Cajun in south Louisiana in the 1940s and 50s. The book which took some 10 years to write and 35 years to illustrate recounts the way life was for him and his family growing up in a culture whose first language was French, whose religion was Catholic, and whose livelihood was the family farm. The combination of intimate first-person stories and detailed drawings of scenes from days gone by creates an insightful, refreshing new view of a colorful era in south Louisiana history. The text is presented in both English and French. This art book contains 124 drawings.

Splendor in the Salt Grass

Splendor in the Salt Grass
Author: Jim Labove
Publisher:
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2020-11
Genre:
ISBN:

Cajun history preservationist Jim LaBove steps back into the salt marshes of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana within the pages of Splendor in the Salt Grass, the third and final chapter in his Salt Marsh Trilogy of books about bayou Cajun culture. This time, Jim sets aside the Cajun recipes that have framed his previous books to focus on detailed, intensely personal accounts of the people, traditions, and circumstances that shaped his youth and which defined a little-understood time and place in American history. Within the pages of Splendor in the Salt Grass, you'll learn about the hunting and fishing habits of the ancestors of the Acadian diaspora who settled along the Gulf, along with stories of specific people in Jim's life who exemplify the Cajun people's challenging but fulfilling lives. Jim's stories about nature, humanity, and persistence in the face of harship echo from the past and predict the current troubles of our present. As always, Jim's stories are complemented by his gorgeous field sketches of the animals, tools, and objects of everyday mid-20th-century Cajun life, taking you out of the pages of his book and deep into his remarkable past. You may even find some revelations about the origins of some of your favorite Cajun food within its chapters. In the salt marsh, things aren't always what they seem. Splendor in the Salt Grass completes the Salt Marsh Trilogy of books Jim has written to celebrate untold stories in Cajun culture. The first book in the series (Cotton's Seafood) was released in 2016. It focused on Jim's recollections of his parents' lives, work, and recipes, and took its name from his father Cotton's seafood business. In 2017, this was followed by Sketches of My Cajun life, an art book and supplemental entry in the series featuring a new collection of Jim's grouped field sketches, grouped by subjects relevant to Cajun interests. Along with a second art book, 2018 saw the release of his second trilogy entry: Sunrise Over Keith Lake, a meditation on the lives of his aunt, uncle, and cousins framed by the fate of the "Sabine Light" lighthouse, a once-important resource for marine commerce that is at a risk of being lost to the past.

Cotton's Seafood

Cotton's Seafood
Author: Jim Labove
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Total Pages: 284
Release: 2016-09-13
Genre:
ISBN: 9781537063584

Cotton's Seafood is a Cajun autobiographical cookbook. From crawfish boils to cooking shows, from folk art to family traditions, interest in Cajun culture has never been greater. But how Cajun do you really want to be? Spanning five years of research, interviews, writing, and planning, Cotton's Seafood is a cookbook like no other. Throughout the book, Jim LaBove recounts the story of his childhood in the mid-20th century, documenting an oft-overlooked segment of Cajun culture: Bayou Cajuns, the descendants of Acadian immigrants who settled in the marshy coasts of Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana. Along the way, Jim shares a wide variety of authentic Cajun recipes from his mother Cora, using the ingredients and methods available to the people in the area at the time. The dishes are deeply tied to Jim's memory of bayou Cajun life in the salt marshes of Southeast Texas. As you learn to cook gumbo, court-bouillon, peach cobbler, and much more like a true Cajun, you will also learn about the rough but rewarding lifestyle that inspired the people who codified these dishes. The book is named after Cotton's Seafood, a locally-renowned fishing and shrimping company that Jim's father Cotton founded in the early 20th century. Gorgeously illustrated with Jim's field sketches, contemporary photographs, and maps of bayou Cajun territory. Exhaustively researched. Lovingly detailed. This is our family legacy, printed and bound. We could not be more proud of it, and we cannot wait to share it with you.

Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing

Keith Haring: The Boy Who Just Kept Drawing
Author: Kay Haring
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 42
Release: 2017-02-14
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0525428194

Iconic pop artist Keith Haring comes to life for young readers in this picture book biography lovingly written by his sister This one-of-a-kind book explores the life and art of Keith Haring from his childhood through his meteoric rise to fame. It sheds light on this important artist’s great humanity, his concern for children, and his disregard for the establishment art world. Reproductions of Keith's signature artwork appear in scenes boldly rendered by Robert Neubecker. This is a story to inspire, and a book for Keith Haring fans of all ages to treasure.

People of the Bayou

People of the Bayou
Author: Christopher Hallowell
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Total Pages: 162
Release: 1979
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

Cajun life in lost America.

Mosquito Supper Club

Mosquito Supper Club
Author: Melissa M. Martin
Publisher: Artisan
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2020-04-21
Genre: Cooking
ISBN: 1579658474

Named a Best New Cookbook of Spring 2020 by Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, NPR’s The Splendid Table, Eater, Epicurious, and more “Sometimes you find a restaurant cookbook that pulls you out of your cooking rut without frustrating you with miles long ingredient lists and tricky techniques. Mosquito Supper Club is one such book. . . . In a quarantine pinch, boxed broth, frozen shrimp, rice, beans, and spices will go far when cooking from this book.” —Epicurious, The 10 Restaurant Cookbooks to Buy Now “Martin shares the history, traditions, and customs surrounding Cajun cuisine and offers a tantalizing slew of classic dishes.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review For anyone who loves Cajun food or is interested in American cooking or wants to discover a distinct and engaging new female voice—or just wants to make the very best duck gumbo, shrimp jambalaya, she-crab soup, crawfish étouffée, smothered chicken, fried okra, oyster bisque, and sweet potato pie—comes Mosquito Supper Club. Named after her restaurant in New Orleans, chef Melissa M. Martin’s debut cookbook shares her inspired and reverent interpretations of the traditional Cajun recipes she grew up eating on the Louisiana bayou, with a generous helping of stories about her community and its cooking. Every hour, Louisiana loses a football field’s worth of land to the Gulf of Mexico. Too soon, Martin’s hometown of Chauvin will be gone, along with the way of life it sustained. Before it disappears, Martin wants to document and share the recipes, ingredients, and customs of the Cajun people. Illustrated throughout with dazzling color photographs of food and place, the book is divided into chapters by ingredient—from shrimp and oysters to poultry, rice, and sugarcane. Each begins with an essay explaining the ingredient and its context, including traditions like putting up blackberries each February, shrimping every August, and the many ways to make an authentic Cajun gumbo. Martin is a gifted cook who brings a female perspective to a world we’ve only heard about from men. The stories she tells come straight from her own life, and yet in this age of climate change and erasure of local cultures, they feel universal, moving, and urgent.