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Nguyen’s First Novel Published By Knopf
McNeese MFA graduate Eric Nguyen has just seen his first novel, Things We Lost to the Water, released by the preeminent literary publisher Knopf. The book tells of a mother, Huong, and her two
Read More »‘It Was A Good Time’
Popular local radio show the Generation Gap recently ran its last edition on KYBS. For five years, “old man” Wes Guidry and “young ‘un” Stormi Sonnier debated the merits of retro rock songs. Stormi
Read More »Lake Charles, Meet Babe Ruth
Our story begins in 1921. The St. Louis Cardinals’ Rogers Hornsby was in his first year of major home run hitting. Meanwhile, the New York Yankees’ Babe Ruth was in his third year of
Read More »‘It’s Just A 6’ Update
Moss Bluff native Gavin Trace Simon is an entrepreneur who’s involved with three business ventures and has created two YouTube channels. Simon is also a songwriter, singer and music video producer, and runs his
Read More »‘Music Has Always Been My Go-To’
Musicians, who depend on live audiences for their income, have been especially hard hit by the pandemic. A Nov. 28 NPR story by John Burnett, “COVID-19 Hits Hard For South Louisiana’s Cajun Musicians,” looked
Read More »Bakers Lead Food Service Recovery
As Lake Charles slowly recovers from two hurricanes, journalists from outside of the area occasionally make the effort to cover the story. In a recent feature titled “Proof Of Concept: New Bakeries Rise In
Read More »‘Don’t Forget Lake Charles’
In mid-October, The Louisiana Budget Project’s newsletter The Daily Dime ran a story that carried the headline “Don’t Forget Lake Charles.” The headline reflected the thoughts of many in Southwest Louisiana who felt that
Read More »BBBS Seeks Mentors
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Louisiana is recruiting caring adults to pair with youth who are on a waiting list for a mentor. The agency is launching a recruitment campaign for its community-based
Read More »Music School Gets New Studio
The SWLA Music School has moved into a large new studio space at 343 Broad St., between Mama Reta’s and Panorama Music House. The Music School will be housed in the back section of
Read More »It’s Still About The COVID
After all this time, most of the news (around here, anyway) still seems to be about COVID-19. To take one example, at this very time, lots of Louisianans can’t help but be thinking about
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