LA PLUME
Official Newsletter of the Writers Guild of Acadiana
April-May 2026
April WGA Meeting Details
The next meeting on Tuesday, April 28th at 6PM is to take place at the Lafayette South Regional Library in the auditorium. For any questions, call John @ 337-257-8665.
“Don’t bend; don’t water it down’ don’t try to make it logical; don’t edit your own soul according to the fashion. Rather, follow your most intense obsessions mercilessly.”
-Franz Kafka
Meeting Agenda
April WGA Self-Publishing Panel
The Writers Guild of Acadiana is a treasure trove of knowledge gained through years of personal experience in the literary industry. Join us at this next meeting to have all of your self-publishing questions answered by seasoned veterans of the field who have been down the self-publishing route themselves. Learn the tricks, the ups-and-downs, no question is too big or too small.
May WGA Writing Competition
Prompt: “Are We There Yet?”
Category: Memoirs
This is a fun competition for members. Non-members may also read their entries but won’t be eligible for the token prize. The prompt MUST APPEAR somewhere within the work, and entries must be no longer than 500 words. The author must be present but may allow another to read the piece aloud. All entries must be typed and double-spaced. The story must have the word count, category, title, author’s name, and date of the competition written at the top of the first page, and a paper copy of the winner and runner-up is to be handed in to the vice-president after the judging. An email to eggchess@gmail.com with the entry will help ensure accuracy. Check your finished work for accuracy, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. You may be the one to be published!
Upcoming Events
July Nutcracker Market, July 18th and November 7th, Cajundome Convention Center
Now is the time to BOOK 2026 Events!
All events are located indoors with VIP outdoor booths available for select locations. Agreements are now ready so email now to grab your space early! Remember, if you are not happy with your booth location it’s on you for not signing up early. I do placement in order as received.
There are many dates for many different spots around Louisiana, so check out their social media sites to see if any of the events sound right for you. Email now to grab a spot!
Holidayextravaganza@yahoo.com
Vendor Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1954411648221743
Instagram Page – https://www.instagram.com/loripreislerproductions
Writing Competitions
Library Spring Festival, May 2nd, 9am-1pm, Evangeline Parish Library
There’s still time to be part of the excitement! We’re inviting all patrons to join us for Library Spring Fest 2026 as we work to make this our biggest event of the year.
Come celebrate with us—whether you want to participate, volunteer, or just enjoy the festivities, there’s something for everyone!
Stay tuned for more details, and don’t miss your chance to be part of this amazing community event. Let’s make it unforgettable together! 
Austin Film Festival’s Script Competition
AFF script competitions have a 32-year history of opening doors for emerging writers to merge the gap between craft and career by providing emerging talent with meaningful opportunities, mentorship, and real access.
Past Advancing writers have gone on to write for: ABC, AMC, A24, Amazon, Apple TV, BET, CBS, FX, HBO, Hulu, Max, NBC, Netflix, Neon, Paramount, Peacock, and Warner Bros. Pictures. AFF alumni are credited on acclaimed series Hacks, Yellowjackets, House of the Dragon, A Man on the Inside, Stranger Things, Daisy Jones & The Six, HBO’s Dune: Prophecy, The Walking Dead, Poker Face and more. Through the competition alumni have secured representation with reputable management companies such as Lit Entertainment, Entertainment Lab, Untitled Entertainment, and Grandview Management, CAA and UTA to name a few.
The first deadline is on March 27th, and the final deadline will be on May 27th. Entry costs start at $25.
More information including submission details for tailored industry fellowship opportunities with reputable production companies such as The Donners’ Company and AMC Networks can be found on our website here:
Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest
The Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest, sponsored by Winning Writers and co-sponsored by Duotrope, will award $3,500 for the best story and $3,500 for the best essay, and the top 12 entries will be published online. For this contest, a story is any short work of fiction, and an essay is any short work of nonfiction. Submit published or unpublished work. Fee: $25 per entry. More information can be found through the link below. Deadline is May 1st!
Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest – Winning Writers
Indie Author Project
The wait is over: the 9th Annual Indie Author Project Annual Contest is officially open for submissions! 🎉
This is your opportunity to get your work in front of librarians across the U.S. and Canada, gain meaningful recognition, and connect with new readers, all at no cost to you. Whether you’re submitting for the first time or returning with new work, we’ve put together everything you need to know to enter with confidence.
What You Need to Know Before You Submit
It’s completely FREE to enter
No limits on how many books you can submit
No publication date restrictions
Human judges only (no AI. Every book is reviewed by humans)
Submit the first book in a series only
Choose your category carefully (e.g., YA must be submitted under Young Adult)
Genres include: Mystery/Thriller, Romance, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, General/Contemporary Fiction, Memoir, Young Adult, Children’s Picture Books ✨ (NEW!). Prizes are $2,500 for 1st place and $500 for second. Find out more information on the link below.
WGA Opportunities
Member Profiles
The WGA website has a spot just for you! A dedicated Member Profiles page, where your works and accomplishments can be showcased to any who visit the site. If you would like to add your profile to the website, or update your profile if you already have one, contact John via email @jpcoman9@john-comeaux
Moncus Park Saturday Market
Writer’s Guild is inviting members AND non-members to participate in vending at Moncus Park (paid members have preference). The requested fee is $10 for members and $15 for non-members per sales day. We hold a sales booth on the 2nd and last Saturday of each month. The fee is to defray the cost that the Writer’s Guild has to pay for the vending booth location. Text our secretary Ed Gauthier @ (337-945-5718) if you’re interested in taking part. The next market opportunity is January 31st, so if you would like to join don’t hesitate to reach out for further rules and information.
Lafayette Downtown Artwalk
The Lafayette City Art Walk always occurs on the second Saturday of the month, every month, weather permitting. If you wish to vend your books at Art Walk, free space is available. This occurs on Jefferson Street, from around 4:00 pm and goes to 8:30 or 9:00 pm. Text Ed and for more questions (337-945-5718) or stroll on by the evening of as he’s usually seen there.
WGA Critique Group
WGAcadiana Critique meets online using Google groups and Google Meet on the second and fourth Thursday evening of each month at 7:00 pm. Our purpose is to assist our writers in discovering the strong and weak points of their writing styles. Critique groups usually follow a careful format to develop trust amongst its members. If interested, contact our secretary by text (337-945-5718) or email at eggchess@gmail.com. Joining this group will require that you have an active Google account, which is free.
Writing Workshops (In Progress!)
Interested in learning from some local wordsmiths, but dread forking out the dough in exchange for homework? The WGA is working on putting together some writing workshops led by experienced members of the literary community. Potential workshops could be:
- Self-editing
- Character voice
- How to publish
And many more! If you have any specific topics you would like a workshop to be built around, don’t hesitate to bring it up to one of the board members either at a meeting or by email/phone. Once a workshop topic is decided on, a sign-up sheet will be generated and a date and time decided upon if enough interest is shown.
Useful Links
Secret Kindlepreneur
This site is always publishing useful articles, including this list of 50+ publishing companies. None are specifically endorsed by the WGA, but more than likely someone in the guild has used one of them! So make sure to ask around at the next meeting if you have questions about any of them.
WGA Website and Facebook
If not viewing this on the website, please check out our new and improved site here: http://www.writersguildacadiana.org
Like and follow us on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/writersguildacadiana