LA PLUME
Official Newsletter of the Writers Guild of Acadiana
January-February 2026
January WGA Meeting Details
The next meeting on Tuesday, January 27th at 6PM is to take place at the West Regional Library in Scott in the auditorium. For any questions, call John @ 337-257-8665.
“Every story I create, creates me. I write to create myself.”
-Octavia E. Butler
Announcements
Upcoming Submission Time: A Treasury of Louisiana Writers Vol3
While A Treasury of Louisiana Writers Volume 2 is only just rolling out, the board would like to open the door for another opportunity to have your works published in an anthology. Criteria and submission forms will be our shortly, so start thinking about what kind of story you would like to tell!
Website addition: Board meeting minutes!
If you see our tireless secretary Ed Gauthier clacking away at his laptop during a board meeting, it might surprise you to learn that he is in fact not describing the inner workings of a new spacetime phenomenon. Rather he is documenting all that transpires during the meeting, allowing everyone who has attended to review afterwards or for those who were unable to make it to catch a glimpse at what they missed. Haven’t taken a note since grade school? Not to fear! Head on over to the WGA website.
2024-2025 WGA Short Story Anthology
The board has been compiling the short story winners and runners-up from our competitions from the last two years and are preparing to publish the collection. As some of the stories are missing or without proper titles, if you have been first or second in a short story competition during this time and have not been contacted, please send and email to John as you may be the one he is searching for! The anthology will be out soon, and this is going to be a good one as even yours truly has a story or two in there.
January Meeting Agenda
WGA Writing Competion
Topic: “Winter Splendor”
Category: Poetry
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!
Members Read
Members are invited to bring a short piece of work to share with the group. The work can be their own or simply something that inspired you. Members and non-members alike are also welcome to announce and discuss upcoming releases or, if they are new to the guild, to tell a little about yourself, your interests, and what you are looking for in the guild. This is not a critique, only an opportunity to get your words off the paper and into the air in front of a room of your peers.
Upcoming Events
Louisiana Library Association Convention, March 6-7th, Lake Charles Event Center
Authors/Performers will have the opportunity to meet with school, public, academic, and special librarians from across Louisiana and the Southeast to discuss and share their books, programs, and other information. Reservation includes an 8′ table and chairs. Tables will be available both Friday and Saturday, located in the mezzanine area of the Lake Charles Event Center.
Note: Please contact Kayla Kalnasy at llakalnasy@gmail.com if you are interested in hosting a book signing or performer preview. Regular booth registration closes February 6, 2026. For assistance with registration, please contact the LLA office at LLA@amigos.org. For any clarifying or additional questions regarding exhibiting at the LLA conference, please contact Jessica Styons at llajess@yahoo.com or (225) 485-1317.
Louisiana Iris Festival, March 28-29th, New Iberia City Park and Moncus Park
The mission statement of Acadiana’s Louisiana Iris Festival is to encourage cultural destination travel, public education, and engagement in habitat conservation through the cultivation and preservation of native and cultivar Louisiana irises throughout the Bayou Teche and Lafayette Parish watersheds.
Saturday in New Iberia City Park from 9:00am to 3:00pm the city will host a festival with no charge to join. The second day of the festival will be held Sunday at Moncus Park from 10:00am to 2:00pm.
To register for a booth at the Saturday festival in New Iberia, contact Jane Braud by email @ jbraud@cityofnewiberia.com or by phone @ 337-369-2330. Contact information for the Sunday festival in Moncus Park is not known at this time but will be shared when it is.
Writing Competitions
Next Generation Short Story Awards
The Next Generation Short Story Awards is a non-profit program honoring original, unpublished short stories. 30+ categories available, with prizes ranging from $75-$500, trophies, medals, and inclusion in the programs anthology. In addition, winners and finalist receive year-long exposure on the Awards website, social media promotion, and digital award stickers to share their achievement. Entry deadline is Thursday, February 26. All submissions must be made digitally in PDF format.
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
Good Story Company
This is a business that offers both products and specialized help for marketing your works. For purchase they have “Marketing Mastery Toolbox” which claims to be an all-in-one guide to navigating every stage of your writing career. There are also forms that you can fill out to get in touch with editors and marketing personnel. While we at the WGA cannot personnel vouch for the quality of this company, it could be a good thing to look into if you’re seeking a leg up in the competitive world of marketing.
https://www.goodstorycompany.com/marketing?mc_cid=0b62f4caaa&mc_eid=983248d2d2
40 Tips for Writing Inspiration
An article about how to find that certain thing that makes you want to sit down at your desk and hammer away at the keys for hours like the muse is on your shoulder. Also included are some writing prompts and tools to get your started.
https://rocketexpansion.com/writing-inspiration/#writing-prompts
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