Fall 2024
Spring 2025
La Veillée | Vacherie: The Creole Language of the River Parishes
Louisiana’s French language does not exist in a vacuum, but instead has developed over time symbiotically with its sister tongue Louisiana Creole. After investigating the Bayou Teche and Pointe Coupée dialects of this cherished yet endangered tongue in previous episodes of La Veillée, we visited this week with speakers of Louisiana Creole from Vacherie in St. James Parish about what makes their dialect unique and how the language was crafted by enslaved Louisiana across generations.
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La Veillée | Doc Guidry and the Cajun Fiddle
These days, Louisiana French music is infused with the sounds of several key instruments, including the guitar, the accordion, and more. But in its early years, Cajun music was all about the fiddle, and Oran “Doc” Guidry was one of the first Louisiana violinists to define the genre. Through archival interviews with Doc’s contemporaries and an interview with his grandson, we learn about Doc’s role in the rise and fall of the Cajun fiddle as well as his ongoing impact on his family and community.
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La Veillée | Sheryl Cormier & The Women of La French Music
In this episode, we had the honor of talking with Cajun Queen and star accordionist Sheryl Cormier, along with her fellow musician Jane Vidrine, about Sheryl's legacy and her impact on the new generation of Cajun female musicians.
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La Veillée | A Cajun Meatery in the Creole City
We visit with Isaac Toups, an Acadiana chef adding new flavor to the New Orleans culinary scene. Isaac and his daughter Ivy talk about their Cajun roots and love of the French language.
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Loreauville: Beausoleil Broussard and the First Acadians
Acadian refugees deported from Atlantic Canada had an indelible impact on Louisiana’s food and culture. The first wave of these migrants arrived three hundred years ago in Iberia Parish. This week, we talked with descendants of these settlers and what it means to be Acadian.
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