Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.
At the beginning of November, our local Bayou Teche Museum hosted Allan Wolf who wrote two books based on a disaster that happened on Jefferson Island in 1980. I posted about his presentation and books here.
Allan had school visits planned for New Orleans and Lafayette, so he worked into his schedule another day. He wanted to further interview people concerning the disaster. He stayed with us on Friday night.
Early Saturday morning I woke up to a text from Allan that he was staying through lunch to be able to meet once again with Mike Richard, the owner of Rip Van Winkle Gardens at Jefferson Island. I joined him on this venture.
When we walked into the gift shop, we were struck by a display of Allan’s graphic novel. While there a woman walked up and bought the book, an impromptu signing.
Allan Wolf signs “The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur” for Mona in the gift shop of Rip Van Winkle Gardens.
Mike led us out to view the lake and then into the bustling restaurant. We had gumbo and enjoyed hearing Mike’s stories about the geography of the lake and salt mine that is still bubbling in places due to trapped gases.
It was fun to be a bystander listening to Allan and Mike talk and talk. I am fascinated by their fascination. Even though the books are published, Allan can’t stop digging into the story.
Mike Richard, owner of Rip Van Winkle Gardens, and Allan Wolf, author of The Vanishing of Lake Peigneur.
On the 45th anniversary of the mine disaster, Myrna Romero was interviewed by a local TV station, KATC. Here is that quick interview.
Thank you to Two Writing Teachers for creating an amazing community of writers and a safe, welcoming space to write and share.
When I heard from Allan Wolf by email that he had been invited to the Louisiana Book Festival, I grabbed at the chance to have him come to our Bayou Teche home.
Allan started coming to South Louisiana in 2007, performing at schools and libraries and leading teacher workshops at the Acadiana Center for the Arts. I became a fan. The first time he visited Jefferson Island and saw a chimney in the lake, he became intrigued by the disaster in Lake Peigneur of 1980.
A brief summary of that disaster: An exploratory drilling rig from Texaco accidentally punctured a salt mine and set off a harrowing series of events. The miraculous thing is all the miners, fishermen, and tug boats escaped and there was no loss of human life. The lake turned into a whirlpool and the Delcambre Canal flowed backward.
This historical disaster happened 45 years ago in my home town of New Iberia, Louisiana. Allan wrote two books based on the event, and no one in my town knew about these books. I set out to change that.
It became my mission to get him here and to organize a book talk at our local Bayou Teche Museum. With the way news media works these days, I advertised mostly by word of mouth (The “Teche Telegraph”) and by email and social media. Allan and I were hopeful that 20 people would show up, even though I ordered 50 chairs.
Allan was hoping people who had been there that fateful day (Nov. 20, 1980) would come and share their stories.
We had an overflowing crowd of 65 people. Allan paid tribute to the tug boat captain, Ores Menard (age 95), who sat on the front row with his wife and daughter. Allan had interviewed Mr. Menard for hours.
A woman walked in early and shared that she was one of two women in the mine. Allan brightened up. “I knew there had to be women in the mine. I knew about one, but I didn’t know about you!”
Allan Wolf and Myrna Romero, survivor of the 1980 Lake Peigneur disaster.
Myrna brought him her typed story and showed him the jumpsuit that she wore. Allan told her on one of his last interviews, he discovered there was a woman, so he had the artist place her into the graphic novel.
The thing about research that Allan has learned (and I have as well with my biography of Emma Wakefield Paillet) is it’s never finished. Once a story is told, it becomes a living document.
In his presentation, Allan explained that some of the characters in his book are composite characters, more than one person rolled into one. Three dogs became one. Two boats became one. However, the gist of truth is there.
Our team of 6 elementary gifted teachers took the 6th graders from our parish (district) on a field trip to Rip Van Winkle Gardens on Jefferson Island. If you live around here, you know that Jefferson Island is not a true island. It is one of 5 land masses that rise up out of the South Louisiana marshes. Jefferson Island was once the home of Joseph Jefferson and holds a beautiful antebellum home with acres of tropical gardens.
Reflections on Lake Peigneur
The purpose of our field trip was to introduce our students to a natural place where water is integral to its survival. We will be working with these students once a month for the school year on a project of their choice about water. At Jefferson Island, we learned some history, discussed questions, and enjoyed the beauty around us.
I led the students in a writing exercise from Georgia Heard’s book Awakening the Heart. The pre-writing exercise asks students to use an image. (In this case, the images were all around us.) There are 6 rooms, or divisions on the paper. Each room serves a purpose, such as “describe the image,” “what sounds do you hear,” or “describe the light.” Each room leads the writer to a deeper understanding of the image and often leads to a creative poem. We sent the students off to different areas of choice with a teacher. Teachers wrote, too.
Sharing time
Out at Jefferson Island, among the oaks, bamboo, and palmettos, we became a community of writers and explorers. We set the tone for the project yet to come and generally had a grand time.
Bamboo Poem
by Dustyn
Tall, arching, stalks of bamboo,
Bright and beautiful skies of blue,
Huge structures where flowers bloom,
Trees towering over you,
It relaxes me to feel the bamboo, so smooth,
And I’ll bet you’ll feel the same way too.
Writing in the bamboo forest
Rip Van Winkle Gardens
by Rhyan
We are in a mysterious land,
An enchanted garden,
Where the butterflies roam,
and the dock hangs over the lake.
The lake is screaming “I am a wonderful lake and I shall not be destroyed.”
But now it is silent.
The only sounds are rustling leaves and chirping birds.
Margaret Simon lives on the Bayou Teche in New Iberia, Louisiana. She teaches gifted elementary students, writes poetry and children's books. Welcome to a space of peace, poetry, and personal reflection. Walk in kindness.
Reflections on the Teche 