A new documentary series and companion book, which gives a different perspective on Louisiana history, recently was released by an LSU professor and a local TV network.
C.E. Richard, a screen-writing professor in the English department, was chosen by Beth Courtney to write the book and the series.
Courtney is the president and CEO of Louisiana Public Broadcasting. LPB is an independent state network that produces programs on a large variety of topics.
Richard is a talented writer and LPB knew he would do a great job writing the book and series, Courtney said.
The network wanted Richard to write the documentary and book because it felt it would benefit from having a native of Louisiana write the book, Courtney said.
Richard and Courtney presented the new book and series at LSU’s Readers and Writers first literary event of the semester Sunday evening in the Design Building auditorium.
With the 200th Anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase in 2003, the network was able to get more money to produce the book and documentary. More people were willing to contribute perhaps because of the anniversary, Courtney said.
The Readers and Writers series works with people from Baton Rouge involved in the arts in hopes of bringing a wide variety of writers to the campus, said co-director of Readers and Writers James Wilcox.
The series is in its 11th season. It originally started in the English department.
The group hopes to give more of a sense of community among those in the English Department, Wilcox said.
The series balances the season, which includes four writers per year, by bringing in people from outside the campus community as well as faculty and writers from Louisiana, Wilcox said.
The book, “Louisiana: An Illustrated History,” was released in March and now is into second printings, Courtney said. It is available in almost all bookstores.
The book tells the story somewhat from a cultural standpoint rather than from only a historical or political standpoint, Richard said.
The documentary series, “Louisiana: A History,” airs every Sunday night at 5 p.m. on LPB. The first episode aired Sept. 21.
“This is just the beginning. We want to do many other documentaries on Louisiana,” Courtney said.
There are six episodes all together. Each episode is one hour long and tells the story of Louisiana. It not only reviews historical events, but it also explores the many cultures that have shaped Louisiana into what it is today.