509. We talk to Ruth Laney about her biography of Ernest Gaines: Cherie
Quarters: The Place and the People That Inspired Ernest J.
Gaines. "Cherie Quarters combines personal
interviews, biography, and social history to tell the story of a
plantation quarter and its most famous resident, renowned
Louisiana writer and Pulitzer Prize nominee Ernest J. Gaines. In
clear and vivid prose, this original and vital book illuminates
the birthplace of a preeminent Black author and the lives of the
people who inspired his work. Before he became an award-winning
writer, Gaines was the son of sharecroppers in Cherie Quarters,
a small Black community in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana.
Drawing on decades of interviews and archival research, Ruth
Laney explores the lives and histories of the families, both kin
and not, who lived in a place where 'everybody was everybody’s
child.' Built as slave cabins for the nearby River Lake
Plantation in the 1840s, the houses of Cherie Quarters were cold
in winter, hot in summer, filled with mosquitoes, and
overflowing with people. Even so, the residents made these
houses into homes. Laney describes aspects of their daily
lives — work, food, entertainment, religion, and education—then
expands her focus to the white families who built River Lake
Plantation, enslaved its people, and later directed the lives of
its Black sharecroppers" (LSU
Pr.).
Quarters: The Place and the People That Inspired Ernest J.
Gaines. "Cherie Quarters combines personal
interviews, biography, and social history to tell the story of a
plantation quarter and its most famous resident, renowned
Louisiana writer and Pulitzer Prize nominee Ernest J. Gaines. In
clear and vivid prose, this original and vital book illuminates
the birthplace of a preeminent Black author and the lives of the
people who inspired his work. Before he became an award-winning
writer, Gaines was the son of sharecroppers in Cherie Quarters,
a small Black community in Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana.
Drawing on decades of interviews and archival research, Ruth
Laney explores the lives and histories of the families, both kin
and not, who lived in a place where 'everybody was everybody’s
child.' Built as slave cabins for the nearby River Lake
Plantation in the 1840s, the houses of Cherie Quarters were cold
in winter, hot in summer, filled with mosquitoes, and
overflowing with people. Even so, the residents made these
houses into homes. Laney describes aspects of their daily
lives — work, food, entertainment, religion, and education—then
expands her focus to the white families who built River Lake
Plantation, enslaved its people, and later directed the lives of
its Black sharecroppers" (LSU
Pr.).
- This week in Louisiana history. February 17, 1805. New
Orleans is incorporated as a city - This week in New Orleans history. On February 17, 1944 the
Liberty ship Rufus E. Foster was launched at Delta
Shipbuilding Company.
- This week in Louisiana.
Visit St. Louis Cemetery No. 2
Historic New Orleans
Tours
Backatown Coffee Parlour
301 Basin St.
Suite 1
New Orleans, LA 70112
Free people of color have a storied history in New Orleans.
After being freed, many purchased vaults and tombs in St.
Louis Cemetery No. 2. Their tombs each tell both a troubling
and fascinating story. Hear the tales of black poets, writers,
swordsman, and mathematicians on this unique tour. These tours
are presented by Historic New Orleans Tours and start at
Backatown Coffee Parlour. They’ll take you through Tremé and
to historic spots such as Congo Square and Armstrong Park.
The tour is 2.5 hours in length at 1:30 p.m. every day.
- Postcards from Louisiana. Tip Jar Junkies.
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Listen on Stitcher.
Listen on TuneIn.
The Louisiana Anthology Home Page.
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