I’m very excited to have three of my poems in French posted at La Prairie des Femmes as part of her “Oh Malheurese!” series.
On her blog, teacher, writer, musician and photographer Ashlee Wilson Michot recalls, “As a woman who learned lots of French from Cajun and Zydeco music, I was struck at how many times oh malheureuse! was called by the male singers. Oh unhappy woman! The male perspective has long dominated the visible creative world of Louisiana music. And though women have always been culture bearers and our first language teachers, in many cases home duties, strong mothering instincts, and other social pressures cause them and their talents to remain invisible. It has recently come to my attention that women who write in Louisiana Creole, French, Cajun, Kouri-Veni etc. need more visibility. In this critical time it is wise for us to create more public/virtual space for women who write in Louisiana dialects …. Oh Malheureuse is a collection of Louisiana French poetry for women by women. Pour les femmes, par les femmes.”
Thank you, Ashlee, for allowing me to be one of those femmes. If you’d like to take a look at my writings and those of other Louisiana French-speaking women, please check out her blog.
Anne-Julia Price 