Recently, Yvette had the opportunity to speak with Oxford American about what is it that “Feeds Your Soul” in Louisiana.
Click “HERE!” for the video.
As I sing my first note from the stage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, one of Louisiana’s 400 festivals, I watch as people are drawn to the music. They come from every walk of life; tall, short, thin, round, young, old, hippie, yuppie, folkie, and foreign. Everyone is different, yet they’re all here, in Louisiana, to enjoy our little piece of heaven on Earth. The smell of roux and fried seafood intertwine with the dancers, sweat and dust. Cypress crafts pepper the backdrop of multi-colored tents. In this moment, there are no worries—just complete happiness. Food for my soul…my plate is full.
—Yvette Landry (Author, Educator, Ambassador, GRAMMY-Nominated Songbird, and Breaux Bridge Native)
When you make a list of all the unique things Louisiana has to offer visitors, you quickly see the long-lasting influences of our French, Spanish, and African ancestry. Our past is well preserved in our architecture, music, food, and lifestyles—which include our amazing festivals—and of course in our museums of history and fine arts.
It is not an accident that Louisiana clings to the phrase “Laissez les bons temps rouler,” meaning “Let the good times roll.” Let yourself get lost in the traditions passed down through generations. Come visit us during Mardi Gras season when costumed riders parade and magnificent balls are thrown from New Orleans and Baton Rouge to Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport and beyond. Peek back across the centuries, as you walk under lavish ironwork and through the lush courtyard gardens of a meticulous French Quarter hotel. Touch history with a tour of a plantation where the daily activities of the past are recreated. Let nature’s mysteries inspire and awe you via a boat tour through a cypress-studded bayou.
Here, in Louisiana, history and lore don’t merely live in books on a shelf; they’re reflected in our everyday lives.
Check out the full article “here“