Louisiana Book Festival to Feature Kate Chopin

A trio of short stories by renowned Louisiana author Kate Chopin is the focus of the festival’s popular “One Book, One Festival” discussion group.

On Saturday, October 1, the Louisiana Book Festival‘s “One Book, One Festival” participants will discuss three short stories by one of the 20th century’s best feminist authors. Participants are asked to read Kate Chopin’s—”At the ‘Cadian Ball” and “La Belle Zoraïde” from Bayou Folk and “Athenaise” from A Night in Acadie—in advance and then join the scholar-led discussion at the festival.

The program is open to all festival attendees and will be led by Dr. Gary Richards, professor of English and former chairman of the Department of English and Linguistics at the University of Mary Washington. Richards is an expert on Southern literature and culture who previously taught at the University of New Orleans and has facilitated 12 previous sessions since “One Book, One Festival” began in 2008.

“One of the things that makes the Louisiana Book Festival special is the opportunity for festivalgoers to engage directly in the literary discussions,” says Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser. “Gary Richards always brings wonderful insight and expertise to the ‘One Book, One Festival’ program and we’re excited to welcome him back to lead the conversation again this year.”

The work of American short story writer and novelist Chopin (1850-1904) focuses on the inner lives of intelligent women striving for independence and individual freedom. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, she lived in New Orleans and Cloutierville, Louisiana, in the 1870s and early 1880s, and most of her stories are set in the Bayou State. She is best known for her novel The Awakening (1899) and her collections of short stories read throughout the world.

“At the ‘Cadian Ball” is the prequel to Chopin’s famous short story “The Storm” and addresses social class and relationships, contrasting Creole and Acadian culture through its main characters. It was written in July 1892 and first published in Two Tales (Boston) in October of 1892.

“La Belle Zoraïde” explores themes of love, loss and oppression through the story of an enslaved woman who is pressured by her mistress to marry a man she does not love. It was written in September 1893 and published in Vogue in January of 1894.

“Athenaise” is the story of a willful young woman who runs away from her husband’s Louisiana plantation and lives secretly in New Orleans. It was written in April of 1895 and published in the Atlantic Monthly in August and September of 1896.

“Kate Chopin’s short stories helped to revolutionize 19th century literature by giving voice to women’s experiences that had been largely absent in American fiction,” says Louisiana State Librarian Meg Placke. “We are honored to feature the work of this important Louisiana author in our ‘One Book, One Festival’ program this fall. Her influence on subsequent generations of writers, particularly women writers, cannot be overstated.”

Participants can access Chopin’s featured stories online or read them in the Penguin Classics edition of The Awakening and Selected Stories. More information about Chopin’s life and work is available at the Kate Chopin International Society website.

Free and open to the public, the Louisiana Book Festival is scheduled for Saturday, November 1, 2025, at the State Library of Louisiana and Capitol Park area in downtown Baton Rouge. For more information, visit LouisianaBookFestival.org and the Louisiana Book Festival Facebook page.

Deep South is a media sponsor of the Louisiana Book Festival.