America’s Creole migration brought a whole new flavor to California. Originally published in American Way, in conjunction with the documentary Zydeco Nation. Photos by John Noltner. AT 4:00 ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON, the cars start turning onto Embarcadero Way. The street in Palo Alto, Calif., has all the charm you’d expect from a Silicon Valley business […]
Zydeco Nation: Resources and Credits
Resources This list was created in 2012. It was updated in 2024. Visiting Northern California The Bay Area zydeco scene welcomes visitors and has several events each week. You can download the monthly calendars at http://calendar10.tripod.com/. Good reads The definitive book about the Bay Area’s Louisiana music scene is Cajun and Zydeco Dance Music in Northern California by Mark […]
Zydeco Nation
The French Creoles of South Louisiana are a rural people whose roots contain a blend of African, French, and other ancestries. During the era of legalized segregation, they developed close-knit communities and a vibrant musical culture. Then, starting in World War II, many Creoles started looking west in search of greater opportunity and freedom, and […]
Zydeco Nation: Meet the Musicians
Andre Thierry The 32-year-old star of the West Coast zydeco scene, Andre Thierry has deep roots in the culture. His parents and grandparents were all part of the migration of Louisiana Creoles to Northern California. Thierry spent much of his childhood living with his maternal grandparents, Houston and Lena Pitre, who organized the famous dances […]
Zydeco Nation: Photos
One of the best things about producing Zydeco Nation was the chance to collaborate with John Noltner, a Minnesota-based photographer whose work has been published in numerous national magazines. Noltner is also the creator of A Peace of My Mind, a multimedia arts project. His work exhibits regularly across the country, and he leads lectures […]
Zydeco Nation: Meet the Dancers
Betty LeBlanc The daughter of a laborer, Betty LeBlanc grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana, where Sundays were devoted to three things: church, food, and dancing. “Church was No. 1,” she recalls—and afterward her neighbors would host outdoor meals at their homes. “I remember dancing,” she says. “My mom used to tell me, ‘Come on in […]
Moon Bears in Distress, All for the Love of Bile
Across China and Vietnam, thousands of endangered moon bears live locked up behind bars, where “farmers” regularly drain their gall bladders for a prized liquid. Here’s one woman’s effort to save them.
Facing the Future
While environmental groups often work toward preserving biodiversity in ecosystems, many are now grappling with trying to figure out how to diversify their own ranks. Originally published in Audubon. “THIS IS WHERE IT ALL STARTED FOR ME,” says 24-year-old Samnam Phin. We are standing in Copicut Woods, a forest threaded with hiking trails that pass through […]
Lake Erie Deathwatch
Brought back from the brink once before, a Great Lake again faces biological collapse. Originally published in OnEarth. On a cloudy morning in early August, Peter Bichier steers a 26-foot motorboat from an Ohio marina toward the Canadian border. The waters of Lake Erie are nearly transparent here, a reminder of why this southernmost of […]
Trying to Keep Sane, One Goat at a Time
A year after the sealing of the BP oil well, Louisianans are still dealing with the emotional toll of the spill. Meet Isadore “J.J.” Creppel, a shrimper and net maker who has found his own way to cope. Produced by Barry Yeoman and Richard Ziglar for KRVS, Lafayette, Louisiana, and the Louisiana Public Broadcasting “GulfWatch” […]
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