'Authors in April' to highlight fading cultural practices from around the world with BBC's Stein

'Authors in April' to highlight fading cultural practices from around the world with BBC's Stein

SHREVEPORT - One of the missions of The Pioneer Heritage Center at LSU Shreveport is to preserve the methods and traditions of 18^th- and 19^th-century Americans who made a home on the frontier.

For its annual Authors in April event, the PHC will shine a light on ancient customs from around the world.

Author Eliot Stein headlines Authors in April and will discuss his new book "Custodians of Wonder: Ancient Customs, Profound Traditions, and the Last People Keeping them Alive."

Reservations are still available for the April 11 event with a noon luncheon at Sam's Town Hotel & Casino. Tickets are $55 and can be secured by contacting director Marty Young at [email protected] or by phone at 318-797-5339.

Stein showcases 10 different individuals from different parts of the globe who are keeping alive some of the most extraordinary cultural practices and rites.

"This really does fall in line with what we're trying to do at The Pioneer Heritage Center," said Marty Young. "This book talks about saving ancient practices that are fading from existence.

"Eliot is a great speaker and will be able to engage our crowd in an area that's already of high interest."

Stein, a senior journalist and editor at the British Broadcasting Corporation, traveled to the rugged highlands of Peru to the frigid waters of Scandinavia and many places in between.

"Stein goes behind the scenes with the last person who knows how to build this particular kind of bridge, and people are weaving this natural fiber material into ropes that form these big cables," Young said. "The bridge spans like a 300- or 400-foot crevasse.

"He goes to this remote Sardinia town where these four ladies are the last people to make this specific kind of pasta. World-renowned chefs have come in and tried to learn, and they can't get the technique down to make it."

The Authors in April event is the PHC's largest fundraiser and is in its 31^st year. The event wouldn't be possible without the Bobbie C. Hicks Super Professorship, which helps support the venue and author costs of Authors in April so more of the proceeds can benefit the center directly.

Young said the money raised goes toward the restoration and maintenance of the seven historic buildings at the center - a log dogtrot cabin, the Caspiana House, a detached kitchen, a blacksmith shop, a doctor's office, a commissary and a river front mission.

"We need to do things like rebuild a set of stairs, widen another staircase, and do some porch work," Young said. "That's possible because of the value Bobbie Hicks saw in this event and this center.

"She's one of the finest humans I've ever come across, and we certainly miss her since her passing (in 2022)."

Visit The Pioneer Heritage Center's website to learn more.