Louisiana Sea Grant Book Wins State Award

This year’s Louisiana Literary Award winner is Ain’t There No More: Louisiana’s Disappearing Coastal Plain by Louisiana Sea Grant Scholars Carl A. Brasseaux and Donald W. Davis.

In an effort to put a human face on an ecological disaster, their book chronicles the economic history of coastal Louisiana and its people. The well-chosen photographs complement the text and support the authors’ thesis that this landscape, rather than being “worthless” swamp land, has always been an important contributor to the economic engine of the state and nation. As such, the people living in the region deserve to have a voice when deciding how to fix the problems caused by coastal erosion.

The Louisiana Literary Award, which consists of a bronze plaque and a check for $250, will be presented to professors Brasseux and Davis at an awards ceremony on March 9 as part of the Louisiana Library Association’s Annual Conference at the Alexandria Convention Center.

 Ain’t There No More: Louisiana’s Disappearing Coastal Plain is part of Louisiana Sea Grant’s Third Coast Book Series published by the University Press of Mississippi. Books in the series can be purchased at www.upress.state.ms.us.

The Louisiana Literary Award Committee of the Louisiana Library Association is charged with promoting interest in books related to Louisiana, encouraging their publication and keeping librarians informed on the release of such books. To that end, each year the committee selects a noteworthy book as the recipient of the Louisiana Literary Award. In order to be considered, a book’s subject must be related to Louisiana and it must be published in the year prior to receiving the award. The committee evaluates books on the basis of their merit, treatment of Louisiana life, interpretation of Louisiana heritage and possible value to the permanent record of the state.