Kate Chopin was a writer who lived a portion of her life in Natchitoches Parish. Her most celebrated work was The Awakening. It was a scandalous piece when published because it dealt with the sexual awakening of the primary protagonist. Kate is considered the first feminist writer, and is beloved of the literary folk of Natchitoches Parish. The Kate Chopin house is known as the Bayou Folk Museum and was located in Cloutierville, LA, Natchitoches Parish, an area rich with history and culture. Her collection of short stories, Bayou Folk, is studied today in literary circles as a recollection of bayou life in the late 19th century.
For twenty years I lived in Natchitoches Parish and made my home on Bayou Derbonne, near Cloutierville. The Kate Chopin house was a local presence, a landmark. My kids trick-or-treated on the front lawn of the house.
The house burned today. I understand that the original volume of Bayou Folk was one of the only things saved from the house.
Damn. Just Damn.
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