Rose Anne St. Romain lives in Mansura, Louisiana, her hometown. “Population 2000, with cows,” she adds. She grew up steeped in family tales of rural life and strife, Cajun stories and jokes, and many songs, poetry, and books. St. Romain says, “Since I’d grown up in a highly talkative family of ten people and had always been drawn to the performing arts, for me, storytelling was a bridge between the two.” This upbringing fuels her gusto for Louisiana French culture.
After earning a second master’s degree in library and information science in addition to her master’s in speech communication, St. Romain often told stories while working as a children’s librarian. She has been a professional storyteller since 1982. Her many professional performances include appearances at the first annual Louisiana Book Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the International Reading Association Conference, and Jimmy Buffet’s Internet radio program, The Stories We Could Tell.
In her first book, Moon’s Cloud Blanket, Rose Anne St. Romain presents the Native American from the Houma people of South Louisiana. When a flood rages through the bayous, a mother and her two children seek shelter from a storm in the branches of a cypress tree. Late that night, the mother asks the moon to keep her sleeping children warm. Moon talks to Stars, Stars talks to Clouds, and when these celestial bodies join forces, they do more than just save one mother and her children. |