Gumbo Ya-Ya: A Collection of Louisiana Folk Tales

Long considered the finest collection of Louisiana folktales and customs, this anthology of short stories from Lyle Saxon, Edward Dreyer, and Robert Tallant, chronicles the tales and legends that emerged from the bayou country more than seventy years ago. This anniversary edition contains the complete transcript of the original 1945 printing. On every page are new delights: garlic hangs from the rafters, the Loup Garou holds a convention on Bayou Goula, spiders dwell in haunted houses, and images of St. Rosalia are carried from church to church. All aspects of the bayou state’s society are detailed in this wonderful album of Louisiana tradition. Even ghosts haunt the pages including the headless horseman of Natchitoches, and the whimsical apparition who startled citizens of Monroe.

Gumbo Ya-Ya is a charming look at the legends and practices of Louisiana. Originally written as part of the WPA’s Louisiana Writers’ Program, it has endured as a classic of its genre.