McNeese Professor Explores Louisiana’s Outlaw Past in Special Presentation

Dr. Keagan LeJeune, professor, head of the Department of English and Foreign Languages at McNeese State University and author of “Legendary Louisiana Outlaws: The Villains and Heroes of Folk Justice,” will hold a special author Q&A on March 31 at 6 p.m. at the Lake Charles Country Club.           

The winner of the Brian McConnell Book Award by the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research, LeJeune’s nonfiction book recounts legends and stories from the early years of Louisiana, including those of the infamous pirate Jean Laffite and the notorious pair Bonnie and Clyde, as well as more obscure bandits such as train-robber Eugene Bunch and suspected murderer Leather Britches Smith. LeJeune outlines how the Louisiana legends intersect with folk and institutional justice and the legacy of the Civil War, and how these legends have helped create a local identity that persists to this day.

Food and drinks will be available immediately following the Q&A session. To make a reservation, call 337-477-5511.

Also the author of “Always the Underdog” (2010), LeJeune received his Master of Fine Arts degree from McNeese and his doctorate from the University of Louisiana – Lafayette. He has previously served as the president of the Louisiana Folklore Society and was a finalist for the 2016 Tennessee Williams Festival Poetry Prize.