Louisiana Back Porch Talk: Preserving Cajun French with Author Tanya Ardoin

Sitting down with Louisiana artist and author Tanya Ardoin for my Louisiana Back Porch Talk series felt like more than just an interview-it felt like a piece of home. Tanya is on a mission to help preserve Cajun French, and through her creativity she's turning family memories into something that can be passed down for generations.

Tanya recently published her second book in the Crawville series. The first book, Crawville, was inspired by her little cousin spending a weekend with her. Like most kids, she was bored, so they started playing outside and creating a crawfish town they named Crawville. That book was rooted in Louisiana culture but didn't yet focus on the French language.

Her second book does. It takes inspiration from her grandfather, who would sit on the porch teaching her cousin Cajun French. When her grandfather became sick, Tanya and her family began recording him teaching, and those porch lessons became the heart of her new story. On each page, children are introduced to a Cajun French word. In the back of the book, Tanya includes a translation guide with phonics, helping readers learn how to pronounce each word correctly. She's also created coloring books that teach French words-one for adults and one for children-making language preservation accessible and fun for all ages.

During our conversation, Tanya's father, Richard Ardoin, joined us. Richard grew up speaking Cajun French, and he painted such a vivid picture of what life was like back then compared to today. He's a natural storyteller-making us laugh one minute and tearing up the next. His stories brought me right back to my childhood, hearing my grandparents and great-grandparents share their own. I got emotional during the interview because it reminded me just how important it is to keep these traditions alive. Richard's story deserves its own spotlight, so I decided to split the interview. His article and video will be coming next week.

Terin, Richard Ardoin, and author Tanya Ardoin

There's a movement happening right now in Louisiana. For so long, speaking Cajun French carried a stigma, and many felt embarrassed by it. But that's changing. People are embracing it. They're realizing how special it is and that the last of the fluent Cajun French-speaking generation is fading. Authors like Tanya, storytellers like Richard, and platforms like Leauxcal are part of a growing effort to preserve it. Content creators, musicians, artists, and actors across the state are coming together to keep our culture alive.

I'm proud to play even a small part in this movement by giving people like Tanya and Richard a platform to share their voices. This is more than an interview-it's a piece of our Louisiana story.