Smiley Anders

      From Bunkie to Baton Rouge, from Aggies to Cajuns.

Smiley Anders reaps the harvest of Louisiana humor and sets it on the table for his readers six days a week. In his first book, “Best of Smiley,” he features excerpts from some of his best columns 1979-1990. In his second book, “Smiley! A Laughing Matter,” Smiley added funny stories from his daily columns. Smiley’s third book, Smiley and Friends,” is a collection of column items from 2001-2010 including stories dealing with 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.. Smiley also edited a book on salesmanship. All can be found here under the link, “Smiley’s Books.” 

2020 marks 41 years that Smiley Anders has been writing his six-days-a-week column for The Advocate in Baton Rouge, La. The column has received six first place awards from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists (in 1985, 1996, 1997, 2004, 2005, and 2006) in the items category. In 1997 the name of the category was changed to the Herb Caen Award to honor the San Francisco Chronicle”s long-time items columnist.

Smiley (yes, that is his “real” name) started the column after a 16-year career in business journalism, and was The Advocate”s business reporter before becoming a columnist. For his business reporting, he was named the first “Communicator of the Year” in 1975 by the Public Relations Association of Louisiana.

A native of Natchez, Miss., he received B.A. and M.A. degrees in journalism from Louisiana State University. He and his wife Katherine live in a 1922 home in Spanish Town, Baton Rouge”s oldest neighborhood.