Smiley’s books may be purchased at his publisher ‘s bookstore at this link: Authorhouse.com. “Best of Smiley” and “Smiley! A Laughing Matter” are also available through Amazon. Personalized and signed copies of his books are available from Smiley at smiley@theadvocate.com.
“Best of Smiley”: Here is a collection of early “appetizers” from the daily columns of Smiley Anders, who for 40 years has been collecting and sharing jokes, nostalgia stories and tall tales from the colorful folks in south Louisiana in the pages of The Advocate, the Baton Rouge-based newspaper that covers the area from New Orleans to Lafayette and beyond. Stories from columns in the decade 1979-1990 are presented in such groups as “Aggie Jokes, Tom Swifties, and Other Atrocities,” “Puns (Forgive Me),” Poetry, Food, Places, Local Color and “You might be a Cajun if…” It’s a lively introduction to a unique part of the world.
“Smiley! A Laughing Matter”: The second Smiley book contains funny stories from the daily Advocate columns of Smiley Anders published between 1991 and 2000, and also an account of his life from the early days as a spoiled brat in Natchez, Miss., to his high school and college days in Baton Rouge and his journey in journalism that culminated in his award-winning column. Here you’ll find Cajun jokes featuring Boudreaux and Thibodeaux, tales of Louisiana politicians both free and incarcerated and a somewhat less than serious look at the “Gret Stet” of Louisiana and its colorful citizens. It’s as much fun as Mardi Gras, without the hangover.
Coming up: The third Smiley collection, “Smiley and Friends,” items from columns published between 2001 and 2010. In addition to the usual lighthearted fare, such as pot shots at Louisiana politicians and a celebration of the good life in south Louisiana from Bourbon Street to Bayou Lafourche, this book contains tales of how the people of this part of America banded together to deal with such life-changing events as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. Available in late 2019 or early 2020, also from AuthorHouse.
Smiley Anders has always had an affinity for selling…selling anything. “Sell, Sell, Sell” is a 365 day compiling of personal sales essays left in the estate of a well known Louisiana coffee salesman and edited by Smiley. Although “Sell, Sell, Sell” might be considered a sales manual, there’s much more about living life well.
South Louisiana (New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, etc.) has been called an alternate universe, and it’s hard to argue with that characterization. A rowdy port city, a capital city that gets rowdy during legislative sessions, and the gateway to Cajun country, where rowdiness is a way of life: these three cities and the unique land and water around them abound with stories. And for more than 40 years, Smiley Anders, columnist for The Advocate newspapers, has been putting his special spin on life “down there.” His daily items columns bring laughter to his devoted readers, with Cajun jokes and assorted “groaners.” They can also bring tears — this collection of column items from 2001-2010 include stories dealing with 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. Welcome to south Louisiana, the world of Smiley and his rowdy friends.