『Jan Risher: Journalist Finding Connection, Humor and Meaning in Everyday Life』のカバーアート

Jan Risher: Journalist Finding Connection, Humor and Meaning in Everyday Life

Jan Risher: Journalist Finding Connection, Humor and Meaning in Everyday Life

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 Jan Risher has spent much of her life collecting stories and helping the rest of us recognize the extraordinary moments hiding in ordinary experiences. An award-winning journalist, author and longtime columnist, Jan serves as Louisiana culture editor for The Advocate, The Times-Picayune/ and The Acadiana Advocate. She also edits Louisiana Inspired, a publication celebrating people who make a positive difference in their communities. Jan Risher with the late Smiley Anders, both journalists dedicated to sharing stories of family ties and community connectedness. Jan first joined Discover Lafayette in 2018, when she was writing her popular Long Story Short column and sharing observations about family, travel and life in Acadiana. Eight years later, she returns with new stories, fresh perspectives and a renewed appreciation for the relationships that sustain us through life’s challenges. Her work is grounded in a simple conviction: everyone has a story worth telling. “I believe that it is our responsibility to do what we can do to make the world a better place.” Jan believes readers are increasingly hungry for stories that offer hope, celebrate the human spirit and remind us of our shared humanity. She says the response to her work has never been greater. “I think it’s because people are so hungry for that sense of connection,” she explains. Finding Her Voice — and the Freedom to Be Herself One of the most revealing moments in our conversation concerns a women’s retreat Jan attended in 2010 at the Solomon Retreat Center near Hammond, Louisiana. During a dream discussion led by Dominican Sister Mary Ann Carlotta, Jan shared a dream about attending a journalism conference and repeatedly explaining that she was no longer a journalist. At the time, she was working in public relations. The exercise prompted an unexpected realization: Jan had been holding back parts of her personality, worrying that she might simply be too much for other people. The experience changed her approach to life and writing. “It freed me up completely,” Jan recalls. “I just started living life a lot fuller.” She began telling stories more authentically, trusting her instincts and looking beyond the surface of the events and people she encountered. That spirit continues to define her work today. More Than Two Decades of Long Story Short Jan began writing her Sunday Long Story Short column in Lafayette in February 2002 and says she has continued writing it every Sunday since. Readers have followed her family through major milestones, including the adoption of her daughter Piper from China when Piper was 11 months old, the raising of her daughters, and the family’s many adventures. Today, Piper is 24, has completed two years with Teach For America, and is in law school. Jan’s daughter Greer lives in Orlando. Her Tuesday column takes a different approach: Jan ventures somewhere in Louisiana to try something new. Among her more memorable assignments, she has helped mow the grass at Tiger Stadium, worked as a blacksmith and even transformed herself into a mermaid. “That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my life,” she laughs about her mermaid adventure. As culture editor, Jan also enjoys helping other reporters develop stories, an opportunity she describes as the “exponential effect of storytelling.” And deadlines? Unlike many writers, Jan welcomes them. “Deadlines are a gift from the gods, in my opinion.” A Life of Adventure, Travel and Unexpected Turns Jan’s career has been anything but conventional. A Mississippi State University graduate with a degree in English education, she began as a high school English teacher before moving to Reno, Nevada, where she worked in education, special events and public relations. Her adventures also took her to Slovakia, where she taught English shortly after the country became independent. She had already received a marriage proposal from her future husband, Julio, but decided to make the trip before settling down. She eventually returned, married Julio and continued a life that would take the couple to different communities before they made Lafayette their home for approximately 20 years. Jan also recalls reporting from the Cajundome during Hurricane Katrina, an experience that remains part of her understanding of Louisiana and its people. Although she now lives in Baton Rouge, Lafayette remains deeply important to her. “Both my daughters. This is my daughter’s hometown, so it holds a very special place.” Jan has also come to appreciate Baton Rouge’s distinctive neighborhoods, its sense of community and what she calls its “underdog goodness.” When Everything Changes: The Fire That Destroyed Their Home Perhaps the most moving part of our conversation concerns the fire that devastated Jan and Julio’s Baton Rouge home on August 17, 2025. The couple had gone to a book club gathering, bringing a large pot of homemade chicken spaghetti inspired ...
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