STORY

La Piquine and writing to preserve our Acadian culture is a family tradition that dates back a long time, beginning with Marie-Colombe's uncle, Père Anselme Chiasson.

Père Anselme was a Catholic priest, educator and writer who made significant contributions to the recording of Acadian history and folklore. An ordained Capuchin priest, he formed a convent for the Capuchin order. In 1960, with Fathers Clément Cormier and Emery LeBlanc, he founded the Société historique acadienne in Moncton, New Brunswick. In 1961, he founded the first Acadian publishing house, Les Éditions des Aboiteaux. He helped create the Centre d'études acadiennes at the Université de Moncton and served as its director from 1974 to 1976. He also published several volumes of Chansons d'Acadie, collections of Acadian songs.
 

In 2003, Père Anselme was named an officer in the Order of Canada. He was named a Chevalier in the Order of La Pléiade in 2002. In 1999, he was named a Chevalier in the French National Order of Merit. In 1979, he was named to the Ordre des francophones d'Amérique.

In the early 1970s, Père Anselme wrote a column in the Acadian newspaper L’Évangéline called "Le coin à Piquine", written in a language that reflected his native Acadian French of Chéticamp. Not wanting to associate himself with that style of writing, he used the pen-name La Piquine to anonymously write 19 short texts centered around Acadian life and traditions, with titles such as "Le tchu de l’an", "Après les Rois", and "La Chandeleur".

In the early 2000s, Père Anselme's niece, Marie-Colombe, published a regular column in Le Courrier de la Nouvelle-Écosse called Ain p'tit brin du passé. Like Le coin à Piquine, these short texts reflected the Acadian language and were about Acadian life and traditions.

Again following in Père Anselme's footsteps, Marie-Colombe decided to found her own publishing company, giving it a name that was a nod to her uncle and her culture, Les Éditions de la Piquine, while at the same time creating a community theatre troupe called Le Théâtre de la Piquine.

 

The first book published by Les Éditions de la Piquine was Le diable et le cordonnier: vie et légende de Cy à Mateur, written by Marie-Colombe's daughter, Lise Robichaud. Released in 2001, this book takes a closer look at the legendary Celestin Trahan, a.k.a. Cy à Mateur. 

With 8 books written by Marie-Colombe and one written by her daughter, Lise, Les Éditions de la Piquine continues to preserve and promote Acadian culture and traditions. Stay tuned because there are exciting new projects on the horizon!

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