Best of Smiley: Good, Better, Best Columns 1979-1990 - Hardcover

by Smiley Anders (Author)

Sometimes people ask Smiley, "When are you going to retire?" He answers by telling this story: "I once asked my former publisher, David Manship, 'When can I retire?' His response was 'retire from what?' I don't guess I'll ever retire, after all, I love my work, my readers supply me with great material, and there's no heavy lifting."

Life around Smiley is never dull. Whenever he goes out, whether in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, even Orange Beach, Alabama, and San Francisco, California, people recognize his face and just have to get to him to tell him a joke or a story. Smiley is a joyful little cherub of a man and his work exudes wit and character. He's the kind of guy you just want to "belly up to the bar" with. And you really haven't lived until you've seen him at Spanish Town Mardi Gras in his pink tu-tu and red pumps. Katherine Scales Anders, "current wife" aka "Lady Katherine"

Author Biography

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. This, his first book, features excerpts from some of his best columns 1979-1990

For more than 25 years Smiley Anders has been writing his six-days-a-week column for The Advocate in Baton Rouge, La. The column has received three first place awards from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists (in 1985, 1996 and 2004) 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 13-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.