ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 
 
Sheryl J. Bize-Boutte is an internationally published, award-winning indie writer, poet, "Best of the Net" and Pushcart Prize nominee. Her debut novel, "Betrayal on the Bayou", an historical novel set in the fictional Louisiana Tassin Valley continues to garner high praise with reviewers as,"... a fascinating novel that delves into some heartbreaking issues around race, justice, and the noir code in the fictitious Louisiana town of Tassin," "...a book to read, to re-read, to take into your heart, and to always remember," and, "... it’s a tale of love, hope, disappointment, betrayal, revenge, racism, selfishness, and redemption, punctuated by beautiful passages. Lives like these are still lived much more often than they need be. Ms. Bize-Boutte is a fine writer."
 
 A follow-on to "Betrayal", "Back to the Bayou: The Tassin Valley Saga Continues," published in February 2024, is already being touted as a "page turner" and even foreshadowing a future continuation with "characters so intriguing I can't wait to read what will happen next." And,
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 FROM JUDGE, 32ND ANNUAL WRITER’S DIGEST SELF-PUBLISHED BOOK AWARDS REVIEW:
“BACK TO THE BAYOU: THE TASSIN VALLEY SAGA CONTINUES
This book celebrates a number of things through its characters, like interracial relationships in a historical setting, the varying concept of family, the importance of sisterhood and the different forms it can manifest in, and how crucial it is to explore the diversified accounts of history. In some ways, even the places themselves, such as the often overlooked or even underappreciated Oakland in the late 1800s. The setting created a backdrop that allowed for a closer examination of the historical examples that ultimately shaped the characters’ lives and contributed to their most notable—for better or worse—tendencies, habits, and convictions."
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A prolific poet, Sheryl published two books of poems with her daughter, Dr. Angela M. Boutte, the first titled "No Poetry No Peace™, and second titled"Traipsing in Poetry Prose and Vignette."  She is also the owner of the No Poetry No Peace™ Poetry and Literary Reading Series. From 2021 to 2024, she hosted the Mechanics Institute's monthly "Writer's Lunch." In 2024 she launched her "Write Quick" short story series designed for "people who like to read something right quick."  She was runner-up in the 2022 inaugural Oakland Poet Laureate competition and featured in the KALW-FM Bay Poets radio show.
She is a highly praised and sought after poet, short story writer and storyteller, literary event curator, writing teacher, speaker, panelist. She was the 2025 "Writing for Change" Track Coordinator and is the 2026 Poetry Summit coordinator for the annual San Francisco Writer's Conference.
 
 
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