Biography

Colleen Hildebrand is a  lifetime resident of Louisiana who earned her BA in secondary English Education from the University of New Orleans and her MA from Southeastern Louisiana University. With 30 years of classroom experience, she currently teaches high school in St. Tammany Parish. Married with two adult daughters and a high maintenance dog named Opal, Hildebrand also enjoys running and painting. Her artwork adorns the cover of her memoir.

Schedule

Noon to 12:45 pm
State Library, Fourth Floor
Three Sets of Memories: Survival, Hope, Remembrance
with Colleen Hildebrand, Aimée K. Michel, Amelia Zachry, and moderator David Armand

1:00 pm to 1:45 pm
Cavalier House Books Tent
Book Signing

2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
State Library, Fifth Floor Serials
In Search of Belonging: Journeys of Self-Discovery
with David Armand, Keagan LeJeune, Jeremy White, and moderator Colleen Hildebrand

In the Ether: A Memoir of Holding Space

“Abby loved Ryan, but her relationship with him couldn’t withstand a felony conviction for assault with a deadly weapon and a five-year sentence. Mine could.

In the Ether is a reflection on a single episode of my life—a sieve through which I have understood everything that came before more completely and, most likely, will filter all that happens next. It tells the story of raising a daughter who chose to live in opposition to nearly every value I hold and who, at seventeen, fell in love with a twenty-two-year-old Marine who had cause enough to resent life—yet loved it more fully than anyone else I’ve ever known. Ryan was a miracle.” - Colleen Hildebrand