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

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 by that month’s selection, Diary of a Misfit.

Earlier that evening, Jan had noticed something unusual: the ceiling fan in their bedroom would not turn on. She had even attempted to contact an electrician.

While enjoying dessert at book club, Jan received an urgent call from a neighbor. “Your house is on fire!”

The couple drove approximately 15 minutes across Baton Rouge, eventually seeing smoke rising into the night sky. They arrived to find fire trucks lining their street, neighbors gathered outside and flames shooting from the attic. For three hours, they watched their home burn.

Jan recalls that the firefighters did an extraordinary job, but the couple lost nearly everything.

The emotional impact was compounded by the overwhelming process of documenting possessions for insurance purposes. Their first insurance payment for personal property was just $18,000, reflecting depreciated values before replacement purchases could be documented.

“I was just in complete shock. It was a tough, tough day, but it all worked out.”

Jan speaks with appreciation for the help they ultimately received, while acknowledging that some losses can never be replaced. “My great grandmother’s tablecloth. How do you replace that?”

Through the experience, Jan has found a practical lesson in resilience. “I think that the lesson there is just keep going. Don’t get too bogged down when something happens. Just keep working through it.”

Q of the D: A Book About Connection

Jan’s latest book, Q of the D: Encouraging Conversation and Connection, published in November 2024, reflects another of her passions: encouraging people to talk to one another.

For years, Jan has asked a Question of the Day, or “Q of the D,”on Facebook, inviting friends to respond to questions that are often funny, nostalgic, surprising or unexpectedly revealing.

One recent question asked which discontinued product people would most like to see return.

The responses spark memories, laughter and conversation. Her book takes the concept further, offering a question for every day of the year, along with space for readers to record their answers.

Jan believes the act of writing down our thoughts makes the experience more meaningful.

Her family also has a longstanding tradition of sharing an H of the D, “Highlight of the Day,” at dinner. Jan has recorded those highlights in notebooks since her daughters were preschoolers.

Those notebooks were among the treasured possessions she was able to retrieve from her home after the fire. They represent something far more important than material possessions: the stories of a family’s life together.

Journalism, Social Media and the Human Touch

Jan shared her thoughts on the changing media landscape, including the influence of social media and artificial intelligence.

She believes social media has profoundly affected the American conversation, but she remains hopeful that people are moving toward more positive ways of connecting. Her daily Facebook questions offer one example of how technology can encourage conversation rather than division.

On artificial intelligence, Jan shares a funny and slightly unsettling experience. During a presentation at a retirement community, she asked ChatGPT to write an essay about broccoli in her writing style.

The result sounded remarkably like her. “It was so creepy,” she laughed.

Although she recognizes the possibilities of AI, Jan says her own writing remains deeply personal, shaped by firsthand experiences, listening and human relationships.

She also discusses the professional ethics of journalism and why she no longer undertakes local public relations work while serving as a full-time journalist.

Finding Joy in Color, History and Discovery

Outside of journalism, Jan finds happiness in some wonderfully unexpected places.

Her husband, Julio, is an artist known for painting colorful chickens. Jan contributes by painting the backgrounds of his canvases, an activity she describes as deeply relaxing.

She also enjoys metal detecting in Louisiana cane fields, where she has discovered old coins, a Civil War-era bugle mouthpiece and part of an antique dinner bell.

For Jan, even a forgotten object buried in a field presents another opportunity to imagine someone’s story.

She also hopes to continue exploring the world. Having visited 49 countries, she is looking forward to a planned voyage from New Orleans to Morocco, which will become her 50th country. Jan previously crossed the Atlantic by ship in 2014 and loved the feeling of being a tiny dot in the middle of the ocean.

A Question for All of Us

We conclude our conversation with Jan turning the tables and asking us a question from her book: “What is your favorite weekday?”

Jason Sikora, our Sound Engineer, chose Thursday, appreciating the accomplishments of the week and the anticipation of the weekend. Jan Swift chose Friday for the excitement of what lies ahead, while Jan Risher shared her affection for Tuesdays and Thursdays.

It’s a simple question, but that’s exactly the point.

Through her columns, books, Facebook conversations and friendships, Jan Risher reminds us that meaningful connection doesn’t always require a grand gesture. Sometimes all it takes is a good question, a willingness to listen and the curiosity to discover the story behind the answer.

Learn more about Jan Risher: Read her work at The Advocate and NOLA.com. Her book, Q of the D: Encouraging Conversation and Connection, is available locally at Cavalier Books in downtown Lafayette or on Amazon.