Cliford “Clif” St. Laurent is a multi-hyphenated artist, producer, educator, and Louisiana Creole cultural scholar and activist. After studying performing arts at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, he pursued independent studies in linguistics, religion, and cultural anthropology, earning certifications from renowned institutions such as the University of Leicester, the University of York, and Harvard. Over the years, he has become one of the world’s leading authorities on Louisiana Creole language and culture.

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As one of the three co-creators of the modern Louisiana Creole orthography, Clif played a key role in standardizing the language for professional and social use. He developed a curriculum for Kouri-Vini, Louisiana’s endangered Creole language, which he used to facilitate private and group lessons before later teaching at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge through their Leisure Course program.

For over two decades, Clif has worked as a Kouri-Vini translator for major organizations, including Cigna Health Insurance, Express Scripts Pharmaceuticals, and the US Social Security Administration. He is also a dialect and language coach for film, television, and theater, most notably working on and co-producing Tambou (2023), the first film entirely in Kouri-Vini.

Currently, he serves as the president and program director for Chinbo Inc., the first nonprofit organization dedicated solely to the reclamation and revitalization of Kouri-Vini.

And yes, the one “f” in “Cliford” is intentional.​