This one is a true thrill — Lithub has an essay written after my tenure as an enumerator for the 2020 Census, an exercise that, as I argue in the piece, is riven with flaws yet still harboring immense potential for our democracy. Thanks as always to the editors.

What a joy it is to join poets David Havird, Tiana Nobile, and Karisma Price for this month’s Poetry Buffet, hosted by Gina Ferrara. Readings are still held via Zoom for the time being; visit the Facebook event page for the link. The reading begins at 2pm on Saturday, October 2 — come one, come all.

Was humbled to learn yesterday that my collection “The Singing River” was a finalist for the 2020 Raz-Shumaker Prize at Prairie Schooner, one of the most distinguished publications and presses in the country. I’m grateful for this vote of confidence, and am so looking forward to Mónica Gomery’s new book when it appears. To all the poets out there: Read. Write. Persist!

I’m delighted to be joining the good folks over at the Author Shoppe tomorrow afternoon for a reading and chin-wag about Hattiesburg history. The reading is a 12.30 gather for a 1pm start at 140 E. Front Street downtown.

The owners were kind enough to invite me on to their podcast last week, where we spoke about history, fiction, and most importantly, how to piss people off (namely, by telling them the truth). You can listen to that conversation on Spotify at this link.

Last week the OA featured a piece from its archive, a 2013 essay about the abandoned Jazzland theme park in New Orleans. Interesting to see it return, given the recent speculation about redevelopment…