What a joy and pleasure it is to serve again as one of the judges for this year’s state Poetry Out Loud contest, held in Jackson. Rescheduled due to adverse weather two weeks ago, the contest will feature nine contestants from around the state reciting modern and classic works before a live audience. A room full of poetry lovers – what more could one ask? For those in the Jackson area, the contest begins tomorrow, Monday the 15th, at 1pm at the Mississippi Public Broadcasting studios.

[Update: Congratulations to Joy Carino for her superb performance at this year’s finals, and for her upcoming trip to represent Mississippi in the national competition in April! The Clarion-Ledger has the story here.]

I’m delighted and grateful to appear on today’s Mississippi Arts Hour, hosted by Diane Williams on Mississippi Public Broadcasting. Ever the gracious host, Diane kindly invited me on to discuss the Hattiesburg book, poetry, and a few other topics besides. My thanks to her and to all the MPB staff — for any who didn’t catch the initial broadcast, the magic of the internet enables listening again on the MPB website. The interview will be available within a few days.

The program for the 2015 Tennessee Williams Festival has now been announced; with a range of truly superb writers and speakers, it promises to be one of the best festivals yet. I’m delighted to sit on a panel with David Johnson, Michael Allen Zell, Radclyfe, and Bill Lavender to discuss the state of the publishing industry today. More information, including how to obtain panel passes and tickets to other special events, is available at the Festival’s website.

The kind folks at Bayou, the literary magazine of UNO, have a brief essay on the writing process for Hattiesburg. My thanks again to the editors.

For those in the Hattiesburg area, this weekend sees the public display of the city’s newest Little Free Libraries, an initiative to boost appreciation of books and reading in local communities. Sponsored by the Hattiesburg Arts Council, the libraries will be available for view during a reception this coming Saturday, February 7th, from 3-5pm at the Hattiesburg Cultural Center. The program will begin around 3.40pm. After this exhibition, the libraries will be installed at locations around town. More information is available at the Little Free Libraries and the HAC webpage.