The program for this year’s Tennessee Williams Festival is now officially live, and can be viewed here. This year’s Festival looks to be one of the best yet, with performances of Night of the Iguana and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (indisputably two of his best), scores of phenomenal poets and writers from across the country, and of course, a certain event on the closing day of the Fest.

I’m delighted to be chairing a panel on new Southern poetry, featuring three outstanding poets with debut collections out in the past year: S. Douglas Ray (He Will Laugh, Lethe Press), L. Lamar Wilson (Sacrilegion, Carolina Wren Press), and Lilah Hegnauer (Pantry, Hub City Press). The panel is scheduled for Saturday morning, provided, of course, that events on Friday night don’t get too far out of hand.

It goes without saying that TWFest is one of the highlights of the year in New Orleans– hope very much to see you there.

Pelican Bomb has a review of Edward Burtynsky’s latest show, “Water,” still on view at the CAC and NOMA — though unfortunately no longer at Arthur Roger Gallery. Still, the vast majority of the works remain on display. Highly recommended.

For those in the New Orleans area, good friend and collaborator L. Kasimu Harris of Visions and Verbs Media is having his first solo exhibition of photography tomorrow night, Sunday the 15th, at Bellocq on Lee Circle. Titled “Dreams Do Come True,” the exhibition opening starts at 6pm: details are here.

Pelican Bomb has a short review of Anastasia Pelias’ show at Octavia Gallery, up until this weekend.

I’m delighted to be reading with Matt Roberts, Katy Smith, Geoff Munsterman, and Cassie Pruyn at McKeown’s Books (and Difficult Music) the week after Thanksgiving, on Tuesday, December 3rd. McKeown’s has been running a Tuesday night reading series of late, to combat the midweek and midwinter woes, and it’s a pleasure to join such fine company.

The theme will be something along the line of works-in-progress and works-just-published: 7pm, with wine, nibbles, and a break in-between to refill your glass. We’d love to see you there.