This just in, from this afternoon’s contest:

The MSPOL 2013 State Finals Contest – held on Thursday, March 7 – will be broadcast by Mississippi Public Television on Saturday, March 9, following the basketball tournament – probably around 4PM. Our new 2013 State Champion is Akane Little, a senior at Starkville HS. Second place went to senior Denzell Jones from Water Valley HS and third went to Bailey Brilley, a junior at St. Joseph Catholic HS in Madison.

Congratulations to Akane and to all the other contestants!

The Oxford American has just posted a brief essay regarding the question of royal abdication. No, it’s not Edward VIII we’re talking about — though I like to think he would be amused by the comparison.

The Mississippi state finals of the Poetry Out Loud competition, for which I am honored to serve again as a judge, are this coming Thursday, March 7th, at the Mississippi Public Broadcasting studios. Last year we sent our state winner, Kristen Dupard, on to the national championships — to win them — so for any poetry lovers in the Jackson area, come on down. It’s a fantastic afternoon and a joy to spend time in the company of such wonderful, talented contestants. More details are available at the MAC website.

Thanks again to all who came out last night at Tulane, and thanks again to Melissa Dickey and to A Studio in the Woods for such a lovely evening. Across town, Room 220 is hosting a book launch event at Press Street Headquarters (3718 St Claude) this coming Thursday, featuring a new collection of fiction by Nathan C. Martin, called We’re Pregnant. More details are available here.

As part of an evening organized by A Studio in the Woods, I’m honored to be reading with Melissa Dickey next week, at Tulane University’s Cudd Hall. I’ll be reading from the manuscript of Ecotone, newly-completed (though of course, one loses a few fingernails clawing it back from the mail slot at the post office). The reading takes place on Monday night, February 25th, at 7pm; more details are available from the Studio here.

And for those who may not have heard, the Studio has just announced its call for proposals for next year’s residencies, which are available in all artistic media, and which continue the theme of “Ebb & Flow.” The deadline is in May; more details are available on the Studio’s website.