It’s an honor to say that the International Journal of Heritage Studies has just published an article which grew out of my master’s thesis some years ago, on the curious case of the disappearing town of Dunwich, England. The article is available on the IJIH website; more information about Dunwich for those without institutional access is available at various websites, including the Dunwich Museum, the Dunwich research consortium, and Atlas Obscura (itself a gem of a site).

If anyone out there does make it to Dunwich, please, for the love of God, have a meal of fish and chips at the Flora Tea Rooms. You’ll remember it for the rest of your life.

Pelican Bomb has just posted a review of Andy Berhle’s new sculpture, a year and one day, currently on view at Longue Vue House in New Orleans. There’s little need to say how wonderful the artwork is, but consider it said just the same.

A certain kind of carnival of its own, the Poetry Out Loud season has officially begun. I’m honored to serve as one of the three judges for today’s Southern Regional contest, based at the Hattiesburg Arts Commission’s downtown office. For any in the area, the contest will be featuring contestants from area high schools — open to the public, and a great deal of fun, the show kicks off at noon. Hope to see you there.

For those in the New Orleans area, this Thursday, Jan 24th, Rene Brunet and Jack Stewart will be presenting their new book about the historic movie theatres of New Orleans, There’s One in Your Neighborhood, at Maple Street Book Shop. As the book description notes,

“There’s One In Your Neighborhood is an encyclopedic, photo-filled coffee-table book chronicling the history of the city’s neighborhood theaters. Organized by neighborhood — with another section devoted to drive-ins — it includes histories and photographs of more than 100 local theaters collected over the years by Brunet, as well as contributions from local movie experts including Rose Kern, Michael Hurley and A.J. Roquevert. In the process, it offers a fascinatingly detailed snapshot of a bygone era.”

Among others, the book includes the historic Prytania Theatre, owned by Brunet, featured in Walker Percy’s classic The Moviegoer and still operating today. The reading starts at 6 at Maple Street’s Uptown branch, with a wine reception to follow. Details are here.

It’s a great honor to join the Mississippi Arts Commission and the Mississippi Main Street Association for their second annual Back Stage Pass conference, held this year in Philadelphia, Mississippi, at the historic Golden Moon Casino. I’ll be appearing as part of the Storyteller’s Breakfast this coming Thursday morning, along with Mark LaFrancis, Rebecca Jernigan, and Annie McKee. It looks to be a great event and a lot of fun; I can’t imagine a nicer way to start the day than with a fresh cup of coffee, stories, and poetry. More information about the conference, and a program, are available at the MMSA website.