Southern Lit On Tuesday, the Jefferson Parish library main branch (4747 W. Napoleon Ave., Metairie, 838-1100) continues its mission to promote regional and local literature with "THE NEWEST SOUTH: CONTEMPORARY WRITERS IN A TRADITIONAL SOCIETY." A six-week program presented by Readings in Literature and Culture (RELIC), "The Newest South" will be conducted by Dr. Gary Richards, assistant professor of English at the University of New Orleans, and is sponsored by the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. Participants will gain exposure to an impressive array of writers whose novels and short stories are hailed as shaking up the status quo in Southern literature and taking the beloved genre to new and higher heights. "The program looks at the literary South from the perspective of some of its most contemporary and interesting writers," Jim Segreto, director of RELIC library programs for the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, said of "The Newest South." "Many of the authors chosen are those whose works give voice to the ethnic and culture segments in Southern society but who hail from non-traditional roots in the region's distinct and rich history, while other writers are acknowledged to be the new pathfinders of the future Southern literary scene." The opening program is "Black Southerners Looking Back," which examines Anne Moody's Coming of Age in Mississippi (pictured). The next week, author and Gambit Weekly contributor Brenda Marie Osbey and Randall Keenan serve as the focal point for "The Changing Worlds of Black Southerners." Bobbie Ann Mason's In Country weaves into "K-Mart Realism" in the third week, followed by "Mason's Grit Lit Heirs": Clyde Edgerton, Richard Schmitt, Tony Early and Tom Franklin. Next, Ingrid Hill and Mary Clyde represent "Contemporary Women's Voices," and the program concludes with "Pickin' and Grinnin'," a look into Lee Smith's The Devil's Dream. "The Newest South" will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. every Tuesday through Sept. 28. The program is free and open to the public; however, registration is required due to limited space and textbooks. Call to register and arrange to pick up a syllabus. -- Frank Etheridge

John Hiatt 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 25 House of Blues, 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE John Hiatt flies solo Wednesday at House of Blues. 'Rolled out of Indiana in the back of a pickup truck,' John Hiatt writes in the autobiographic masterpiece 'Real Fine Love.' 'With no education higher than the streets of my hometown / I went looking for a fire just to burn it all down.' Several hundred songs later, Hiatt's creative flame is still burning brightly, and the lucky fans at this show will get a chance to see this great American songwriter in the intimate setting of the first all-solo tour of his career. The 51-year-old Hiatt is enjoying the freedom of this current format, in which he is playing without a set list, covering more than 70 songs from his 18 albums, introducing a new song called 'Back on the Corner Again' and even taking requests. His only accompaniment is his acoustic guitar, electric piano and harmonica work. Tickets $25. -- John Swenson

Gogol Bordello 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS The theatrical "Ukranian Gypsy Punk Cabaret" of Gogol Bordello plays Tipitina's Thursday night. Who knew eastern Europe could be so hip? The Balkan beats of New York City underground stars Gogol Bordello have so far racked up appearances at the Whitney Biennial, the Venice Biennale and the Tate Modern -- all venues that, needless to say, don't usually host rock shows. The semi-Slavic rock collective's unique sound is a trans-global cocktail of gypsy violins, disco, dub reggae and lunatic art-punk that Andrei Codrescu dubbed 'devilish apocalyptic dance music,' a combination of Old World, creepy, gypsy carnival and urban, industrial rock. The current tour is in support of star DJ at New York's Bulgarian Cultural Center and frontman Eugene Hutz's side project J.U.F., which incorporates more electronic elements into the already distinctive mix. The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars open. Tickets $10. -- Alison Fensterstock

Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 26 Ogden Museum of Southern Art, 925 Camp St., 539-9600 By now, there's not much Gatemouth Brown can do short of a duet with Britney Spears that would surprise. Born in Vinton, Brown has shown throughout his career equal facility and imagination when playing blues, jazz, country, or some hybrid of his own devising. His new album, Timeless (Hightone), finds him putting his own stamp on some jazz and soul classics, and it's hard to decide which is more radical, his version of big band leader Fletcher Henderson's 'Soft Wind' or an instrumental version of 'Unchained Melody.' He swings Duke Ellington's 'Satin Doll,' then settles into a groovy 'Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,' giving the band a workout and for his own part, building his solo out of staccato notes animated by a series of swift glides and pulled-off notes. Two of his originals are blues including the centerpiece of the album, 'The Drifter,' which ends with 'Six Levels Below Plant Life,' a bluegrass-like breakdown led by his fiddle playing. Admission free for Ogden members, $10 for non-members. -- Alex Rawls

The Man of the Year 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Aug. 27-28 Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center, 1724 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., 525-2767 The first sign of the fall entertainment and cultural season is not that mild, breezy weather we experienced last week but arguably the coming back to life of such multi-cultural organizations as Zeitgeist. New Orleans' favorite below-the-radar gang, led by founder Ren&233; Broussard, offers the varied kind of cutting-edge programming that is needed to counter the more mainstream fare you get from you-know-where. Broussard's dipping his toe carefully into this season, sticking with a slate of film screenings before more live offerings in September, starting with two films: The Man of the Year, directed by Jos&233; Henrique Fonseca, and The Republic of Love, directed by Deepa Mehta. The Man of the Year features Brazilian star Murilo Benicio (Woman on Top) as an unemployed used car salesman who unwittingly becomes a gun for hire. 'If City of God is Brazil's answer to The Godfather, then The Man of the Year is Rio's Goodfellas,' writes Phil Villarreal of the Arizona Daily Star. (I'd argue that City of God is a massive homage to Scorsese's classic, but whatever.) The Republic of Love is an ensemble piece about love in the new millennium, based on the novel by Pulitzer Prize-winner author Carol Shields. Tickets $6 general public/students/seniors/unemployed, $4 Zeitgeist members and kids under 13. -- David Lee Simmons

Coleen Salley/Bill Morris Literacy Foundation launch party 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 LeMieux Gallery, 332 Julia St., 671-8618 Former University of New Orleans professor and Krewe du Vieux queen Coleen Salley is a legend in the world of kids' books. Called a 'national treasure' by artist William Joyce, she's authored children's books including Epossumondas and her new Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on his Tail (both on Harcourt). As a storyteller, she can transform a reading of Shel Silverstein's 'Boa Constrictor' into performance art. Now she's putting her name and efforts toward a new nonprofit literacy foundation that will work to bring both books and authors to kids. (The foundation also honors the late Bill Morris; for more information, see www.coleensalley.com.) In addition to music, food and drinks, this launch party will feature notable kids' book authors and illustrators, including Freddi Evans, Lisa Cohen, Berthe Amoss, Whitney Stewart, Leslie Staub and Pat Austin. The event will include a silent auction of signed books and original art. Donation requested. -- Michael Tisserand

The Infamous Picture Show 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 Residence, 1115 Thalia St., 304-7855 Last fall the creative collective known as Mondo Bizarro staked its place in the local arts scene with a production of The Little Prince, spinning Antoine de St. Exupery's oft-told tale in new directions with deft touches such as an a cappella singing of The Beatles 'Dear Prudence.' This spring the group ventured into film with The Hedgehog, a 20-minute short created by local screenwriter Shannon Strange. The Hedgehog delivers the saga of a supposed stockbroker scheming madly to earn millions, despite his reality as a homeless schizophrenic. On Saturday night Mondo Bizarro hosts The Infamous Picture Show, a fundraiser to send The Hedgehog to national film festivals. The party invites all to come dressed as their favorite movie character and to enjoy live music, a DJ, food, beer, specialty cocktails and prizes for best costumes. Tickets are $10. For more info, visit www.mondobizarro.org. -- Etheridge

Kissing Tigers 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 Mermaid Lounge, 1100 Constance St., 524-4747 Underground retro dance-punk act Kissing Tigers are just wee little babies in the scheme of rock. They're only one EP deep in the mix and most members are not of legal drinking age. But though they're fighting their way into a genre currently crowded by big boys -- the Rapture, the Faint, Jet, the Liars and many more -- their lone recording, Trebuchet (Slowdance), still finds its own ground to stand on. These plain-clothes rockers utilize dark, New Wave synth keyboard and show the influence of New Order, but they never wear the '80s shtick on their sleeve. Instead, they approach &140;80s music as a valid source of driving, dance beats to compliment their already complex punk rock. Lead singer David McKay recalls Hot Hot Heat singer Steve Bay's slightly whiny voice. They're touring to support their upcoming album, Pleasure of Resistance. Call club for cover. -- Rob Bryant

Jim McCormick 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 Carrollton Station, 8140 Willow St., 865-9190 It seems a CD doesn't formally exist until it has a CD-release party, so even though Jim McCormick's You Can't Drown Your Sorrows (Independent) has been available since Jazz Fest, with this show it officially exists. The album, McCormick's second, shares classic country music's lyrical concern with the domestic life of the working class. A song such as 'Shotgun Wedding' has the cleverness associated with the good ol' days in a line like, 'There's nothing wrong with a case of cold feet you can't cure with a 20 gauge.' On the other hand, the quiet 'Expecting Rain' is rooted in more contemporary sensibilities when he sings, 'When you were mine / I wasted time / expecting rain.' Live, McCormick's Louisiana and rock &140;n' roll roots come through more clearly. The band gives the songs a rowdier treatment with a little less precision and more of a roadhouse feeling. $7 cover. -- Rawls

Doug Cheatwood 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 30 Neutral Ground Coffee House, 5110 Danneel St., 891-3381 After hearing Doug Cheatwood's Stories About Gods and Heroes (Independent), it's no surprise to learn the Roanoke, Va., native spent some time in New Orleans. He has a Ninth Ward theatricality in his recordings, whether it's an un-tuned radio adding sonic texture to 'Digging Up the Dinosaurs,' plastic horns in the background of 'Winter of Our Discontent' or his Cheatwood's elaborately yowled vocal on 'Barbasol.' When he lived here, he became a favorite at the Neutral Ground, which is also no big surprise. The songs have an acoustic guitar at their core, and he shows a lot of wit and intelligence in lyrics like 'A Poet Speaks His Heart' (the next line: 'forsooth, forsooth, forsooth'). Like local art/punk/pop bands, Cheatwood seems to play an emotional cat-and-mouse game with his audience; it feels like there's an emotional, perhaps sentimental heart in these songs, but his listeners have to find it in the clever, playful arrangements. No cover. -- Rawls

William Warren: Passageways Through September The Waiting Room Gallery, 906 Pauline St., 949-1805 Art means different things to different people. For many it means something pleasing to the eye, a kind of decor for the walls. For others, art is an exploration, a way of expanding one's vision, just as a great novel can expand one's outlook. The latter is what motivates painter and arts activist William Warren, who describes his latest semi-abstract paintings and drawings at the Waiting Room as reflecting 'the shaman-like nature of art,' a process through which 'luminous color and sweeping motion are vehicles for the exploration of the exchange between spirit and matter.' In that sense, Warren says they are 'visual portals meant to reveal the connection between the human, natural and spirit worlds,' a process he hopes will enable viewers to 'find psychological passageways that reconnect them to a more natural balance and harmony.' -- D. Eric Bookhardt