I'm back in Seattle after several days in southern Louisiana promoting our book. The readings were a success. Thanks to all who turned out. What follows are a few impressions, observations and random gossip.

When I was last in New Orleans in February to launch our book, I felt hope and excitement amid the devastation. I think that was partly because of my own expectations for our book, Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?, but also because Mardi Gras was around the corner. This time, although my expectations for our book have grown since February, I felt the post-traumatic stress that is on everyone's minds. It is hard to live in New Orleans right now.

But it is still easy to blow off steam and have fun in the French Quarter. At Harry's, my brother's local bar (it's featured in chapter one of our book), we were greeted by one of the locals with threats of a "class action suit." He claimed — loudly and drunkenly — that he did not like the way he was portrayed in the book. My brother's response? "You don't even know what a class action suit is, do you?" This is where being big comes in handy. Everyone calls him "professor" at the bar but I think it was his size and not his doctoral degree that helped him avert a fistfight after that comment. Instead, the would-be plaintiff started laughing, and that was the end of it.

Random gossip: Ray Shea (pictured above at our Baton Rouge reading — and that's Jette Kernion of Celluloid Eyes next to him) was talking about moving from Austin back to New Orleans. It's not a done deal by a longshot, but he's interested if he can get his kids in the right schools. I'm sure he'll be keeping us posted on his blog. Also, Sarah Inman and her husband Joe have bought a house in the Ninth Ward. Hopeful news.

Less hopeful news: Blogger Maitri V-R told us over muffulettas at the Napolean House that drug pushers have been setting up in abandoned houses recently to re-establish their trade. She had spent the morning covering this fire.

Finally, the Tennessee Williams Festival was much more fun than I expected. Panels and parties were held in interesting little corners of the Quarter, taking you through restaurants and museums. The mood was light, not snooty — although I had to get used to all the bow ties (I quickly embraced the mint julep, if that's any consolation to Southern culture) — and there was a lot of drinking going on. One of the panelists I talked to took copious notes for his presentation because he expected to be very hungover. He was, and he did an excellent job. That pretty much sums up the festival for me.