From his bright orange sneakers to his bubbly, seemingly made-up-on-thespot pop tunes, John Martin left the kind of impression that wins contests. Indeed, Martin was selected as the best act at the Shreveport Regional Arts Council’s Critical Mass 9 performing arts showcase.

Evidence of a flourishing writers’ community abounds in the literary entries for Critical Mass 9, a project of the Shreveport Regional Arts Council (SRAC) that fosters critical artistic dialogue. The variety and daring of this year’s submissions bespeak an arts council and a literary scene open to many genres, styles and forms.