The Vie Side: timeless literature, hurricane farewell, and robot parades

The guest of honor at the 2012 Words and Music festival is author Earnest Gaines.

THURSDAY-SATURDAY / Read on: The Words and Music Festival presented by the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner society began Wednesday and continues through Sunday. The theme is Literature Out of Time and the event features local and international guests. It’s not a nerd convention — it’s too cool for that. It is, however, a chance to meet wonderful authors, hear timeless readings, and experience a piece of New Orleans literary history while enjoying the food and music for which the city is known. Various Locations, Varying ticket prices. Click here for the schedule.

FRIDAY / New York State of Mind: We’re not the only ones who get to celebrate the end of hurricane season this year. New York and New Orleans will be having concurrent parties to say bye to Sandy, Isaac, and the rest. Some of the proceeds go to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, which has been instrumental in relief work post-Hurricane Sandy. Raise a toast Friday with the New York party, which will be Skyping in on the local celebration to close out the season. Tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Eiffel Society, 2040 St. Charles Ave.

SUNDAY / Domo arigato: Doing the robot might have gone out of style decades ago, but being a robot is cool again, or at least it is Sunday in the Bywater. The Robot Parade starts at Old Iron Works at 4 p.m., makes its way around the Bywater past Satsuma Café, Mimi’s, and the Healing Center, and ends up back where it started for a reception and kinetic sculptures. Come out this Sunday, and leave the dance move in the ’80s where it belongs. Old Iron Works, 612 Piety St., 4-8:30 PM.

Anna Shults is associate editor of NolaVie.