The San Diego Writers Festival takes place this Saturday at Coronado High School and will feature a reading from some of our most esteemed poets here in San Diego.

Including poet Katie Manning who joined Midday Edition Thursday to talk about her craft and what makes the art of poetry special for her.

Plus, KPBS arts reporter Beth Accomando previews the San Diego Arab Film Festival, which will be bookended by two Palestinian documentaries.

Then finally, KPBS debuts its arts and culture podcast "The Finest," which connects us to the creatives redefining San Diego culture today. We check in with the creators behind the show and play a snippet from the first episode. It's about PARU, a tea shop in La Jolla.

Guests:

• Katie Manning, professor of writing at Point Loma Nazarene University and founder of the Whale Road Review
• Larry Christian, event organizer, San Diego Arab Film Festival
• Maha Gebara, event organizer, San Diego Arab Film Festival
• Muna Khalidi, filmmaker and co-director of "A State of Passion"
• Julia Dixon Evans, arts reporter and host of "The Finest," KPBS
• Anthony Wallace, producer of "The Finest," KPBS