Most of you indie aficionados already know that Sufjan Stevens is good at writing pretty songs about love, US states, and highways in Brooklyn. But did you know that in addition to being a songwriter, he is also a writer-writer? Stevens, who has an MFA in creative writing from The New School, is slated to participate in a panel discussion on literature in modern times alongside the likes of Rick Moody and John Wesley Harding:

(Via www.pen.org)

He is not slated to do any singing, but when he gets all hot and bothered over how literature, the arts, and all his favorite things intersect, well...one never knows how he might express himself.

In other Sufjan news, he is visiting some exotic (to Americans) locales in January, so Aussies and Japanese folks will have a chance to listen to his sweet, US state-inspired sounds in person.

He also auctioned off some stuff to help needy Chicago-area kids, so everyone who wanted to obtain a little piece of Sufjan to add to their shrine and help children get music lessons was hopefully able to do so. Speaking of which, Rock for Kids is quite a cool charity for anyone looking to donate some dough to a good cause. And for those of you who need a little holiday cheer to thaw out your hearts before you can even think about wanting to help poor children, might I remind you that Stevens made a Christmas album last year. Dust that sucker off and start a-giving!

In short: this guy is the indie rock world's answer to Leonardo DiVinci, but with totally cuter bone structure. I dare even the most jaded of hipsters to try not to like him at least a little bit.