Currently in the midst of her fall tour of North America, singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco [ tickets ] has begun mapping dates for next year.

DiFranco's in-progress run, which focuses on the eastern U.S. and Canada, is scheduled to wrap in mid-December. A winter 2005 tour of the U.S. is slated to begin in early February, and so far features dates in the Midwest and West.

Also in the planning stages is a spring North American run, for which DiFranco has confirmed a sole late-April date in Philadelphia. Her latest itinerary is shown below, and more dates are expected soon.

Joining DiFranco on stage is upright bassist Todd Sickafoose. Political songwriter/entertainer Dan Bern opens the remaining 2004 shows, while Andrew Bird takes over for the February dates. Hammell on Trial is slated to open the lone April show.

DiFranco's latest studio album, "Educated Guess," was issued earlier this year. A new studio set is expected in January.

Some of the songs expected to turn up on the new album are among those featured in DiFranco's recently released concert DVD, "Trust." Shot by photographer/filmmaker Danny Clinch, the disc includes 90 minutes of concert footage culled from two May 2004 shows in Washington, DC.