FROM THE EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION: 'When you move through the streets of Jerusalem today, you will notice that history surrounds you from all sides. You hear Adhan, the Islamic call to prayer, recited by the muezzin from the Dome of the Rock; you hear the bells of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where the Christians pray, accompanied by the voices of the Jewish worshippers at the Wailing Wall. You are filled with awe and stand helpless to do anything except feel both joy and sadness at the same time. Your feelings mingle, your thoughts get confused, and you peer at the sky waiting for God's mercy and relief... The stories here are varied, and I did not interfere with the writers' content. I asked them to portray the city of Jerusalem as they live it, as they feel it, as they appreciate it, as they fear it, as they want it to be, and as they imagine it in the past, the present, and the future... And now we put the black box in your hands! Kindly open it to reveal the secrets of Jerusale
Tampa Bay joins Miami in representing the (alleged) Sunshine State in the Noir Series arena.Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct location within the geographic area of the book.Brand-new stories by: Michael Connelly, Lori Roy, Ace Atkins, Karen Brown, Tim Dorsey, Lisa Unger, Sterling Watson, Luis Castillo, Sarah Gerard, Danny López, Ladee Hubbard, Gale Massey, Yuly Restrepo Garcés, Eliot Schrefer, and Colette Bancroft.From the introduction by Colette Bancroft:Ask most people what the Tampa Bay area is famous for, and they might mention sparkling beaches and sleek urban centers and contented retirees strolling the golf courses year-round. But it’s always had a dark side. Just look at its signature event: a giant pirate parade.Not only does Gasparilla honor the buccaneer traditions of theft, debauchery, and violence; its namesake pirate captain, José Gaspar, is a fake who probably never existed. And if there’s any variety of crime baked into Florida’s history, it’s fraud. From the indigenous residents who supposedly conned Spanish explorers seeking the Fountain of Youth through the rolling cycles of real estate scams that have shaped the Sunshine State for the last century or so, the place is a grifter’s native habitat.
"A town named after a British philosopher doesn't exactly evoke visions of Goodis or Highsmith. Grifters? Dames? Cops? In Berkeley? On the surface the alleys don't seem that dark, until we look a little closer. Possibly the most iconic visual image of Berkeley does involve cops. It's the film with Mario Savio, atop a police car with a megaphone, declaring, There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part! Now there's a statement that sums up the spirit of noir. Berkeley Noir asks, If not here, where?" -- From back cover
On the heels of Rio Noir, beloved Brazilian rock star and best-selling novelist Tony Bellotto ushers another world-class city into the Akashic Noir Series.
"Atlanta has its share, maybe more than its share, of prosperity. But wealth is no safeguard against peril ... Creepy as well as dark, grim in outlook ... Hints of the supernatural may make these tales ... appealing to lovers of ghost stories."--Kirkus Reviews "These stories, most of them by relative unknowns, offer plenty of human interest ... All the tales have a Southern feel." --Publishers Weekly. Jones, author of Leaving Atlanta, returns to the South via Akashic's ever-growing city anthology series. The collection features stories from an impressive roster of talent including Jim Grimsley, Sheri Joseph, Gillian Royes, Anthony Grooms and David James Poissant. The 14 selections each take place in different Atlanta neighborhood." -- Atlanta-Journal Constitution Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. Each book comprises all new stories, each one set in a distinct neighborhood or location within the respective city. This much-anticipated and long-overdue installment in Akashic's Noir Series reveals many sides of Atlanta known only to its residents. Brand-new stories by: Tananarive Due, Kenji Jasper, Tayari Jones, Dallas Hudgens, Jim Grimsley, Brandon Massey, Jennifer Harlow, Sheri Joseph, Alesia Parker, Gillian Royes, Anthony Grooms, John Holman, Daniel Black, and David James Poissant. From the introduction by Tayari Jones: Atlanta itself is a crime scene. After all, Georgia was founded as a de facto penal colony and in 1864, Sherman burned the city to the ground. We might argue about whether the arson was the crime or the response to the crime, but this is indisputable: Atlanta is a city sewn from the ashes and everything that grows here is at once fertilized and corrupted by the past ... These stories do not necessarily conform to the traditional expectations of noir ... However, they all share the quality of exposing the rot underneath the scent of magnolia and pine. Noir, in my opinion, is more a question of tone than content. The moral universe of the story is as significant as the physical space. Noir is a realm where the good guys seldom win; perhaps they hardly exist at all. Few bad deeds go unrewarded, and good intentions are not the road to hell, but are hell itself ... Welcome to Atlanta Noir. Come sit on the veranda, or the terrace of a high-rise condo. Pour yourself a glass of sweet tea, and fortify it with a slug of bourbon. Put your feet up. Enjoy these stories, and watch your back
Akashic Books continues its groundbreaking series of original noir anthologies, launched in 2004 with Brooklyn Noir. The Noir Series first moved into Europe with London Noir, Dublin Noir and Paris Noir. Following subsequent entries - Rome Noir, Helsinki Noir, Barcelona Noir, etc. - the series has finally found its way to one of the elephants in the European room: Brussels, a city of contradictions, turmoil, violence and hypocrisy (particularly as a leader of 'New Europe').
15 years ago, peaches exploded onto the scene with the single Fuck the Pain Away.' Since 2000, Peaches has become a symbol of progressive (and transgressive) pop culture, shattering gender stereotypes, promoting sex positivity and constantly pushing through boundaries of art and performance. WHAT ELSE IS IN THE TEACHES OF PEACHES presents a mesmerising collection of Holger Talinski's evocative and sometimes erotic photos of transgressive musical icon Peaches, on and off stage, with accompanying commentary from Michael Stipe, Yoko Ono and Ellen Page.'
