Readings by these 3 local poets. Lord, a widely published veteran poet, is a 2-time winner of Current magazine’s annual poetry contest. Joseph has published 2 chapbooks; her work is notable for its vividly figured explorations of the natural world. Budin is a widely published poet whose collection After the Burn explores connections between visual art and language. Signing.
This Hobart literary journal editor reads from Stephen King’s The Body, his new book-part memoir, part literary criticism-that revolves around King’s novella, which was adapted into the film Stand By Me. Also, readings by U-M Residential College lecturer Robert James Russell and Kentucky fiction writer Leesa Cross-Smith.
Literati is pleased to welcome Fabienne Josaphat in support of her debut novel, Dancing in the Baron’s Shadow.
Haiti, 1965. Francois Duvalier, often called Papa Doc or Baron Samedi, is a brutal dictator using extreme violence to control the impoverished island nation. Unrelenting curfews are imposed on the people of Port-au-Prince and the ever-present bogeymen, Tonton Macoutes militia, have scared away even the bravest of tourists. For taxi driver Raymond L’Eveillé, life under these conditions is becoming increasingly untenable. Unable to properly feed his wife and young children, or pay the rent on time, Raymond’s family is on the brink of destitution. By contrast, Raymond’s brother Nicolas is a wealthy professor at the local university. A believer in law and justice, Nicolas is secretly writing a socialist manifesto, in an attempt to rally support for those that oppose Papa Doc’s harsh dictatorship. When Nicolas’ home is searched as a result of his liberal lectures, the violent and unfeeling Tonton Macoutes quickly arrest him and send him to Fort Dimanche, an over-filled, disease-ridden prison that few survive. Meanwhile, Raymond comes home to find his wife has left with their children, hoping to build a better life for her starving family abroad. With his family gone, and as Nicolas’ colleagues continue to disappear, Raymond plunges into a daring scheme to save his brother. In order to gain access to the dreaded Fort Dimanche, the cab driver does something few Haitians would ever dream of doing: he gets himself arrested. Once inside, and with the help of a small gang of resistance fighters and a sympathetic prison guard, the two men will attempt a death-defying prison break. But first, they will both have to survive life in Fort Dimanche. The harrowing experience shared by the two brothers is brutal, heartbreaking and ultimately triumphant.
Josaphat’s electric prose brings to life a horrifying and not so distant time in Haiti’s past while exploring the best and worst of humanity. The novel examines power’s tendency to corrupt, the impulse of nationalistic pride, and above all, the human desire to survive, while describing in rigorous detail the shocking realities of life in the Baron’s shadow.
“Dancing in the Baron’s Shadow takes us to hell and back, inside one of the most brutal prisons run by one of the world’s most ruthless dictators. Fabienne Josaphat impressively brings to life a horrible period as well as the men and women who fought against it. Filled with life, suspense, and humor, this powerful first novel is an irresistible read about the nature of good and evil, terror and injustice, and ultimately triumph and love.”—Edwidge Danticat, author of Claire of the Sea Light
Fabienne Josaphat received her M.F.A. in creative writing from Florida International University. Dancing in the Baron’s Shadow is her first novel. She lives in Miami.
Every 1st & 3rd Sun. All poets invited to compete in a poetry slam judged by a randomly chosen panel from the audience. The program begins with a poetry open mike and (occasionally) a short set by a featured poet.
7-9 p.m. (sign-up begins at 6:30 p.m.), Espresso Royale, 324 S. State. $5 suggested donation. facebook.com/AnnArborPoetrySlam.
Literati is pleased to welcome Ken Foster in support of the his New York Times-bestselling memoir, The Dogs Who Found Me. We’re grateful to the Humane Society of Huron Valley for co-sponsoring this event, and we encourage you to donate dry dog and cat food to their wonderful Bountiful Bowls program, which helps people keep pets instead of surrendering them to a shelter. Food donations will be accepted at the event.
Now regarded as a classic in dog literature, Ken Foster’s memoir chronicles his journey from first-time dog owner to rescuer—and all the lessons and mistakes he made along the way. Bookended by the tragedies of 9/11 and Katrina, Foster finds that dogs open his eyes to the benefits of compassion, selflessness, and the chaotic beauty of living each day in the moment.
But more than Foster’s own story, readers remember the dogs. Among them are Duque, a Costa Rican stray; Brando, Foster’s first adopted dog and a supposed pit bull mix who outgrew his Manhattan studio apartment; Rocco, a clownish red pit bull whose owner mistakenly gives him away to the wrong person; Zephyr, a cheerful Rottweiler mix who awakens Foster by sitting on his chest when his heart stops working; and Sula, the tiny lost pit bull who showed up at Foster’s door one day and stayed.
Whether bearing witness to national tragedy, grieving the death of a friend, or dealing with his own mortality, Foster finds strength in his dogs, and in the reciprocal nature of rescue.
“Generosity and gratitude power this compelling account of the reciprocal nature of rescue. Ken Foster illuminates a profound lesson about saving a life: Doing it makes you able to do it.”–Amy Hempel, author of The Dog of the Marriage and Reasons to Live
Ken Foster is the editor of two anthologies, including Dog Culture, and the author ofDogs I Have Met and I’m a Good Dog. His collection of short stories, The Kind I’m Likely to Get, was a New York Times Notable Book. His work has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, The San Francisco Chronicle, McSweeney’s, andThe Believer. He has taught at The New School, Florida State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi. In 2008, he founded The Sula Foundation, which promotes responsible dog ownership among the pit bull population and sponsors education and outreach in the New Orleans area. He lives in New Orleans, with at least three dogs.
Monthly open mike storytelling competition sponsored by The Moth, the NYC-based nonprofit storytelling organization that also produces a weekly public radio show. Each month 10 storytellers are selected at random from among those who sign up to tell a 3-5 minute story on the monthly theme. The 3 judges are recruited from the audience. Monthly winners compete in a semiannual Grand Slam. Space limited, so it’s smart to arrive early.
Note: Beginning in August, the Storyslam is held twice a month, on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays.
7:30-9 p.m. (doors open and sign-up begins at 6 p.m.), The Circus, 210 S. First. $10. 764-5118.
All invited to listen to guild members swap stories or bring their own to tell.
On Aug. 8, local short story writer Alex Kourvo and young adult novelist Bethany Neal discuss how to figure out exactly where your novel or non-fiction book belongs on the shelf, and why knowing that is crucial to its success. For adult and teen (grade 6 & up) fiction and nonfiction writers. Also, Kourvo and Neal host an open house for writers to connect with one another and/or work on their projects at 7 p.m. on Aug. 22.
Readings by several poets who have appeared in the RHINO poetry journal, including Monica Rico, Jennifer Metsker, Julie Babcock, Simon Mermelstein, John Buckley, Ashwini Bhasi, and others. In celebration of RHINO’s 40th anniversary. The program begins with a brief open mike for poets, who are welcome to read their own work or a favorite poem by another writer.
Peter Ho Davies is the author of two novels, The Fortunes and The Welsh Girl (long-listed for the Man Booker Prize), and two short story collections, The Ugliest House in the World (winner of the John Llewelyn Rhys Prize) and Equal Love (A New York Times Notable Book).
His work has appeared in Harpers, The Atlantic, The Paris Review, The Guardian and Washington Post among others, and has been widely anthologized, including selections for Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards and Best American Short Stories. In 2003 Granta magazine named him among its Best of Young British Novelists.
Davies is also a recipient of fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, and is a winner of the PEN/Malamud Award.
Born in Britain to Welsh and Chinese parents, he now makes his home in the US. He has taught at the University of Oregon and Emory University, and is currently on the faculty of the Helen Zell MFA Program in Creative Writing at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
