Literati is thrilled to welcome Chad Dundas in support of his debut novel, Champion of the World. Chad will be joined in conversation by Chris McCormick, author of Desert Boys.
In this stunning historical fiction debut set in the world of wrestling in the 1920s, a husband and wife are set adrift in a place where everyone has something to hide and not even the fights can be taken at face value.
Late summer, 1921: Disgraced former lightweight champion Pepper Van Dean has spent the past two years on the carnival circuit performing the dangerous “hangman’s drop” and taking on all comers in nightly challenge bouts. But when he and his cardsharp wife, Moira, are marooned in the wilds of Oregon, Pepper accepts an offer to return to the world of wrestling as a trainer for Garfield Taft, a down-and-out African American heavyweight contender in search of a comeback and a shot at the world title. At the training camp in rural Montana, Pepper and Moira soon realize that nothing is what it seems: not Taft, the upcoming match, or the training facility itself. With nowhere to go and no options left, Pepper and Moira must carefully navigate the world of gangsters, bootlegging, and fixed competitions, in the hope that they can carve out a viable future.
A story of second chances and a sport at the cusp of major change, Champion of the World is a wonderful historical debut from a new talent in fiction.
Chad Dundas earned his MFA from the University of Montana, and his short fiction has appeared in the Beloit Fiction Journal, Sycamore Review, Sou’Wester and Thuglit. Since 2001, he’s worked as a sportswriter for national outlets like ESPN, NBC Sports, The Sporting News, Bleacher Report and the Associated Press, as well as local and regional newspapers. A fourth generation Montanan, he lives with his wife, daughter and son in Missoula.
Several mystery writers are on hand to chat about and sign copies of their latest books, including Loren Estleman (Desperate Detroit), David Bell (Since She Went Away),Larry Sweazy (See Also Deception), J.C. Lane (Tag You’re Dead) and Andrew Walsh-Huggins (Capitol Murder). Refreshments.
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.
Elizabeth George’s first novel, ‘A Great Deliverance’, was honored with the Anthony and Agatha Best First Novel Awards and received the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière. Her third novel, ‘Well-Schooled in Murder’, was awarded the prestigious German prize for suspense fiction, the MIMI. ‘A Suitable Vengeance’, ‘For the Sake of Elena’, ‘Missing Joseph’, ‘Playing for the Ashes’, ‘In the Presence of the Enemy’, ‘Deception on His Mind’, ‘In Pursuit of the Proper Sinner’, ‘A Traitor to Memory’, and ‘I, Richard’ were international bestsellers. Elizabeth George divides her time between Huntington Beach, California, and London. Her novels are currently being dramatized by the BBC.
This Ohio-bred, Texas-based mystery writer discusses her Amish-themed crime thrillers featuring sheriff Kate Burkholder, including the recent Among the Wicked. Signing.
Reading by the 2016 Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam Team, fresh from their performance at the Brave New Voices poetry festival in Washington, D.C. The program begins with open mike readings.
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.
This Nigeria-born U-M creative writing grad reads from The Fishermen, his debut novel, told from the perspective of a 9-year-old Nigerian boy, about 4 brothers who skip school to go fishing. At the nearby forbidden river, they meet a madman who persuades the oldest that he’s destined to be killed by one of his siblings. Signing.
Literati is excited to join author and owner of Motor City Brew Tours, Stephen C. Johnson, for a discussion of Detroit Beer: A History of Brewing in the Motor City. This event will take place next door in the tap room at Arbor Brewing Company, with the bar open for business!
While in recent years Detroit’s craft beer scene has exploded with activity and innovation, brewing has a long history in the Motor City. Small brewers popped up during the mid-1800s to support nearby saloons. Many breweries survived the dry years by producing “near beer,” or non-alcoholic beer, which was quickly abandoned after Prohibition. Consolidation marked the following decades until only Stroh Brewery Company remained. Local brewing returned triumphantly with dozens of breweries opening their doors since the 1990s, including Motor City Brewing Works, Atwater Brewery and Kuhnhenn Brewing Company.
Stephen Johnson is the owner and founder of Motor City Brew Tours, a tour company that provides guided tours to Michigan breweries. He is also an adjunct professor of marketing at Macomb Community College and has worked in both sales and marketing for over twenty years. Stephen earned a bachelor’s in business from Western Michigan University and a master’s of business administration from Walsh College of Business. A Michigan native, Stephen loves to share his knowledge and history of Detroit the beer scene.
Local short story writer Alex Kourvo and young adult novelist Bethany Neal host an open house for writers to connect with one another and/or work on their projects.
