Not exactly a memory, but — Baltimore Noir, edited by moi (sorry, I liked the almost rhyme) has been chosen the best local book by readers of the City Paper. Bear in mind, Anne Tyler had a book out this year (Digging to America, wonderful as usual) and there’s no beating Tyler in a readers’ poll. Until this year. Sixteen stories, fifteen neighborhoods — we were a mathematical lock. But let me state for the record: There was no walking-around money involved and no problems at the polls.
As the editor, this is my first experience of feeling like a proud mom. Baltimore Noir included four fiction first-timers (Hiaasen, Respers-France, Simon and Wallace); the usual suspects (Alvarez, Bludis, Cockey, Fesperman, Massey, Talley, Ward); and some out-of-town ringers (Fusilli, Neihart, Stella, Weinman.)
Also, Fesperman hits the exacta: The Prisoner of Guantanamo was chosen by the City Paper’s staff as best local book of the year.
Okay, back to revisions, which is why I’ve been scarce in these parts. Thirty pages to go. Then, 380 pages to go through once more, as I try to track down all the pesky continuity errors discovered in the most recent draft.
Congratulations to everybody involved with Baltimore Noir. And Laura, you make as classy an editor as you do a writer.
I loved Baltimore Noir and reading those new writers. All great stories. I especially liked the neighborhoods part. It was as if these stories were going on right down the street or across town. I went on to read Manhatten Noir and Brooklyn2 Noir (having a bit of trouble tracking down a cheap cpy of Brooklyn Noir) after Baltimore Noir. San Francisco Noir will be next.
D.C. Noir is also terrific; Laura’s chapter knocked me out!
new Orleans Noir is coming out soon — I think I will be filling a whole Noir shelf!
New Orleans will be my last noir hurrah, after editing Baltimore and contributing to Dublin and D.C. I was a little nervous about writing about New Orleans, but editor Julie Smith asked me to build a story around something I saw on Mardi Gras in 2004.
Congratulations congratulations congratulations!
Congratulations, Mom! Way to go, Laura.
>>>Sloppy Joe recipe be damned, Laura’s short stories scare the hell out of me.<<<
Yeah.
I loved the one in Dangerous Women.
–sloppy joe
Well, I’m one of the fiction first-timers Laura mentioned (the Wallace one), so all I can say about City Paper’s readers, about Laura, and about Baltimore Noir, is
HOORAY!!!!!!!!!
Speaking completely objectively, of course, I also think it’s one of the very best of the Noir series….
Sloppy Joe recipe be damned, Laura’s short stories scare the hell out of me.
I just got my copy of Baltimore Noir. As I sat down to read it at lunch today, I’m going through all of the bios on the authors.I see this name that sounds way too familar and how many Jack Bludis’s can there be in this world. He was my first boss at my first job after high school! I’m just so suprised I didn’t know he was a writer…I’m getting ready to read his story now. “Easy as ABC” was great Laura.