Being that we are in the middle of fucking nowhere here in Fayetteville, we don’t see a lot of “cultural” activities pass through, unless you count the upcoming performance by The Charlie Daniel’s Band as a “cultural event.” (Sorry, I don’t.) Even more difficult to come by, however, are “literary” events, unless you’re a fan of the completely obscure and boring crap that the MFA department brings in a few times each semester. (In which case, why are you even reading this? You should probably be double-checking the comma usage in your latest submission to The Iowa Review–because, you know, the success of your manuscript, and thus, your entire writing career, really hinges on how effectively you use commas in a boring-ass story about how traumatic your tenth birthday party was.)
Well, believe it or not, we are actually being privileged a bona fide literary event this weekend. And trust me, it will be well worth the entry fee of zero US dollars.
On Saturday night, author John Brandon will be reading from his debut novel, Arkansas, which was recently published by McSweeney’s. Now, you might be thinking, “McSweeney’s? Like that website where they have lists with absurd names like “How Important Moments in My Life Would Have Been Different if I Was Shot Twice in the Stomach at Close Range?” Well, yes, technically. But no. While they do operate a silly website, in addition, McSweeney’s also runs a totally bitchin’ publishing business.
It should be noted that I haven’t actually read the book yet, but it’s been getting lots of positive reviews, and I’m definitely excited to get my hands on a copy. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited about reading a book described thusly:
Arkansas is a biting first novel full of wet T-shirt contests, illicit drugs, and cross-country road trips. There are the days: the dappled grounds, the aimless yardwork, the hours in the booth giving directions to families in SUVs. And then there are the nights: crisscrossing the South with illicit goods, the shifty deals in dingy trailers, the vague orders from a boss they’ve never met. Before Kyle and Swin can recognize how close to paradise they are in this neglected state park in southern Arkansas, the lazy peace is shattered with a shot. Night blends into day. Dead bodies. Crooked superiors. Suspicious associates. It’s on-the-job training, with no time for slow learning, bad judgment, or foul luck.
The reading begins at Nightbird Books on Saturday night at 7:00. A reception will follow. This event is part of the Nightbird Books’ Two Year Anniversary Party, so go out and help celebrate and support the blessed rarity that is a successful locally-owned bookstore! Really awesome literary events like this are few and far between around here, so if you’re a fan of books about Arkansas, or the state of Arkansas in general, or books with wet t-shirt contests in them, or existential crime-thrillers, or even just perhaps really pretty bookstores with a lot of cute birds in them, then you shouldn’t miss this reading.