The act of doing nothing is a difficult thing to write about, especially over the length of a novel, but Masande Ntshanga manages to do so brilliantly in his debut novel The Reactive. Three friends spend their days huffing glue, chewing khat, getting drunk, and otherwise nullifying their days. They have day-jobs but make most of their money re-selling anti-retroviral drugs to HIV patients. It’s a stultifying existence, but these are not your garden variety junkies and their fate is […]
A Mixtape of Musical History: A Review of John Doe’s “Under the Big Black Sun”
“Writing about music is like dancing about architecture” said either Martin Mull or Elvis Costello, depending on which source you believe. Either way we keep doing it, knowing full well the kind of lightning made by mouths or slapping strings can’t be captured on the printed page. The many differences between the sung and written word kept eating at me as I read Under the Big Black Sun—a Personal History of L.A. Punk.
Quiet Moments Amidst Musical Chaos: A Review of Tim Kinsella’s “All Over and Over”
I’ve known Tim Kinsella almost twenty years. He used to work at the coffee shop I haunted. Then, many years later, he interviewed me when my first book came out. Then he commissioned me to paint a cover for one of his records. I wouldn’t say we’re close friends but over the years we’ve had many good talks and there’s a level of mutual respect between us. I’ve never been in a band or been on tour (aside from a […]
The Vivian Mire
Dmitry Samarov looks at the work, life, and posthumous reception of photographer Vivian Maier, examining questions of artistic intent, visual legacy, and more–along with a look at the film Finding Vivian Maier.
A Year of Favorites: Dmitry Samarov
I’ve railed against lists for years and years. Ranking art is is troubling for many reasons and all we’re usually left with after is inflated egos and hurt feelings. Comparing things people make is often pointless because nobody starts out with the same intent or arrives at anything resembling a similar result. That said, sharing the things one has enjoyed in the hope that others might also enjoy it can be worthwhile. Here are a few of mine. Some of […]
Dmitry Samarov’s “Where To?” Book Tour Diary, Part 2
Albuquerque, 10/16-17 The West Coast leg of my book tour starts in Albuquerque. My friends Bud and Jessica invited me to come to town and suggested Bookworks to host a reading. They’ve been out here for years now. They moved from Chicago for the weather and an attraction to the desert. I’ve visited a few times and have never quite figured out what the place is about. This time around I notice signs all over town marking former “Breaking Bad” […]
Dmitry Samarov’s “Where To?” Book Tour Diary, Part 1
Before Leaving Town I’ve never gone on book tour before. When my first book, Hack: Stories from a Chicago Cab, came out three years ago, touring didn’t seem like an option. That book was published by University of Chicago Press, which opened up a lot of opportunities for me. I got to be a guest on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, wrote a guest column for Chicago magazine for a month, and got some pretty positive reviews. The book […]
Vital Lessons in Craft, Via Crime Fiction: A Review of Donald E. Westlake’s “The Getaway Car”
The Getaway Car: A Donald Westlake Nonfiction Miscellany by Donald E. Westlake; edited by Levi Stahl University of Chicago Press; 223 p. Donald Westlake wrote about a hundred books over some fifty odd years under a dozen or so pen names. Most of those titles could broadly be classified as crime fiction but he probably explored more permutations and tangents of the form than any other author. This likely explains all those pseudonyms. We rarely have the chance to get […]