Ace is Aces

Someday there will be a time-lapse montage of N@B spreading across the country like mold on fruit and it will seem like it all happened so fast, but I'd like to take a moment and contemplate that in the space of three weeks, there have (or will have) been three N@B events gone down that I haven't attended. N@B-LA is robust and healthy and hosted Brett Battles, Eric Stone, Fingers Murphy, Lisa Brackmann, (Aldo?) The Mystery Dawg and even a short film by co-host Eric Beetner. Tonight Austin holds another of their N@B events hosted by Scott Montgomery (and Harry Hunsicker? - maybe? Harry, you still involved?) and check out this line-up: Jonathan Woods, Barry Graham and Peter Farris. Shitsnacks, that's strong. And Sunday N@B-NYC burst its cherry all over the Big Apple with a dozen hardcore hardboiled stylists: Jason Starr, Wallace Stroby, Johnny Shaw, Richie Narvaez, Justin Porter, Thomas Pluck, Jen Conley, Jonathan Hayes, Cindy Rosmus, Matthew Melina and Todd Robbins (not to be confused with the similarly monikered -) co-hosts Todd Robinson and Glenn Gray. Mr. Robinson also had a big announcement he saved for the event - the re-opening of Thuglit. There's been a bullet-sized hole in my heart since they've been away. Welcome back, Thugs.

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of attending the very first screening of the film Fuckload of Scotch Tape in Chicago. Man, what a blast. I got to hang with folks like Kent Gowran, Daniel O'Shea, Kevin Lynn Helmick and Robb Olson & Livius Nedin. Them twos also dedicated an episode of their Booked Podcast to my stories A Fuckload of Scotch Tape and Mahogany & Monogamy, and Julian Grant's film adaptation of them. Big thanks to R&L for shining a kindly spotlight on those works. Go forth and check out the episode - both Julian and I are interviewed.

Tonight I'm gonna catch Ace Atkins on his St. Louis stop and today at Ransom Notes, I'm prepping anybody unfamiliar with his work for the event, while earlier in the week I gave a list of my most anticipated books of the summer.