STATE COLLEGE — Local author Michel Lee Garrett will appear at a book launch event for her anthology “Burning Down The House: Crime Fiction Incited by the Songs of the Talking Heads.”
On Monday, April 22, at 6 p.m. in Webster’s Bookstore and Café Garrett, alongside co-editor T. Fox Dunham, Alex Award-winning writer Gregory Galloway and author Lucas Franki will read excerpts from the anthology, sign books, answer questions and meet with readers.
For Garrett, her labor of love is a culmination of hard work, a team of dream writers and music.
“I grew up listening to a lot of punk rock and new wave, ‘80s goth rock and alternative — stuff like that,” Garrett shared. “And I realized at one point, I’m an editor professionally. I could edit a book. So, I started thinking about this kind of sub-genre within crime fiction of these music-incited anthologies. And I thought to myself, if I was going to do one of those, what would that look like for me?”
For Garrett, one song in particular from the Talking Heads sparked the creation of her newest work. “I started thinking about the song ‘Burning Down the House,’ Garrett shared. “And I started thinking about how if I was going to do something like this, I would want it to serve a good cause. I would want it to serve a purpose. And I started thinking about how we are pretty literally burning down the house through the effects of climate change. And it was like a light bulb went off. Lightning had struck.”
The anthology features 12 short stories from esteemed authors, including P.D. Cacek, World Fantasy Award winner and Bram Stoker Award winner; Bobby Mathews, Derringer Award winner; Libby Cudmore, Shamus Award winner; and Gregory Galloway, Alex Award winner. Garrett penned the third story in the anthology, also titled “Burning Down the House.” Each of the 12 stories is named after a Talking Heads song.
The crime fiction story feature a wide range of subjects, from organized crime drama to police procedural, in styles of near-future science fiction, alternate history, horror, fantasy and magical realism.
The collection touches on themes including women’s rights, transgender dignity, the dangers of fascism, how underserved peoples are marginalized by broken systems and the wide-ranging impacts of environmental injustice.
“Climate change is an issue that impacts everybody all across the world,” Garrett shared. “But as with most issues, the people who bear the brunt of those impacts are the marginalized, the disenfranchised. I felt that it was very important for this book to have a sense of consciousness and a sense of justice. To have stories that punch up against the systems that perpetuate these injustices.”
When inspiration first struck Garrett, she turned to her friend and mentor T. Fox Dunham, whom the author credits for a big portion of her growth as an author and artist. Garrett and Dunham worked together, reaching out to potential publishers and authors for the anthology.
“I really wanted every author to feel free to experiment. Each story needed to be a wholly unique, self-contained, visionary work. But just like the songs that incited the stories, I wanted there to be a sense of freedom, a sense of experimentation, a willingness to reach across genres to blend elements together that maybe haven’t been blended together before,” Garrett explained. “I was really, really excited that so many phenomenally talented writers were willing to lend me their time and their talent and their belief as I worked over the last couple of years towards making this book a reality.”
Aptly timed with the celebration of Earth Day, the book release event will offer the opportunity for further dialogue on the impacts of climate change and the cultural significance of the impact music can have on both individuals and communities.
“I am looking forward to sharing what at this point is a piece of my heart and a piece of my soul with other people. This book has been a labor of love for the past two plus years of my life,” Garrett shared. To have the opportunity to be able to bring that out into the world, and to share it with my community … it’s amazing.”
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