The Story
Five Authors Read From Richmond Noir
On Thursday night in Tyler Hall, the final event of the English department’s Patrick Hayes Writer’s Series took place as five authors, either teachers or former students at the College, read selections from the recently published anthology Richmond Noir. The latest in the long-running Akashic Noir series, Richmond Noir features 15 stories set in Richmond, VA that contain the dark and gritty elements typical of a noir-style story.
Notably, this event was the first time in William and Mary history at which three of the College’s writers-in-residence, past and present, were in the same room together. Tom De Haven, writer-in-residence from 2008-2009, served as one of the book’s three editors, and David L. Robbins, the writer-in-residence from 2007-08, served as one of the contributors. The current writer-in-residence, John B. Bailey, was also in attendance as an audience member.
De Haven, the author of 17 novels including It’s Superman! and the Derby Dugan trilogy, began the evening with a reading from the introduction of the collection, which grimly recounted the city’s less-than-glamorous brushes with corrupted politics and the slave trade. De Haven continued by discussing the history of the novel’s conception. It started three years ago when editors Andrew Blossom and Brian Castleberry approached the editor of the Akashic Noir series about including Richmond in the series which featured much larger cities such as Brooklyn and Madrid. Once the editors green lighted the project, it took over two years for the 15 contributors to complete the anthology.
“Everybody who contributed did two or three drafts no matter how advanced they were in their careers,” said De Haven. “It was a labor of love.”
The first story of the evening was “Mr. Not” by Associate Professor of English Hermine Pinson. This story recounts the experiences of a young boy named Tug as he is forced to sit in his room in silence as his parents and their associates argue about various “adult” matters.
Robbins was the next to read, unconventionally starting with the end of his story “Homework.” In this dark tale, a homeless man named Carl decides to get some much-needed cash by robbing his third-grade teacher, who was the only person who showed him any compassion during his tumultuous childhood. To Carl’s surprise, his former teacher is not only blind but truly has nothing of value in her home. His teacher then spends the remainder of the story forcing Carl to think about his life and where he went wrong.
“I don’t remember [teaching at William and Mary] as being fun,” said Robbins, “I remember it as being an honor.”
De Haven then introduced Meagan Saunders ('09), an accomplished student who was recommended for the anthology by Robbins. In her story, “Titled Untitled,” the readers follow a young man who is confident in his ability to succeed in his piano playing, contrasting greatly with the skepticism of his harshly critical girlfriend.
“Is good to be back home at William and Mary,” said Saunders. “…you will miss it one month after you graduate.”
The final contributor to read was published author and playwright Clay McLeod Chapman. In his reading of his story “The Battle of Belle Isle,” Chapman took on the persona of his story’s protagonist as he recounts what it means to be poor in Richmond. Chapman’s reading was as much an acting performance as it was a book reading.
Following Chapman the book readings were concluded, and guests to the event were treated to a wine and cheese reception as well as the opportunity to purchase signed books from all of the authors present.