Indie Bookstore Spotlight: The Booksmith (San Francisco, CA)

Welcome to Akashic in Good Company! This week, take a walk through the Booksmith, wonderful Haight-Ashbury bookshop with a unicorn for a pet!

Review: Aaron’s Leap by Magdaléna Platzová, Translated by Craig Cravens

Former Akashic intern Lisa Martens reviews Aaron’s Leap by Magdaléna Platzová (Bellevue Literary Press).

“Hell’s Spell” by Jeff Brewer

The last time we moved was because she said an ex of hers had shown up and zigzagged a razor through her wrists. The time before that she said a pair of meth heads broke in during the day and left her barely living after wrapping a shower curtain around her neck . . .

Dark Days in Port-au-Prince (Part 4, Katia D. Ulysse)

Read part four of DARK DAYS IN PORT-AU-PRINCE, our Haiti-set noir short story that was written by Haiti Noir and Haiti Noir 2: The Classics contributors in the style of an exquisite corpse, a collaborative writing process in which each author builds a story based upon what his or her predecessors have provided. Katia D. Ulysse,Haiti Noir contributor and author of the forthcoming Drifting, continues this haunting short story.

“Holding Pattern” by Marjorie Tesser

No. I thought you quit. My husband is curled over something held low in his lap.

Just one time, I say. Just a little bit . . .

Laurie Loewenstein on the Smith College Relief Unit

To celebrate the release of Unmentionables by Laurie Loewenstein, we’ve invited organizations to share with us some history related to aspects incorporated in the novel. Today, Laurie talks about her decision to sent her protagonist to volunteer in France with the fictional Fielding College Relief Unit during the Great War. The Fielding College Relief Unit is based on the Smith College Relief Unit, founded in 1917 by Smith College alumna Harriet Boyd Hawes; archivists at Smith College have graciously allowed us to share a photo of and some information about the relief unit.

Spotlight on Haiti Cultural Exchange (HCX)

To celebrate the release of Haiti Noir 2: The Classics, edited by Edwidge Danticat, Akashic will be spotlighting Haitian organizations on our website. Today, we’re pleased to feature Haiti Cultural Exchange, a nonprofit organization that develops, presents, and promotes the cultural expressions of Haitian people. Haiti Cultural Exchange cosponsored our recent Haiti Noir 2 event at the Brooklyn Public Library, and we invited them to tell us more about their organization.

Dark Days in Port-au-Prince (Part 3, Ibi Aanu Zoboi)

Read part one of DARK DAYS IN PORT-AU-PRINCE, our Haiti-set noir short story that was written by Haiti Noir and Haiti Noir 2: The Classics contributors in the style of an exquisite corpse, a collaborative writing process in which each author builds a story based upon what his or her predecessors have provided. Haiti Noir contributor Ibi Aanu Zoboi continues this haunting short story.