Get Your Last Rites Before End of Days

May 21, 2011 is a big day. For one thing, it’s the Preakness. For another, it’s the next 5ive-Ten Reading at Minas (http://510readings.blogspot.com/).

Oh, and there’s the Rapture. Many predict that this Saturday will be the beginning of the end. That’s to be followed by the end of the world in October. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_end_times_prediction

In need of Last Rites? Here are some last rites of a more enjoyable sort.

The Last Sunday, Last Rites Reading Series takes place each last Sunday of the month in the Baltimore Hostel in Mt. Vernon. A couple readings ago, I was one of their featured readers for “Stories of Desperation and Murder.” Nik Korpon and Pat King hosted, and I was joined by crime writers Don Lafferty, Kieran Shea and Dennis Tafoya—plus an appearance by songwriter Goodloe Byron.

I read an abridged excerpt from Tracks, a novel in stories. “One Last Hit” is about a hit man maneuvering through one last job before calling it quits.

Recently, Dave Kiefaber wrote a review of the Last Rites reading for The Patch. He wrote that my story “was about a wayward youth who becomes a hitman for the mob. Goodman's prose and delivery were captivating enough that I forgot to take a picture of him, so I'm guessing his novel will be pretty good.” (What does that say about my appearance?)

Missed the reading? I read the same story on Baltimore’s NPR station. Catch the posdcast from WYPR’s The Signal here:

http://yourlisten.com/channel/content/76676/One_Last_Hit

And, here’s your chance to catch the next reading from Tracks. I’ll be reading with D.R. Belz, Steve Himmer, and Elisavietta Ritchie at the next Lit & Art at the Watermark this coming Sunday, May 22 from 2-5 at the Watermark Gallery, second floor of the Bank of America Building, 100 S. Charles Street, right across from Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

You can read about it on Read Street, the blog of the Baltimore Sun.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/books/blog/2011/05/judgement_day_just_in_case_a_d.html

Hope to see you there. That is, if any of us are still around on May 22^nd.

Check out the review of Last Rites in The Patch.

http://northbaltimore.patch.com/articles/stories-of-desperation-and-murder-last-rites-reading-series-at-the-baltimore-hostel