Noir at the Bar!

We're moving from poetic noir to an evening of Noir at the Bar! Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Glasgow, St Louis, New Hope, Albany, New Jersey, Portland, Baltimore, Vancouver – and Toronto! And more pop up every day!

And tonight we are talking to the co-founders of Noir at the Bar, Toronto. Welcome, Rob Brunet and Tanis Mallow! Rob is the author of the ‘deviously clever’ Stinking Rich (Down and Out Books), and Tanis is a contributing author to Bouchercon’s 2014 Anthology, Murder at the Beach and Tanis has a story in this year’s Bouchercon anthology, Passport to Murder.

Before we chat to Rob and Tanis, I'd like to post an excerpt from The Nearly Girl which I read at Noir at the Bar and I hope you will enjoy!

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Amelia’s raw and bloody arms were stinging by the time she was halfway down the hallway. When she reached the end of it, her flesh felt as it was on fire. She thought fleetingly of Joan of Arc, burning at the stake and what an excruciating way that was to die, and she felt renewed sympathy for Joan. She was also reminded of her bravery and she took courage from Joan’s battlefield heroics. 

“Be with me, Joan,” she whispered. “I must prevail.”

She could either drag herself forward through the living room to the front door but that meant she would have to face another vast field of painful iron-bristle carpeting, or she could turn right and drag herself across the comparative coolness of the white linoleum kitchen floor.

If she could only reach the kitchen door that opened out to the garage…

Then, to her horror, she heard the sound of a car returning, an engine being switched off, and a car door slamming.

She kept her head down, trying not to acknowledge that the front door was being opened and she strained in concentration in the subsequent silence as Dr. Carroll padded into the house.

She hoped that he would stop in the living room and sit down for a moment, and her prayers were answered when she heard the squeak of his favourite leather armchair.

She turned right and dragged herself into the kitchen, believing that she could make it to the garage: she could, she could. She crawled around the kitchen table and realized in a fatal moment that two things awaited her: a door handle she could not reach and the unmistakable shoes of Dr. Carroll. She raised herself up on her bleeding raw elbows and looked at him.

“You’ve made a mess of my kitchen floor,” he said. “Blood everywhere.” He pulled out a chair and sat down. He studied her and rested his hands on his belly. “You really are an anomaly,” he said. “The sedatives should have knocked you sideways into next Sunday.”

“They nearly did,” she said and she smiled at him.

“You’re awfully cheerful for a person about to meet their death,” Dr. Carroll remarked and Amelia managed a laugh.

“You won’t kill us,” she said confidently.

“Oh no? And why not, pray tell?”

“Because that would be the obvious solution. You’re going to do the opposite thing.”

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LDN: And now, onto the interview with Rob and Tanis! Noir at the Bar was founded by Peter Rozovsky in Philadelphia in 2008 and it has grown hugely in popularity. What made you decide to have one in Toronto?

Tanis: The first time either of us attended a Noir at the Bar event was the 2013 Bouchercon convention in Albany, NY. We were hooked. There is such a pool of talented crime writers in Toronto, Rob suggested we give this a go in Toronto. 

Rob: When we asked N@B host, Todd Robinson, what he thought of the idea, he said, “Go for it,” and we did.

LDN: To kick off, what does noir mean to you? If there is one quintessential definition of noir, what would that be? I know – that’s like asking you to define crime writing, so let’s narrow it down. What constitutes noir that belongs at Noir at the Bar? Rob, I know you’ve been quoted as saying “This ain't your grandma's book club,” so perhaps you could elaborate on that!

Rob: Author Gary Phillips once defined noir as a “doomed person on a doomed path” and I think that’s perfect. Still, there are plenty of variants on that theme which push the genre into territory as diverse as disturbingly violent or comically bizarre. Maybe the shared characteristic has something to do with impropriety on the page--whether in terms of content, context, or language.  

LDN: Dietrich Kalteis, author of Zero Avenue and co-host at Vancouver Noir at the Bar, said: “There are a few things that have worked well in Vancouver: inviting both novice and established authors who have new releases, and mixing authors who write dark with those who write cozies, and all points in between. It’s always good to consider authors who might draw a crowd, as well as those who are just naturals at reading to a crowd.” What do you guys take into consideration when selecting your lineups?

Tanis: We very consciously put together line-ups that offer a mix of both new and established authors, equal representation of both men and women, short fiction and screenplay writers, and occasionally writers from genres outside of crime fiction. 

Rob: Unlike Vancouver, however, we ask our readers to select darker, gritty pieces. There are lots of promotional opportunities for cosy writers. We wanted to offer something specifically for the noir crowd. 

LDN:  I’m sure it’s an enormous undertaking, so how many events do you host a year and where do you have them?
Tanis: We generally hold them three times a year and our current venue is the Wallace Gastropub where they give us the entire top floor and our own bartender. 

Rob: Bouchercon is in Toronto this year and we’ve been invited to participate. October 11th, 2017 (mark your calendars!) we’re taking over the back room of the famous Rivoli on Queen West as it’s walking distance from the convention hotel.

LDN: I was very fortunate to be invited to Noir at the Bar Improvised, at the Bad Dog Theatre and it was a side-splittingly hilarious evening! Will you be doing any other events like that?

Rob: We’re always open to ideas outside the box.

Tanis: In the summer of 2015, Sean Chercover invited us to hold a special edition Noir at the Bar as part of his book launch. This past winter, Howard Shrier played guitar and sang some noir songs in lieu of reading. 

LDN: Would you ever consider adding an open mic element to the evening?

Rob: We generally have eight to nine readers per evening and each reads for four or five minutes. That seems to be the right amount of time for our Toronto audience. 

Tanis: Personally, I think our audience appreciates having a curated line-up. 

LDN: English Author Jay Stringer commented about the Glasgow Noir at the Bar, “it’s worth looking at a Noir at the Bar like you're putting together a mix tape. You want to show a bunch of different flavours.” Speaking of mixed tapes, could you each tell me your top three noir songs that you’d like to see added to a playlist? Each of the sixteen contributors to this series will be giving me their songs – we’re creating the ultimate Noir Soundtrack!

Tanis: What a fabulous question and I can’t wait to hear the final list! In addition to the obvious "anything by Tom Waits” I’d have to say: You Want It Darker by Leonard Cohen, Hurt by Nine Inch Nails, and Step Right Up by The Constellations (which not only sounds like a Charles Bukowski story but references him in the lyrics). 

Rob: In keeping with my leaning toward comic Noir, here are three favourite tunes:

Travelling Wilburys “Last Night”, Dixie Chicks “Goodbye Earl" and the Beatles “Rocky Raccoon”. 

LDN: Thank you very much for being with us today at Open Book Toronto!

(And many thanks to The Miramichi Reader for the silly bunny artwork! It's a perfect fit for Noir at the Bar, as well as No Fury Like That!)

https://www.inanna.ca/catalog/no-fury/

http://www.lisadenikolitswriter.com

https://49thshelf.com/Books/N/No-Fury-Like-That

https://49thshelf.com/Books/N/Nearly-Girl-The

http://www.miramichireader.ca