Newberry College’s “Noir At The Bar” Is October 10
The Newberry College Department of Humanities has announced its inaugural crime and dark fiction reading, and the public is invited to join in the mystery.
Noir at the Bar will be held Oct. 10 at 8 p.m. at Bar Figaro (944 Main St., Newberry), and will feature America’s foremost crime writer, Lawrence Block, along with College alumni, faculty, and other published authors. Though there have been dozens of similar events around the world, this is the first of its kind in Newberry.
“Noir at the Bar has a rich history dating to the first event in Philadelphia in 2008,” said Dr. David Rachels, humanities department chair and the event’s organizer. “Noir at the Bar events are now held all over the country all the time. Dr. (Warren) Moore and I had often said that we should have one such event at Newberry, and with Lawrence Block on the faculty this semester, we were never going to have a better opportunity for a memorable event.”
The event will feature the following readers:
• Lawrence Block (pictured). Block has published more than 100 books over the course of his 60-year career, including 17 novels featuring his signature character, private eye and recovering alcoholic Matthew Scudder. Along the way, he has received nearly every award available to a mystery writer, including the prestigious Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He currently serves as Newberry College’s Gerding Writer-in-Residence for the fall semester, teaching a writing workshop and a survey course of American crime fiction.
• Jill D. Block. A real estate attorney and daughter of Lawrence Block, Jill Block is the author of “The Truth about Parallel Lines,” published in 2018, and numerous short stories.
• Shawn A. Cosby. Author of “My Darkest Prayer,” published earlier this year, Cosby recently signed a three-book deal with Flatiron Books, a division of Macmillan.
• Dr. Warren Moore. A professor of English at Newberry College, Moore is the author of the crime novel “Broken Glass Waltzes,” published in 2013 and reissued in 2017. His short stories have been published in multiple magazines, and in six anthologies edited by Lawrence Block. One such story, “Bowery Station, 3:15 A.M.,” was listed as an Honorable Mention in “Best American Mystery Stories,” and his “Ampurdan,” received favorable notice in The New York Times in 2017. Moore has also read at Noir at the Bar events in Philadelphia, Durham, North Carolina, and Lawrenceville, Georgia.
• Eryk Pruitt. A screenwriter, author and filmmaker from Durham, North Carolina, Pruitt wrote the 2015 novel “Hashtag,” the southern thriller “What We Reckon,” and the short story collection “Townies,” published in 2017. He is co-host of the true crime podcast, “The Long Dance.”
• Dr. David Rachels. Chair of the Newberry College Department of Humanities and a professor of English, Rachels has published 23 noir stories. His work has been featured in magazines and journals including Thuglit, Switchblade, Plots with Guns and Manslaughter Review.
• Kasey Stuart Schroer ’13. Schroer graduated from Newberry College with a degree in English, and now works as a freelance content creator and chair of the Arts Board for the Newberry Community Players. Her work, inspired by authors such as Clive Barker and Jack Ketchum, delivers horror and suspense from a distinctly feminine perspective.
• Karina Tarbell ’19. Tarbell, a recent Newberry College graduate and a residence hall director, has been published in the College’s literary magazine Lacunae. She also maintains a poetry blog and writes fiction in her spare time.
“Noir at the Bar has in fact become an international series, with readings having taken place in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom,” Moore said. “I hope that while this will be the series’ Newberry debut, there will be more in the future.”
Because of the venue, attendees must be 18 or older with ID.
• Lawrence Block (pictured). Block has published more than 100 books over the course of his 60-year career, including 17 novels featuring his signature character, private eye and recovering alcoholic Matthew Scudder. Along the way, he has received nearly every award available to a mystery writer, including the prestigious Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. He currently serves as Newberry College’s Gerding Writer-in-Residence for the fall semester, teaching a writing workshop and a survey course of American crime fiction.
• Jill D. Block. A real estate attorney and daughter of Lawrence Block, Jill Block is the author of “The Truth about Parallel Lines,” published in 2018, and numerous short stories.
• Shawn A. Cosby. Author of “My Darkest Prayer,” published earlier this year, Cosby recently signed a three-book deal with Flatiron Books, a division of Macmillan.
• Dr. Warren Moore. A professor of English at Newberry College, Moore is the author of the crime novel “Broken Glass Waltzes,” published in 2013 and reissued in 2017. His short stories have been published in multiple magazines, and in six anthologies edited by Lawrence Block. One such story, “Bowery Station, 3:15 A.M.,” was listed as an Honorable Mention in “Best American Mystery Stories,” and his “Ampurdan,” received favorable notice in The New York Times in 2017. Moore has also read at Noir at the Bar events in Philadelphia, Durham, North Carolina, and Lawrenceville, Georgia.
• Eryk Pruitt. A screenwriter, author and filmmaker from Durham, North Carolina, Pruitt wrote the 2015 novel “Hashtag,” the southern thriller “What We Reckon,” and the short story collection “Townies,” published in 2017. He is co-host of the true crime podcast, “The Long Dance.”
• Dr. David Rachels. Chair of the Newberry College Department of Humanities and a professor of English, Rachels has published 23 noir stories. His work has been featured in magazines and journals including Thuglit, Switchblade, Plots with Guns and Manslaughter Review.
• Kasey Stuart Schroer ’13. Schroer graduated from Newberry College with a degree in English, and now works as a freelance content creator and chair of the Arts Board for the Newberry Community Players. Her work, inspired by authors such as Clive Barker and Jack Ketchum, delivers horror and suspense from a distinctly feminine perspective.
• Karina Tarbell ’19. Tarbell, a recent Newberry College graduate and a residence hall director, has been published in the College’s literary magazine Lacunae. She also maintains a poetry blog and writes fiction in her spare time.
