''Naked Pueblo'' is a short story collection written by
Mark Jude Poirier
Mark Jude Poirier is an American novelist, short story writer and screenwriter.
He grew up in Tucson, Arizona, the fifth child in a family of eleven children. He lives in New York City with his partner, Edward Cahill.
Career
He wrote the novel ...
and first published by
Crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
in 1998. Poirier's debut collection, it includes the following stories, all set in and around
Tucson
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
:
-
*"Son of the Monkey Lady"
::The narrator tells of his lifelong friend Chigger and his widowed alcoholic mother, and of an evening spent at
San Carlos Lake
San Carlos Lake was formed by the construction of the Coolidge Dam and is rimmed by of shoreline. The lake is located within the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, and is thus subject to tribal regulations.
After it was built, the reservoir ...
.
*"Before the Barbeque Hoedown" (first appeared in ''Gulf Coast'', summer/Fall 1996)
::Jackpot, the daughter of a stripper from
Agua Prieta
Agua Prieta (English: ''Dark Water'', Opata: ''Bachicuy'') is a town in Agua Prieta Municipality in the northeastern corner of the Mexican state of Sonora. It stands on the Mexico–U.S. border, adjacent to the town of Douglas, Arizona. The mun ...
replies to an ad in the ''
Tucson Citizen
The ''Tucson Citizen'' was a daily newspaper in Tucson, Arizona. It was founded by Richard C. McCormick with John Wasson as publisher and editor on October 15, 1870, as the ''Arizona Citizen''.
When it ceased printing on May 16, 2009, the daily ...
'' in order to get out of
Eloy and becomes the assistant to a
realtor
A real estate agent or real estate broker is a person who represents sellers or buyers of real estate or real property. While a broker may work independently, an agent usually works under a licensed broker to represent clients. Brokers and agen ...
in Tucson dependent on
valium
Diazepam, first marketed as Valium, is a medicine of the benzodiazepine family that acts as an anxiolytic. It is commonly used to treat a range of conditions, including anxiety, seizures, alcohol withdrawal syndrome, muscle spasms, insomnia, a ...
.
*"Bear, Bikes, Bug-boy" (first appeared in ''
Green Mountains Review
''Green Mountains Review'' is an American literary journal published biannually at Johnson State College in Vermont, founded by senior editor Neil Shepard and currently edited by Elizabeth Powell and Jacob White.
''Green Mountains Review'' was ...
'', Fall/Winter 1995-96)
::Mulligan tells of a summer spent
mountain-biking
Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and pe ...
in
Telluride.
*"Cul-de-sacs" (first appeared in ''
Manoa
Mānoa (, ) is a valley and a residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from Ala Moana and Waikiki at .
Neighbo ...
'', Fall 1997)
::A designer of concrete benches tells of his life spent in a desert cul-de-sac with his wife and niece, including a visit to
Pima Air Museum
The Pima Air & Space Museum, located in Tucson, Arizona, is one of the world's largest non-government funded aerospace museums. The museum features a display of nearly 300 aircraft spread out over 80 acres (320,000 m²) on a campus occ ...
.
*"Let them Love!"
::Snider's tells of his mother's relationships following his father's departure to lead a church.
*"Something Good"
::Grant works in a
Value Village
Savers, Inc. headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, U.S., is a privately held for-profit thrift store retailer offering second hand merchandise. An international company, Savers has more than 315 locations throughout the United States of Ameri ...
thrift store; taking his pick of the donated goods before they reach the shelves.
*"Disciplinary Log" (first appeared in ''
JANE
Jane may refer to:
* Jane (given name), a feminine given name
* Jane (surname), related to the given name
Film and television
* ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd
* ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...
'', November 1998)
::Linda Hardiman's log of the behaviour of Charles Hackenbush in her art lessons and the punishment she applies.
*"Monkey Chow" (first appeared in ''Aethlon: The Journal of Sport Literature'', Summer 1995)
::Three
rock climber
Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically and ...
s head for
Joshua Tree
''Yucca brevifolia'' is a plant species belonging to the genus ''Yucca''. It is tree-like in habit, which is reflected in its common names: Joshua tree, yucca palm, tree yucca, and palm tree yucca.
This monocotyledonous tree is native to the ar ...
relying on
shop lifting
Shop or shopping refers to:
Business and commerce
* A casual word for a commercial establishment or for a place of business
* Machine shop, a workshop for machining
*"In the shop", referring to a car being at an automotive repair shop
*A wood s ...
for food and
syphoning to provide petrol for their trip.
*"La Zona Roja" (first appeared in ''
BOMB
A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the Exothermic process, exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-t ...
'', June 1997)
::Sam tells of his trips to
strip joints in
Nogales with his old friend Beezer and of the strain this puts on his marriage to Becky who is working on a dissertation on
Botero
Botero is a surname of Italian origin, common in Colombia and along with other similar variants (Boter, Boteri, Botter, Botteri, Bottero), it originated in the Piedmont region of Italy, more specifically, in the town of Bene Vagienna, province of C ...
entitled ''The Sensuality of Plump''.
*"Pray for Beans" (first appeared in ''Coe Review'', May 1997)
::Maxim's middle name is Jude. Harper believes he is therefore able to influence
St. Jude in praying for her brother and promises to cook beans for him if he visits shrines on her behalf.
*"Ska Boy, 1986"
::Ted tells of his life as a
mod
Mod, MOD or mods may refer to:
Places
* Modesto City–County Airport, Stanislaus County, California, US
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* Mods (band), a Norwegian rock band
* M.O.D. (Method of Destruction), a band from New York City, US ...
in the Tucson
ska
Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
scene including a clash with
skinhead
A skinhead is a member of a subculture which originated among working class youths in London, England, in the 1960s and soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working class skinhead movement emerging worldwide in th ...
s.
*"Tilt-a-Whirl" (first appeared in ''Laurel Review'', Fall 1997)
::Tells the story of how 'Monkey Lady' (from the first story) lost her foot on a
tilt-a-whirl
Tilt-A-Whirl is a flat ride similar to the Waltzer in Europe, designed for commercial use at amusement parks, fairs, and carnivals, in which it is commonly found. The rides are manufactured by Larson International of Plainview, Texas.
Descript ...
ride
References
{{Reflist
1998 short story collections
Short story collections by Mark Poirier
Arizona in fiction