Synopses & Reviews
In the vivid and outlandish tradition of Hunter S. Thompson, journalist Michael Swindle shares his most bizarre, laugh out loud accounts of his travels: cockfights in Cajun country and wild boar hunts in the Everglades; "hog dog" rodeo in northern Louisiana and ass-hauling alligators in southern Louisiana; state to state fish throws in Florida to Alabama; and hollerin' contests in North Carolina. Other pieces explore a Haitian military dictatorship involved in voodoo and a story that starts with a Zapatista march on Mexico City and ends with an Anahuac Indian New Year's ceremony for the year 5722. Always entertaining, Swindle has a gift for bringing to life a folksy array of coastal characters, and shows a willingness to unflinchingly examine some controversial subject matter as well.
Review
"Swindle writes like Mark Twain on a two-tequila limit." Barry Gifford
Review
"Slouching towards Birmingham reads like a collaboration between Hunter S. Thompson and Roy Blount, Jr., edited by Willie Morris. Read it through, then read it aloud for full affect." Allen Barra, Wall Street Journal
Review
"These are wonderful stories by a man who grew wise and fearless enough to let his roots show. Mike Swindle comes from a real place and he makes it real in words like only the very best Southern writers can." Andrei Codrescu
About the Author
Michael Swindle is an author, freelance writer, poet, actor, art curator, and aficionado of the chile picante. His feature articles and reviews have appeared in numerous national magazines and newspapers, including Details, Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times. In addition, Swindle is the author of Mulletheads (Crane Hill Publishers, 1998) and editor of Sequin Artists of Haiti (Contemporary Arts Center, 1994). Born in Alabama, and raised there and in Mississippi, he now lives and works in New Orleans.