Duke City Tales: Stories from Albuquerque

Duke City is Albuquerque -- the commercial, educational, medical, military metropolis that contains half the population of New Mexico and was home for more than forty years to activist, mythologist and story-teller Harry Willson. His stories about luminarias, hot air balloons, atomic bombs, bats, false arrest, hunting, finding, moonwatching, DWI, cops, schools, litter, mufflers, stray dogs, and a fumbling old alchemist who attempts to use his occult powers to obtain peace and quiet, with results that are comical and less than satisfactory, give pause to those of us who feel called upon to change the world.

Short fiction, with illustrations by Claiborne O'Connor.

"...a striking shift away from contemporary fiction's usual assumption that violence, oppression and injustice are somehow 'natural.' ...Willson keeps reminding us that it's O.K. to believe in peace." -PLOWSHARES PRISONER

"...a series of vignettes about modern life in the Sun Belt with a quiet sort of intimacy. This book will be of great interest to anyone curious about contemporary Southwest fiction." -THE BLOOMSBURY REVIEW