Event Description
PSB: Boston Edition is excited to welcome T.J. English to celebrate the release of his latest book, Blood in the Desert. Emily Sweeney will join English in conversation.
ABOUT BLOOD IN THE DESERT
An essential collection of T. J. English's finest literary journalism, spanning true crime, jazz, boxing, police corruption, the desert Southwest, and George Carlin.
The world of print journalism may be waning, but the art of reporting is anything but dead. A former New York City taxi driver turned acclaimed chronicler of crime, corruption, and the American underworld, T. J. English has spent four decades practicing a form of literary journalism that is as vital as ever. The author of classic works such as The Westies, Havana Nocturne, and The Corporation, English has earned a place alongside legends like Jimmy Breslin, Pete Hamill, and Gay Talese.
Blood in the Desert: The T. J. English Reader collects, for the first time, the finest of English's published essays and reporting alongside new work, including the haunting title piece, which has never before appeared in print. Spanning subjects as varied as jazz, boxing, police corruption, violence in the desert Southwest, and the comedy of George Carlin, this book showcases a scribe drawn toward the fault lines of American life.
With a foreword by bestselling novelist Dennis Lehane, Blood in the Desert stands as both a celebration of a tireless truth-teller and a reminder that great writing never loses its power.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR & CONVERSATION PARTNER
T.J. English is a legendary nonfiction crime author of eleven books, four of which have been New York Times bestsellers and four of which were nominated for an Edgar Award in the category of Best Fact Crime. His journalism has appeared in Vanity Fair, Esquire, New York magazine, and Playboy, among other publications. His newest book, Blood in the Desert: The T. J. English Reader, includes articles on aspects of the criminal underworld—English’s forte—but also writings on other areas of interest to the author, such as jazz, boxing, violence in the desert Southwest, and an in-depth interview with comedy legend George Carlin that took place shortly before his death.
Emily Sweeney is a social video journalist at The Boston Globe and the author of three nonfiction books: Boston Organized Crime, Gangland Boston, and Dropkick Murphy: A Legendary Life. In addition to appearing in videos on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, she currently serves as the Globe's Cold Case Files reporter and Blotter Tales columnist and makes frequent appearances on TV and radio shows. She's been featured on BBC News, Bloomberg TV, CBS News, CNN, Court TV, History Channel, Netflix, Oxygen, PBS, Science Channel, Travel Channel, and numerous other media outlets. She can also be seen in Bloody Boston, a two-part documentary special about organized crime, and the Netflix series How to Become a Mob Boss.
This class will take place in-person at our Center for Creative Writing in Boston's Seaport neighborhood.
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Space Accessibility:
Our space is ADA accessible with automatic door openers, ADA-compliant restrooms, desk and table spacing, braille signage, and elevator. Our classrooms can be equipped with ALS for hard of hearing individuals. We cannot guarantee a scent-free environment. For more accessibility requests, please contact our Operations team at [email protected] or (617) 695-0075.