Good God... it's GoodisCon!

Funny how idle speculation in a Port Richmond taproom can quickly become reality. Just a few months ago, Greg Gillespie (the man behind the fantastic Port Richmond Bookstore), Lou Boxer (friend of Secret Dead Blog for Life), Deen Kogan (producer of many a Bouchercon, friend to the mystery community) and Secret Dead Blog were talking about the lack of Philly-area mystery conventions. And then someone... maybe it was Secret Dead Blog, maybe it wasn't... mentioned that this coming January marks the 40th anniversary of the death of noir legend David Goodis (at right).

From there... well, things just went haywire, just like in a David Goodis novel.

Here's the skinny, straight from Lou.

David Loeb Goodis Convention (GoodisCon)
Plus: Deen and Jay Kogan Award for Writers of Importance and Distinction

Who? DLG was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 2nd, 1917 (90th Birthday). He died in Philadelphia on January 7th, 1967 (40th Anniversary of his death). David Goodis is best known for his major contribution to American hard-boiled crime fiction via pulp fiction writing (Dark Passage [1946]), hardback novels and paperback originals (Cassidy’s Girl [1951]).

What? A seminal meeting celebrating Philly Noir, featuring David Goodis and those influenced by his work.

Why? This conference is the first planned yearly symposium to spotlight writers of significance and importance. It will be a unique opportunity for writers, fans, collectors and friends to get together and discuss fine writing in a collegial setting. The intention is to allow all attendees to meet, revel, discuss and experience the Philadelphia Noir in a brand new way.

Where? Philadelphia is the setting for GoodisCon 2007. Several different venues will be utilized to capture the “spirit(s)” of David L. Goodis and his wonderfully dark writing. These include, but are not limited to Temple University, The Legendary Blue Horizon Boxing (#1 Boxing Venue in the World), Yards Brewery and the Port Richmond Bookstore (PRBS).

When? January 5th, 6th and 7th 2007. Hotel, registration fee and schedule of events TBA. The intention is to have three fun-filled days to celebrate the life and writing of David L. Goodis in the spirit with which he would have enjoyed it.

Contact: Lou Boxer (lboxer1@comcast.net) and Deen Kogan (shp@erols.com)

Such a tribute is long overdue. I originally sought out Goodis' work because he was a hometown boy, writing about the neighborhoods I knew. (K&A, represent!) Then after reading Black Friday and Cassidy's Girl and Down There, I realized he wasn't just a Philly boy. He was a fucking genius.

This is a good time to be a Goodis fan. This summer brings a Serpent's Tail edition of Black Friday, including some uncollected short stories. Rumor has it that the debut issue of Murdaland, due out this fall, will also include a Goodis short. Still other rumors have it that a certain wildly popular mass-market paperback fiction line has just secured the rights to a long sought-after Goodis novel. And now, GoodisCon. It's almost enough to make a noir writer giddy.

More news on GoodisCon as it unfolds, live, from that Port Richmond taproom.