Fighting climate change through crime fiction and talking heads

Local author Michel Lee Garrett will appear at a book launch event for her anthology “Burning Down The House: Crime Fiction Incited by the Songs of the Talking Heads.” | Thanks to Michel Lee Garrett

Local author Michel Lee Garrett will appear at a book launch for her anthology “Burning Down the House: Crime Fiction Fueled by the Songs of the Talking Heads.”

Garrett, along with co-editor T. Fox Dunham, Alex Award-winning writer Gregory Galloway and author Lucas Franki, will read excerpts from the anthology, sign books, answer questions and meet readers at 6pm on Monday, April 22 at Webster’s Bookstore. Cafe in State College

For Garrett, her labor of love is the culmination of hard work, a team of dream writers and music.

“I grew up listening to a lot of punk rock and new wave, ’80s goth rock and alternative – that kind of stuff,” Garrett said. ‘And at some point I realized that I am a professional editor. I could edit a book. So I started thinking about this kind of subgenre within crime fiction of these music-inspired anthologies. And I thought to myself, if I was going to do one of those things, what would that look like for me?

For Garrett, one song in particular from Talking Heads led to the creation of her latest work. “I started thinking about the song ‘Burning Down the House,’” Garrett said. “And I started thinking about it: If I was going to do something like that, I would want it to be for a good purpose. I would like it to serve a purpose. And I started thinking about how we’re literally burning the house down from the effects of climate change. And it was like a light bulb went off. Lightning had struck.”

The anthology features 12 short stories by esteemed authors, including PD Cacek, winner of the World Fantasy Award and winner of the Bram Stoker Award; Bobby Mathews, Derringer Award winner; Libby Cudmore, Shamus Award winner; and Gregory Galloway, winner of the Alex Award. Garrett wrote the third story in the anthology, also titled “Burning Down the House.” Each of the twelve stories is named after a Talking Heads song.

The crime fiction narrative covers a wide range of topics, from organized crime drama to police procedurals, in styles of near-future science fiction, alternate history, horror, fantasy and magical realism.

The collection touches on themes such as women’s rights, transgender dignity, the dangers of fascism, how disadvantaged peoples are marginalized by broken systems and the far-reaching consequences of environmental injustice.

“Climate change is an issue that affects everyone around the world,” Garrett said. “But as with most problems, the people who bear the brunt of these consequences are the marginalized, the disenfranchised. I felt it was really important that this book had a sense of consciousness and a sense of justice. To have stories that push back against the systems that perpetuate these injustices.”

When Garrett first felt inspired, she turned to her friend and mentor T. Fox Dunham, to whom the author credits much of her growth as an author and artist. Garrett and Dunham worked together and reached out to potential publishers and authors for the anthology.

“I really wanted every author to feel free to experiment. Each story had to be a completely unique, self-contained, visionary work. But like the songs that sparked the stories, I wanted there to be a sense of freedom, a sense of experimentation, a willingness to cross genres to merge elements that may not have been mixed together before,” Garrett explained out. “I was really excited that so many phenomenally talented writers were willing to lend me their time, their talent, and their faith as I worked to make this book a reality over the past few years.”

Suitably timed with the celebration of Earth Day, the book release event will provide an opportunity for further dialogue on the impacts of climate change and the cultural significance of the impact music can have on both individuals and communities.

“I look forward to sharing what is currently a piece of my heart and a piece of my soul with other people. This book has been a labor of love for the past two years of my life,” says Garrett. To have the opportunity to put that out into the world, and to share it with my community… it’s amazing.”