Status Updates From The City of Refuge: The Col...

For class!

Oddly, in City of Refuge, the degree of white blood in a black person can take on personal significance, which matters more to a character-v-self plot than to a character-v-society plot.

Identity politics in City of Refuge occasionally focuses on race, but not in the white-v.-black conflicts dominate in many popular stories. Fisher is interested in how region or profession divides the black community.

Finished the Introduction and title story.

“How came the fad?” From notoriety to celebration, the song after the first hit, or the first hit after the first cult classic?

“Give us more of your confidence and we will give you more of the truth.”

A Perfect Understanding in an omniscient ghost or guilty conscience?

The fortuitous coincidence of Jinx finding Bubber by accident leaves no room for more astonishment.

Rip prevails a little too easily.

Revolver on the bureau on first page of “Across the Airshaft.

“Skeeter” feels long after its title character’s invention of stomach cramps.

Skeeter encounters the quarantine complication.

The Man Who Passed has a movie connection.

Being African-American is a consciousness, not just a skin color.

“John Archer’s Nose” makes for a Sherlock-Holmes-If-He’d-Been-in-Harlem-&-Dr.-Watson-Were-the-Smart-One-&-Black.

** john archer's nose **

“Hold the personalities, papa.”

The functionally ambiguously titled Backslider rides the slide both directions, no perjury. The aesthetics of public prayer get attention (214, 216). “‘Baptis’’? Huh, ‘Bogus,’ you mean,” Lil says. Pun with an edge.

In “High Yaller,” Jay’ white-look-alike caller departs through the clothespress, hall or airshaft.

“Miss Cynthie” closes the story with a sweet kiss North to South.

Just finished “Guardian of the Law,” another ironic title. Grammie guards The Law’s spirit with quick acts and storytelling. Good dialog. Themes of fraternal competition and the validation of a shield, but the real Hera-ism happens in the open field.

Play on “promise”: all it does is promise. But it must do some breaking, too.