Word Magic: All About Books: The Inspiration Behind St. James Infirmary (Stories) by Steve Meloan

Tales of wounded people in need of care…

Title: St. James Infirmary

Author: Steven Meloan

Steven Meloan’s writing has been seen in Wired, Rolling Stone, Los Angeles, BUZZ, the San Francisco Chronicle, and SF Weekly. His fiction has appeared in SOMA Magazine, the Sonoma Valley Sun, Lummox Press, and Newington Blue Press, as well as at Litquake, Quiet Lightning, and other Bay Area literary events. He has regularly written for the Huffington Post, and is co-author of the novel The Shroud with his brother Michael. He is a recovered software programmer, and was a street busker in London, Paris, and Berlin.

“Reading these stories, I felt like I was hearing an original voice for the very first time. They are surreal, cinematic, poetic, and have real punch-with everything I could want in a collection of short fiction. Set in California and Europe, from the 1960s to the 1980s, they vividly capture lost times and lost places. They have echoes of Jack Kerouac and Paul Bowles, and can be read again and again with a sense of wonder and pleasure.”-Jonah Raskin, Author of Beat Blues, San Francisco, 1955

“St. James Infirmary is a captivating collection of stories that takes readers on a dark and uncanny journey through everyday life. Meloan’s writing has a haunting subtlety that draws one in, as if witnessing the events in real-time. With sharp insights and unexpected twists, these stories explore complex human relationships and the often-mysterious forces that shape them. Meloan vividly captures the gritty reality of each setting, throwing a column of light into the underground of the ordinary. For fans of evocative writing that stays with you long after the final page, St. James Infirmary is a must-read.”

– Roadside Press

St. James Infirmary is available at Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/fv3zr2hn and Roadside Press at https://www.magicaljeep.com/product/james/129 .

The Inspiration Behind St. James Infirmary (Stories)

Many of the stories were spawned by semi-annual literary events in my town—raucous, coffeehouse-style readings often set to acoustic live music. The group just celebrated its ten-year anniversary at the same location. The below picture was taken at one such gathering—and is on the back cover of St. James Infirmary. With most of the stories, I began with the germ of some event or experience that was important or memorable to me, and then let the underlying meaning of the experience reveal itself during the writing. And since many of the stories were intended to be read aloud, the rhythm/pacing of the words was also essential. After several years of such gatherings, I realized I had a sizable collection of stories. The co-founder of the events suggested I put them together into a book, and so I did.

I’d had a previous collection of song lyrics published out of an indie press in Germany. Through them, I connected and became friends with Westley Heine, a wonderful musician, poet, and memoirist, with a book on the same German press. Westley ultimately found his way to Roadside Press, and Michele McDannold. Roadside published Wes’ Busking Blues, a wild memoir of his days as a Chicago squatter and street musician. Through that connection, St. James Infirmary also found a Roadside home. McDannold is a true publishing force of nature—with over 100 recent books of poetry, prose, and memoir. And she is a brilliant poet in her own right.

In compiling my collection of stories, I came to see that they often centered around “wounded people in need of care.” And since the title story makes mention of an old folk-blues standard, “St. James Infirmary,” it seemed the perfect encompassing title. The song also has great personal meaning for me. It has been recorded by countless artists—including Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Van Morrison, and Rickie Lee Jones. In fact, an entire book was recently written about the song. But the version that I know best is by the folk singer Josh White. My mother was friends with White in Greenwich Village during WWII. So, I grew up hearing his music. (White was later honored with his own commemorative US Postal Stamp and is mentioned in Bob Dylan’s autobiography.)

The title story of the collection centers around a wild cocktail party thrown by my parents during my teen years. The cover image of the book—featuring a cocktail glass and ‘60s/’70s Pop Art colors—is visually celebrative. But the title text hints at darker undercurrents. The book’s jacket blurbs note that the stories take readers on “a dark and uncanny journey through everyday life,” exploring “complex human relationships and the often-mysterious forces that shape them,” and then “throwing a column of light into the underground of the ordinary.”

About the Author

Steven Meloan has written for Wired, Rolling Stone, the Huffington Post, Los Angeles, BUZZ, the San Francisco Chronicle, and SF Weekly. His fiction has appeared in SOMA Magazine, the Sonoma Valley Sun, Lummox Press, Newington Blue Press, and Roadside Press, as well as at Litquake, Quiet Lightning, Library Girl, and other literary events. His short fiction collection, St. James Infirmary, was released in 2023 on Roadside Press. He is a recovered software developer, co-author of the novel The Shroud with his brother Michael, and a former busker in London, Paris, and Berlin.