Obsession, printing, and Mardis Gras . . .

 

Morris Smith writes tellingly of one man’s experience of anno horribilis, a single year of many crises. Oris Benton, a proud New Orleans businessman, sees the steady decline of his printing company after years of success. This failure, coupled with the loss of his beloved horse, Pal, triggers a downward spiral, and little by little, Oris becomes obsessed with the idea that he will be arrested for unpaid taxes. In a comic-tragic odyssey of atonement, Oris takes to the streets during the chaos of Carnival week.

Ms. Smith spent many years in New Orleans. She takes the reader along with Oris through everyday events as well as those turbulent few days of Mardis Gras. Going from his comfortable home and complacent life to the hubbub of parades, Oris, a devout yet troubled man, seeks answers only he can find. —Roberta George, Snake Nation Press

About the Author:  Morris Smith lives in Valdosta, Georgia. She studied at Valdosta State University and at Tulane University and has worked as a teacher and social worker. In 1998 she was nominated as Georgia Author of the Year for a short story sequence, Spencer Road (University of Tennessee Press). In 2005 another story collection, Zambian Text, was published by Mercer University Press.