Welcome to Atlanta, the capital of Georgia and the proving ground for an ambitious young graffiti crew. Months away from college and responsibility, they decide on one last tag. When it goes sideways, they do, too, scrambling to make sense of their sprawling city and their place in it. As the temperature creeps upward, the traffic dissipates (very briefly), and two FBI agents give chase, a new portrait of the city emerges. This isn't the sweet tea you're used to. A humid tale of paranoia, ennui, and absurdity, In the Heat of the Light reintroduces the City Too Busy To Hate for the age of mass surveillance. Join author Stephen Kearse and critic Sheldon Pearce for a reading and discussion of black Southern identity, summers in the South, the best Atlanta rap albums, and the lessons of the Obama presidency.
Stephen Kearse is an author, journalist, and critic from Atlanta. His work can be found in The Baffler, New York Times Magazine, the Nation, and Pitchfork, among other outlets.
Sheldon Pearce is a contributing writer for Pitchfork. His work can be found in The Guardian, NPR, The Fader, Deadspin, and more.
