Dancing Nightly in the Tavern, Mark Anthony Jarman’s impressive debut collection of nine short stories, presents characters assembled from the depths of the local bars, under the influence, on the run, out of work. They are infused with a dark smoke drawn from the raw side of life—stained, imperfect, energetic and earthy—and fueled by a desire to endure. With language that is sharp, fluid and uniquely lyrical, Jarman explores the circumstances of drifting, destinations unknown. Intense. Tempestuous. A seductive read.