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The Old Pueblo is shown for what it is: 'Naked Pueblo'

Arizona Daily Wildcat Photo Courtesy of Harmony Books In "Naked Pueblo," a new collection of short stories, Tucson resident Mark Jude Poirier uses unusual residents to create a colorful portrait of life in the city.

Believe it or not, but somewhere within the UA's administration is a man named Chigger who can change grades for a friend. Chigger's mother, an alcoholic nicknamed Monkey Lady, lost her leg on a Tucson carnival ride.

O.K., perhaps this is not true, but it is one of the many local flavors depicted in Mark Jude Poirier's new book "Naked Pueblo" (Harmony, $21.00), a collection of short stories, each dealing with some aspect of Tucson life.

Poirier, a longtime resident of Tucson, has more or less created an accurate map of this city within "Naked Pueblo." The reader for example, is witness to a delinquent girl stealing a bathing suit at a shop near campus "that specialized in fraternity and sorority garb." The Bashful Bandit, "on the edge of Tucson's scanty red-light district," is mentioned, as is the now-defunct "Fine Line."

It's a new experience reading about Tucson in this way. Since the scenes are so real and so familiar, the stories themselves begin to cross that line of fiction, also becoming more real.

Was there really a group of skinheads masturbating in the Barrio Lego complex? What about the local rock climbers who eat monkey food? The realism is enough for the acquainted reader to question what exactly this author experienced while he was here.

The stories themselves are raw, bold and very well written. Every character however, is singular in their shared deviance and psychological impairment. Each one is troubled far beyond reason, acting out dramatically and for the most part, destructively. And to any fearful outsider, the scene Poirier depicts is a city rife with violence, drunks and psychotics. Wow, he really is accurate.

Aside from being an extremely entertaining piece of work, "Naked Pueblo" is representative of a phenomenon that encompasses the spirit of Tucson. It's no New York or Paris, but this city still commands an impressive amount of respect in the art world as writers and artists find their inspiration here ( some of which create internationally known works).

Our superlative athletic reputation is not the only facet of Tucson to be proud of, and of course we have Chigger up in administration when our grades begin to fall. . .