Love Park by Jim Zervanos

Local writer and high school teacher Jim Zervanos has crafted a touching and engaging first novel set in Philadelphia. Love Park (published by Cable Publishing) follows a Greek-American family living just outside the city, adeptly exploring their inner dynamics and family secrets. Philadelphia plays a major role as the backdrop to the story as the author brings to life its streets and public art. Philadelphia Magazine described the work as "funny, smart, and incisive."

Zervanos also published a story, "Georgie," in the anthology Philly Fiction, a collection of short stories set in Philadelphia and written by local writers. He also has a piece in the collection Philadelphia Noir, a set of gritty hard-boiled tales which take place around the city.

Find out more about the author at jimzervanos.com.

Philly Fiction

2006’s Philly Fiction was published, as its subtitle suggests, to “highlight Philadelphia as a city of literary inspiration.” It features 19 stories set in Philadelphia, all written by authors who are from Philly or who live in the city. The cover features a stylized sketch of Philadelphia’s ubiquitous icon Benjamin Franklin, rendered by West Philly artist Theron Warren in a cartoonish deconstructionist style that seems to straddle homage and mockery. (There’s a Septa train on the back cover, too!)

Philly Fiction is an ideal gift book for area readers. The stories are diverse and of a generally very high quality and present Philadelphia tenderly, while keeping a knowing eye on its peculiar flaws. As Philadelphia Magazine put it: "[t]he writing sings; in 'The Shanghai Ship to Love,' Edward P. Clapp hilariously describes a trip on the Chinatown Express. There’s genuine emotion in Michael Aronovitz’s 'The Big Picture' …. In Greg November’s 'Dinnertime at 42B,' a loser pays a hooker for her company, but the woman isn’t pretty, and the ending isn’t Hollywood. Welcome to Philadelphia."

Other reviews at the time, such as this extended piece in the Inky, were full of praise. It is available through area bookstores and online at PhillyFiction.com and Amazon.com. A second volume of tales was released earlier this year.