When it comes to making art about drugs, there is one crucial factor that divides the truly great works from the rest, and that is honesty. Over-sensationalize, and you risk the unintentional hilarity of Reefer Madness or, worse, glorifying the lifestyle. Understate the situation, and you wander into Stupor-land. Simple, stark, human sincerity is what elevated William S. Burroughs’s Junkie to a classic, and J.R. Helton hopes the same will do the trick with his latest novel, Drugs. Sometimes it’s funny, sometimes it’s tragic, but Helton’s wry, homegrown prose never fails to resonate. 7 p.m. Brazos Bookstore, 2421 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-523-0701 or visit www.brazosbookstore.com.
Fri., May 18, 7 p.m., 2012
This article appears in May 17-23, 2012.