This inspired collection of stories is cause for celebration. With stunning language and dazzling characters, Tour introduces Soul City--a wholly imagined utopia where magic happens and black is beautiful. In a broad range of characterization and styles, THE PORTABLE PROMISED LAND is filled with lighthearted humor and heavyhearted issues. Tour challenges form and what's considered politically correct in stories like "The Sad, Sweet Story of Sugar Lips Shinehot" and "Afrolexicolgy: Today's Bi-Annual List of the Top 50 Words in African America." THE PORTABLE PROMISED LAND marks the entrance of a new and wildly compelling voice to fiction. Tour's readings always fill a room--he's a powerful performer and has a large fan base. "A Hot Time in the Church of Kentucky Fried Souls" won the Sam Adams Story Contest in Zoetrope: All Story. THE PORTABLE PROMISED LAND is the kind of book reviewers can's resist--fresh, smart, hilarious, and challenging.

It's sure to attract national attention. Already anthologized, Tour's work appears in the Best American Essays of 1999 and the Best American Sports Writing 2000.