Dancing on the Edge of the Abyss: Goodisville 2025

Celebrating the 108th Birthday of David Loeb Goodis (March 2, 1917 – January 7, 1967)

*SEATS ARE LIMITED ON THE BUS

WHO: David L. Goodis was a prolific writer, churning out numerous novels , movies, screen plays, pulps, and short stories. He is considered to be one of the greatest noir masters that include Jim Thompson, Chester Himes, Charles Willeford to name a few.  His work is characterized by a gritty, cynical, and often fatalistic tone, exploring themes of despair, loneliness, and the underbelly of his favorite city, Philadelphia. Some of his most well-regarded novels include The Burglar, Nightfall, and Down There (which was adapted into the acclaimed film Shoot the Piano Player by François Truffaut), and “Dark Passage”, starring Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. Goodis’s work has significantly influenced subsequent generations of crime writers and filmmakers, contributing to the enduring legacy of noir fiction. Despite a period of relative obscurity, Goodis has experienced a resurgence in critical and popular interest in recent years, with his novels being rediscovered and appreciated for their literary merit.

WHEN: March 2, 2025 – 12:00 noon until 5:30 PM

WHERE: Fishtown Crossing, 2401-2499 Aramingo Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125 [We will meet in Fishtown at 12 Noon at J.R.’s Saloon, 2663 E Norris Street (by I-95’s Girard exit — there is plenty of free parking across the street from J.R.’s at the Fishtown Crossing shopping center, 2401-2499 Aramingo Ave).

WHAT: A Birthday Celebration for Philadelphia’s Most Famous Noir/Pulp Writer. Our 18th year celebrating the life of David Goodis

COST: $35.00/person. Payments can be made by Venmo to: @NoirCon or by check to NOIRCON. [NOIRCON 209 Dogwood Lane, Wallingford, PA, 19086-6006].

Price includes bus ride to some of Goodis’s favorite haunts, his final resting place, special guest appearance, birthday cake, door prizes, Special Commemorative Goodis Swag, etc.

Can’t make the bus trip, but interested in participating in NoirCon 2025 in Palm Springs, California, please contact us at noircon@gmail.com.

NoirCon is an official 501(c)(3) organization. NoirCon is a literary/film conference devoted to the  dark, elusive, and seductive areas of art and life that we have come to call “noir.” NoirCon also  recognizes its responsibility to those less fortunate.