Allentown photographer’s images conjure up ‘Trouble in the Heartland’

[Examiner, 8 january 2015]

Andrew Martins

“This Cold Place”

Bruce Springsteen and his music are synonymous with a lot of things about New Jersey: the working man, the Jersey Shore, “Glory Days” and “Atlantic City.”

But in a new book, “Trouble in the Heartland,” Springsteen songs such as “Hungry Heart” and “Born to Run” found a new meaning as more than 40 authors created short crime fiction stories around the songs of “The Boss.”

“It was pretty interesting to see where the authors went with some of the titles in the book,” said Mark Krajnak, of Allentown.

Krajnak’s work as a freelance photographer is featured in the book in a photo collection titled “Pictures on the Edge of Town.”

Krajnak, who is a fan of Springsteen and film noir, said getting involved in the crime fiction collection was a natural move for him after he learned about the project through social media.

“Beautiful Reward”

“I saw somebody tweet out a cover of the book and I thought, ‘I’m a pretty big Springsteen fan, too, and I think some of my images would look pretty cool in this book,’ so I contacted [editor] Joe [Clifford],” Krajnak said. The editor reviewed Krajnak’s portfolio, specifically a portion titled “Jersey Noir,” which takes some of the more dilapidated and moody locales in the state and gives them an almost film noir style, and made the decision to include his work.

The project, as it was described to Krajnak, asked authors from around the country, including “Shutter Island” writer Dennis Lehane, to write crime fiction using song titles from Springsteen’s catalogue as a steppingstone.

Although some people may not see the connection between Springsteen and crime stories, Krajnak said the connection is more than a fleeting one.

“Foldin’ Money”

"A lot of crime fiction, to me, is about desperate people making catastrophic choices with dire consequences, and that is what a lot of these stories are. It is also the crux of a lot of [Springsteen’s] music, too,” Krajnak said.

“I think this book definitely has a wide audience. You really don’t need to know anything about Bruce Springsteen to appreciate the work the writers did or to appreciate my photos,” he said.

“Trouble in the Heartland,” published by Gutter Books, is available on Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble and Good Reads.

“Between a Habit and a Dream”