- Engaging characters who live on the non-glamorous side of L.A. - Like Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, Gloria Naylor's The Women of Brewster Place, and Pat Barker's Union Street, Shaky Town tells the stories of people linked by place - Compelling cover art from street artist Steve Powers (aka ESPO) - Mathews is a much-respected, much-loved writing teacher and writer who has impacted a generation or two of successful writers -