The Orange Spotlight

jason - Posted on 29 March 2010

Patrick Wensink "Sex Dungeon For Sale!" (Eraserhead Press)

Just like the word experimental, the word "bizarro" has always confused me. As I read through stories marked "bizarro" I feel like I am expecting too much and never find the truly bizarre. Then I start to feel like I myself may be bizarre and that is why I am not finding this story to be to strange to handle. So, before I started reading the debut collection from Patrick Wensink I decided to look-up the word bizarre to make sure I had the right focus go in to it.

Bizarre: "involving sensational contrasts or incongruities"

Well, Patrick's tales are filled contrasts and true some are sensational, but they are not to far removed or sensational. In fact, despite the occasional murderous dishwasher or motivational words directed towards kidnappers, these stories are actually filled subtle realities that sneak up around every corner. What Patrick does have is a wildly active thought process and has captured a series of ideas that is astounding. My favorite is the idea of telling the tales of where James Brown's possessions ended up after he died. Each story has a twist, and it is these twist that will keep you coming back for more.

Sex Dungeon for Sale was released back in October, but Patrick will be reading Quimby's here in Chicago on April 24th. Buy a copy of Sex Dungeon for Sale now until April 1 and receive a customized bookplate and a "Sex Dungeon for Sale!" coloring book. FREE!

That's right, Patrick will autograph the plate and include anything you ask.

Want a poem about your flan-baking skills? Done.

Want a picture of a skeleton eating pizza and dreaming about Elvis? Done.

The sky is the limit and some might even include glitter!

Simply email patrickwensink@gmail.com and tell us what you want your bookplate to look like and where you live. We'll hit you back with our super-simple proof of purchase question.

*Special bonus: Send a knock-knock joke with your bookplate info and the funniest one gets a ridiculously awesome Fonzie Prize Pack.