Today, a conversation with Jeff Metcalf about his new novel “Wacko’s City of Fun Carnival.”
When Hub Walker gets arrested trying to buy a bottle of whiskey at the local liquor store, it sets in motion a chain of events only Jeff Metcalf can imagine. A high schooler, Hub has already had one or two run-ins with the law so to his young mind, he was on his way to Juvie for sure. So, when an opportunity arises to steal a cop car and escape, it seems like a good idea at the time. One crazy thing leads to another and before we know it, Hub has fled to Wyoming and joined Wacko’s City of Fun Carnival. He seems well-suited to the carnie lifestyle initially; plenty of beer, interesting people, and a beautiful barrel-racing cowgirl who steals his heart. But no sooner has the carnival pulled into Cheyenne than things begin to go sideways. At turns tender and hilarious, you might ask where this story comes from; well, while this is written as a novel, many, if not all, of these events actually transpired!
Jeff Metcalf is an award-winning writer and teacher, as well as the director of a nonprofit dedicated to granting underserved populations access to higher education. Metcalf lives in Salt Lake City, Utah where he teaches literature and playwriting in the English Department and in the Honors College at the University of Utah.
