WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #25: THE OK END OF FUNNY TOWN By Mark Polanzak

Wonderful Beth Fedyn sent me a copy of Mark Polanzak’s The OK End of Funny Town. The OK End of Funny Town‘s 19 stories feature characters like a giant who sets up camp in the middle of a city (freaking everyone out!) and a complicated and annoying little robot that you don’t know whether you should love or hate. Mark Polanzak plays with magic, surrealism, and whimsy in these stories. If you’re looking for tales out of the realm of the familiar and normal, take a trip to The OK End of Funny Town. Thanks, Beth! GRADE: B

Table of Contents

I. MEET FABULOUS STRANGERS!
1. Giant — 11
2. Complicated and Annoying Little Robot — 16
3. Genie — 25
4. The Mime — 30
5. Unidentified Living Object — 46
II. TRAVEL TO FANTASTIC PLACES!
6. The OK End of Funny Town — 63
7. Our New Community School — 71
8. Camp Redo — 79
9. A Proper Hunger — 83
III. WITNESS MAGICAL THINGS!
10. Porcelain God — 101
11. Gracie — 112
12. An Exact Thing — 116
13. Test — 125

14. How You Wish — 135


IV. EXPERIENCE SURREAL TIMES!
15. Out of Order — 151
16. Ready Set — 160
17. Oral — 169
18. Kind Eyes — 179
19. Used Goods — 187

Acknowledgements — 191

About the Author — 193

Colophon — 196

12 thoughts on “WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES #25: THE OK END OF FUNNY TOWN By Mark Polanzak

    1. george Post author

      Carl, THE OK END OF FUNNY TOWN is published by a regional small press. Mark Polanzak teaches English at the Berklee College of Music. He’s an up-and-coming writer!

      Reply
    1. george Post author

      Tracy, I love the cover on THE OK END OF FUNNY TOWN, too! The cover is “Carnaval at The End of the World Tarot” by Kahn & Selesnick.

      Reply
  1. Todd Mason

    Does “B” as grade mean Enjoyable but not something that will change your life? Lot of good cute notions there.

    “The SCA Short Fiction Prize” seems to be escaping Google. Perhaps I should try DuckDuckGo. I have to wonder if being an English prof at Berklee means one emphasizes improvisation.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Todd, “B” means Good…but not “Great.” Mark Polanzak goes onto my “Promising” list and I’ll keep tabs on his future work.

      Reply

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