A terrible thing happened in Spooner: the boss ladies didn’t like the article I wrote for Isthmus. Except for… Continue Reading Category Archives: Daily Howl
Parallel Worlds Collide at the Carnival
A terrible thing happened in Spooner: the boss ladies didn’t like the article I wrote for Isthmus. Except for… Continue Reading Rumors, Time and Drunken Dramas
Time with the carnival doesn’t pass like time in regular life, but more like it does in rehab or… Continue Reading It Was One Helluva Weekend
What makes a spot bad or good? Proximity to things – bars, stores, laundry mats. County fairs tend to… Continue Reading Sex Seekers, Sex Bans and Near Death Experiences
Yesterday we decamped Black River Falls, tearing down our bunkhouses in the rain. Having come off a five-day spot, and… Continue Reading The Festering Tensions of Carnival Life
Last weekend in Waunakee, Flo, the Romanian orphan, was placed with me on the Fun Slide. He worked the… Continue Reading Grappling with Rain, Wristbands and Racism
There’s something spooky about a deserted carnival midway just before a storm hits, the canopies whipping in the wind,… Continue Reading Indignities, Indolence and Injuries: All in a Day’s Work
My first night with the carnival was mid-June. It was a Sunday, which meant tear down. I hadn’t given… Continue Reading Sex Offenders, Jailbait and Consolidating the Nates
I like that there are Carnie Children. Traveling with us is Peaches, a bright 15-year-old who runs the balloon… Continue Reading Safety, Heat, Names and Fat Kids
Since joining the carnival in mid-June, I’ve been consistently surprised by just how safe the rides are. Unsurprisingly, most… Continue Reading 
Loading ...
My Last Days with the Carnival