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Articles by Patrick Wensink
The history of taming the Great Black Swamp
November 19, 2025 This is an excerpt from the book “The Great Black Swamp: Toxic algae, toxic relationships, and the most interesting place in America that nobody’s ever heard of.” Available for purchase on November 11, 2025, by Belt Publishing. “The Worst Road in America” Disasters do not happen overnight. And rarely do they have a single source to blame for all their destruction.
Patrick Wensink’s Book Notes music playlist for his book The Great Black Swamp
In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. Patrick Wensink’s blend of ecological reporting, history, and memoir makeThe Great Black Swamp as innovatively told as it is fascinating on many levels.
Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife
This innovative biography of Gertrude Stein (1874–1946) from Square Haunting author Wade assesses the influential writer’s life and legacy. Believing that truly groundbreaking artists were not appreciated in their lifetimes, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas author was obsessed with her own legacy, Wade explains, and sent her manuscripts, letters, and notebooks to the Yale University Library before her death.
Do More in Four: Why It’s Time for a Shorter Workweek
Joe O’Connor and Jared Lindzon. Harvard Business Review, $32 (256p) ISBN 979-8-89-279-145-8 “We believe that the four-day workweek is inevitable,” assert Work Time Revolution CEO O’Connor and journalist Lindzon in this convincing manifesto. The authors contend that the century-old five-day workweek no longer fits the modern business context, where employees, particularly millennials and Gen Zers, rank work-life balance as their top priority when selecting an employer.
A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction
Story Prize winner McCracken (The Souvenir Museum) distills decades of personal experience into 280 idiosyncratic reflections on writing. She eschews rigid, step-by-step advice in favor of “vague broad concepts, digressions, [and] flights of fancy” drawn from her career.
Evergreen: The Trees That Shaped America
This sparkling history from Cornell University professor Preszler (Little and Often) explores America’s relationship with evergreen trees. Lavishly decorated each Christmas season, these trees have played a vital role in the U.S. economy and culture, Preszler argues (“Worshipped and burned, protected and plundered, evergreens reflect who we are and reveal the stories we tell”).
The Sea Captain’s Wife: A True Story of Mutiny, Love, and Adventure at the Bottom of the World
In this immersive account, literature scholar Mazzeo (Sisters in Resistance) spotlights a woman who was once “no less celebrated... than Florence Nightingale.” In the 1850s, amid the California Gold Rush, huge, fast clippers routinely circumnavigated the treacherous tip of South America. The captains were international celebrities, and young Joshua Patten longed to achieve such superstardom.
107 Days
Kamala Harris. Simon & Schuster, $30 (320p) ISBN 978-1-6682-1165-6 “I knew I was the candidate in the strongest position to win,” recollects former vice president Harris (The Truths We Hold) in this candid, blame-casting memoir of her failed 2024 presidential run.
The Book of Memory: How We Become Who We Are
Philosopher Rowlands (The Philosopher and the Wolf) weaves together philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and personal anecdote for an expansive look at how memory shapes identity.
Toxic algae season is back - and Trump has cut safeguards Original
Last August, I was standing on Lake Erie’s Ohio shore, shielding my eyes from the sun while talking to a middle-aged guy wearing swimming trunks and a shell necklace. He had to be Toledo’s only surfer. “Are you worried about the algae at all?” I asked him. “No. I was out Monday, and I didn’t see any algae. If it’s bad, it looks like pea soup.” He pulled a couple of windsurfing boards from the back of a pickup and began explaining the finer points of a northward versus a westward wind.
The Art of Spending Money: Simple Choices for a Richer Life
Morgan Housel. Portfolio, $30 (256p) ISBN 978-0-593-71662-5 Finance writer Housel (The Psychology of Money) offers a deeply insightful guide to managing money focused on spending wisely.
Jump and Find Joy: Embracing Change in Every Season of Life
Hoda Kotb, with Jane Lorenzini. Putnam, $30 (304p) ISBN 979-8-217-04388-0 Today show alum Kotb (Hope Is a Rainbow) draws from her and others’ personal and professional lives for this energizing guide to self-transformation. After becoming a mother in her 50s, Kotb decided in 2024 to retire and devote herself to parenting, caring for her mom, and making room for other priorities.
The Weird and Secretive World of Christmas Tree Salesmen
December 23, 2021 Dear reader, Everyone here at American Consequences wishes you and your family a happy, healthy holiday season. Our offices are closed tomorrow, so you can expect your weekly recap e-mail on Saturday morning and your next American Consequences Daily on Monday morning. Today we’re sharing this fantastic feature story from best-selling author Pat Wensink.
Has COVID Killed the Mall Santa?
December 21, 2020 By Patrick Wensink When you step back and look at him from the right angle, Santa Claus is some combination of action hero and reverse cat burglar. The guy is fearless. Who else could land a team of flying reindeer atop a house in a snowstorm, only to roll up his red sleeves, tell someone to “Hold my cocoa,” and then benevolently commit 500 million cases of breaking and entering in a single night?
American Consequences - December 2020
Did COVID Kill the Mall Santa? That's Not Really Socialism AMERICAN CONSEQUENCES The Exploding Debt Crisis DARLING WENSINK ISKYAN I D E A S T H A T M A T T E R E D I T E D B Y P. J . O ’ R O U R K E 0 UNLESSWE GET THE VACCINE TO THE NORTH POLE, ASAP! SANTA CLAUS ISN'T COMING TO TOWN DECEMBER 2 0 2 0 INSIDE THIS ISSUE H appy Holidays, readers! From everyone here at American magazine is packed with the riveting political and financial stories you need to read...
Gorillas Go Bananas Book Signing
Join us for a special storytime and book signing with author Patrick Wensink as he introduces his newest book, Gorillas Go Bananas! Patrick will read his book and then sign books. If you can't make it to the event but would like a copy signed and personalized, please feel free to contact us before the event or order online below.
Creative Trademark Enforcement Part III: The Southern Hospitality Of Old No. 7
Your first step to building a free, personalized, morning email brief covering pertinent authors and topics on JD Supra: Already signed up? Log in here By using the service, you signify your acceptance of JD Supra provides users with access to its legal industry publishing services (the "Service") through its website (the "Website") as well as through other sources.
Three Things Nobody Told Me About Having a Children’s Book Published
My publisher was concerned about gorillas taking their clothes off, possibly for money, I think. Stripping gorillas must be a big problem in some parts of the country, because this seemed like a deal-breaker. My first children’s book was originally called Gorillas A-Go-Go, but that title wasn’t going to fly. The A-Go-Go part implies stripping, someone said. My first reaction was to squint at the phone, wondering if I was hearing things correctly.
A Story Behind Every Street
Artist: Patrick Wensink Project: Alleys of Louisville Description: Most people decorate the front of their homes to be a reflection of how they wish to be perceived: festive, creative, elegant, a Packers fan. Novelist Patrick Wensink believes the home’s backside is where the true self is best seen—a haunting, colorful, and often humorous world that goes unnoticed, ignored. Eyes on the South is curated by Jeff Rich.
A Story Behind Every Street
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A Story Behind Every Street
Untitled. All images © Patrick Wensink An investigation into a home's backside Project: Alleys of Louisville Artist: Patrick Wensink Description: Most people decorate the front of their homes to be a reflection of how they wish to be perceived: festive, creative, elegant, a Packers fan. Novelist Patrick Wensink believes the home’s backside is where the true self is best seen—a haunting, colorful, and often humorous world that goes unnoticed, ignored.
Town Hall doomsday scenarios: 8 epic meltdowns that could totally happen at tonight’s debate
Tonight’s presidential showdown in St. Louis has about an 80 percent chance of being an absolute mess. It certainly sounds like it’s heading that way. Sure, the Trump camp claims the GOP nominee has been preparing to tone it down and act more presidential. While the Democratic camp has spent hundreds of hours tightening up Hillary Clinton’s drapery anecdotes. But we are not tuning in to see a comatose Donald Trump or to hear more about how Clinton’s dad silkscreened window dressings.
16 Lawyers You Should Never Ever Call No Matter How Much Trouble You're In
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Who Sells Christmas Trees?
“He’s a Southern gentleman, but he’s eccentric. I don’t know much about his past,” says Dorsie Fyffe, over the phone from his car in Texas. “But you can tell he probably did some theater, maybe played some banjo. Whatever he did before he did this, it probably wasn’t what we consider normal.” Fyffe is describing his former boss, Jimmy Coan, the Christmas tree king of Austin. Forget Coan’s past, I’m pretty sure most people wouldn’t consider his current line of work all that normal, either.
Photos from the Kurt Cobain crime scene that could be high art
When the Seattle Police Department recently released a secret, scathing, anti-Courtney Love suicide note found in Kurt Cobain’s wallet, they also quietly released something far more interesting. After briefly reopening the case, they discovered four rolls of undeveloped crime scene photographs. The results are nothing like you’d expect. None feature the Nirvana frontman. Instead, they are filled with easily overlooked details from around the house. The big surprise is how beautiful they are.
Two Bongs Don’t Make a Right
WE HAD A neighbor boy named Ben. Ben was a seventeen-year-old high school dropout with blonde hair buzzed down to stubble. He liked smoking cigarettes and drinking beers with his buddies in the alley. We kept a close eye on Ben, but never felt too worried. He was polite and quiet and we generally liked him. That was, until, he attempted to grow marijuana on our garage roof and made me feel like Attorney General Eric Holder.
When bluesman T-Model Ford died, so did the dirty blues
“If hard times and suffering qualify a man to sing the blues, then T-Model Ford can be said to be overqualified.” -Jay McInerney TONIGHT, THE AFTERLIFE is getting its ass kicked; its women have been bedded and its whiskey has disappeared by the gallon. Because, tonight, T-Model Ford is dead. It’s surprising how little attention T-Model Ford’s recent passing has been given. It’s not entirely shocking, though.
The Weirdest Album to Ever go Platinum
THE BREEDERS ARE back. Technically, they never left. They are just prone to slipping off the cultural radar for years at a time. Regardless, they are celebrating the twentieth anniversary of their smash hit, Last Splash. As monster reissues like this tend to do, the release is a reminder of how young music can make you feel but also how old you’ve become. I have spent the last two decades with this record, but three years stick out among them all: 1993, 2003 and 2013.
Burt Reynolds and Jean-Luc Godard: Blood Brothers?
I WATCHED SMOKEY and the Bandit II (1980) the way most people do: by accident. It was late at night and I’d been drinking. The plan was to catch a few minutes of this mess and go to bed. I figured one Burt Reynolds cliché would make a fine nightcap. As expected, Part II was lazily acted, poorly written and one of the biggest cashgrabs since Let’s Make a Deal was on the air. And then, I saw this: Yep, that’s a pregnant elephant’s trunk between Mr. Mustache’s legs.
My Amazon bestseller made me nothing
In one more week I was going to be a millionaire. At least, that was the rumor circulating around my wife’s family. One more week on Amazon’s best-seller list and I would have seven figures in the bank, easily. Her cousin had looked this fact up on the Internet, so it had to be true. “Please tell them that is nowhere near true,” I said. “But don’t tell them how much money I’m actually going to make.” “OK,” my wife said.
Power Trio: 3 Great Songs from Ohio
I BECAME OHIO’S ambassador when I moved to Tucson. I grew up in the Buckeye State and hadn’t really given it a second thought. But, upon arriving in the Arizona desert and telling people where I was from, I was met with everything from giggles, to squints, to one coworker claiming, “I couldn’t even find Ohio on a map.” It became clear my home state needed more love (this was back before it became a mecca for electoral votes every four years), so I took action.
The Whiskey Rebellion.
The Whiskey Rebellion. Posted on July 19, 2012 by Patrick Wensink After conferring with my publisher’s legal minds, I’ve been given the green light to post this. If you haven’t been following, Jack Daniel’s sent me a letter saying the artwork for Broken Piano for President must be changed. What follows is, perhaps, the most polite cease and desist ever written. If it wasn’t signed by some lawyer, I’d imagine ol’ Gentleman Jack penning it himself, twirling his bushy mustache.
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