From GATHERING VOLUMES
Luke Geddes is the author of the short story collection I am a Magical Teenage Princess and his writing has appeared in Mid-American Review, Washington Square Review, Electric Literature, and more. On Wednesday, Jan. 22 at Gathering Volumes bookstore, 196 E. South Boundary, Perrysburg, he will discuss and sign Heart of Junk (Simon & Schuster), a hilarious debut novel about an eclectic group of merchants at a Kansas antique mall who become implicated in the kidnapping of a local beauty pageant star.
Geddes’ visit is free and open to anyone who wishes to participate, but registration is requested to ensure enough seating is provided. Seating and the scavenger hunt begins at 5:30 p.m. and the discussion will begin at 6 p.m. Following the discussion, Heart of Junk will be available for purchase and Luke Geddes will be signing books.
You can register for the event online here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/luke-geddes-heart-of-junk-tickets-84528953375 or by contacting Gathering Volumes. For more information about Luke Geddes’ Perrysburg visit, call Gathering Volumes at (567) 336-6188.
About Heart of Junk
The city of Wichita is in panic over the abduction of toddler pageant princess Lindy Bobo. However, the dealers at The Heart of America Antique Mall are too preoccupied by their own neurotic compulsions to take much notice. Yet the mall and the missing beauty queen have more to do with each other than these vendors might think, and before long the group sets in motion a series of events that lead to surprising revelations about Lindy’s whereabouts.
Heart of Junk is also a biting commentary on our current era of tidying up celebrity Marie Kondo. It examines why certain objects resonate with us so deeply and argues that “junk” can have great value–connecting us not only to our personal pasts but to our shared human history. As Mr. Geddes writes: “A collection was a record of a life lived, maybe not well or happily but at least with attention and passion. It was autobiography made whole.”
Heart of Junk releases on Tuesday, January 22 and is currently in development by Fox 21 Television Studios. “We are really excited to discuss Heart of Junk with Mr. Geddes the day after its release,” says Denise Phillips, owner of Gathering Volumes. “The story in Heart of Junk is unique and to go along with that we want to make the author visit unique. So, we are going to have a fun ‘Pickin’ Fortunes’ type scavenger hunt prior to the discussion.” The scavenger hunt will have participant find an “antique” in the store. One “antique” will be the national treasure and the guest with that item will win a copy of Heart of Junk to have signed by Mr. Geddes. “We hope this fun game will get everyone excited to start reading Heart of Junk and maybe contemplate their own collections and treasures,” adds Phillips.
