What Is The Rumpus?
Welcome to TheRumpus.net. We don’t say that lightly—we’re thrilled you’re here. At The Rumpus, we’ve got essays, reviews, interviews, advice, music, film and poetry—along with some kick-ass comics. We know how easy it is to find pop culture on the Internet, so we’re here to give you something more challenging, to show you how beautiful things are when you step off the beaten path. The Rumpus is a place where people come to be themselves through their writing, to tell their stories or speak their minds in the most artful and authentic way they know how, and to invite each of you, as readers, commenters or future contributors, to do the same. What we have in common is a passion for fantastic writing that’s brave, passionate and true (and sometimes very, very funny).
Founded by Stephen Elliott, The Rumpus launched on January 20, 2009. Since then, our community has grown but we’ve kept our core: we want to change the conversation. We want to introduce you to authors you’ve never heard of before and to provide perspective on books, films, and media that will make you look deeper. What’s meaningful to our writers and readers doesn’t usually fall in step with marketing schedules, breaking news, or what’s trending on the Internet; at The Rumpus, we care about what moves people. We believe that literature is community—and if reading our site makes you want more, we’ve got more! Sign up to participate in the Rumpus Book Club, Rumpus Poetry Book Club, Letters in the Mail, Letters for Kids, and, to receive our overly personal newsletter, The Daily Rumpus.
We also hope you’ll contribute to The Rumpus, either by submitting your writing (check our Writer’s Guidelines) to keep our pages filled with goodness, or by submitting your donation to help keep us in business. The Rumpus is a literary barn-raising, where our writers, editors, illustrators, and readers are all indispensable to who we are. Thanks for coming.
Where did you get the name The Rumpus?
It was Katie Crouch’s idea. Rumpus is the name of the dog in her novel Men and Dogs. After launching The Rumpus, we were informed there is also humor magazine at Yale called Rumpus Magazine. You can check them out here.
Do you run original fiction?
Occasionally. Although we might publish more frequently in the future. Stay tuned.
What is your comments policy?
At The Rumpus, we want to foster a conversation, not a cage match. Your first comment on the site is moderated. After that, your comments are posted automatically. However, we may still delete a mean posting, but not always. For example, you are welcome to disagree with an author or commenter, but not to attack an author or commenter. Comments that are thoughtful with the poster identified will usually stand. But if an anonymous poster leaves a mean, destructive, or harassing comment we will delete it.
How do I submit my work?
We accept all submissions through our submissions manager powered by Submittable. Please read through our Writer’s Guidelines before sending us your work.
Is Dear Sugar ever coming back?
Did she ever leave? The advice columnist Sugar, aka Cheryl Strayed, has had some of the most exciting years of her career with the publication of her memoir Wild and subsequent film adaptation, a collection of her Dear Sugar columns from The Rumpus, Tiny Beautiful Things, and her newest book, Brave Enough. Her books have spent several simultaneous weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and, gosh darn it, we couldn’t be more proud of her. This has taken some time away from her column, but she’ll always be a part of The Rumpus.
Where do I buy Rumpus swag?
We got your swag right here, honey. If there’s something you don’t see that you wish we sold, please let us know.
We’re always looking for good content at The Rumpus, but we’re focused on publishing good writing. Good writing and good ideas are not always the same thing. A topic for an essay might sound horrendous but if a writer is in love with the idea enough she’ll often render something beautiful. We try to maintain high standards even though we don’t have any money and can’t pay for writing. Accepted contributors maintain all copyrights to the work we publish.
We’re interested in seeing finished essays that intersect culture. We realize it’s a lot to ask for people to write something without knowing if it will be published. On the other hand if you aren’t driven by the story so much that you have to write it then it’s probably not a good fit for The Rumpus.
All submissions should be directed to our submission manager powered by Submittable. Please submit to the appropriate category. If you’re unsure, submit to General Inquiries/Tips and we’ll sort you out.
Response time can vary from a few days to a few months. Please allow three months before sending submission status queries. Your patience is appreciated.
Send Morning Coffee links to Dan Weiss — [email protected]
PUBLISHER’S GUIDELINES
If you would like The Rumpus to consider a published book for possible review or other coverage, you may query us at [email protected] with a full description of the book.
For customer service, contact [email protected].
Editor – Stephen Elliott
Managing Editor – Marisa Siegel: [email protected]
Books – Brian Hurley: [email protected]
Poetry – Brian Spears: [email protected]
Fiction – Sarah Lyn Rogers: [email protected]
Essays Editor – Ruben Quesada: [email protected]
Interviews Editor – Ian MacAllen: [email protected]
Music – Patrick Boyle: [email protected]
Film, TV, & Media – Eileen G’Sell: [email protected]
Digital/Electronic/New Media Literature – Amy Letter: [email protected]
Comics – Brandon Hicks: [email protected]
Funny Women Editor – Elissa Bassist: [email protected]
Dear Sugar: [email protected]
Notable NYC: [email protected]
Notable Los Angeles: [email protected]
Notable San Francisco: [email protected]
Notable Portland: [email protected]
Notable Chicago: [email protected]
August 1st, 2016 at 12:11 pm
Hi, and thanks for using Typing Writer. Unfortunately, you’ll have to contact the iTunes store for help with this issue.
August 1st, 2016 at 10:27 am
typing writer dissappeared from my ipad. How do I Retrieve
my work
April 22nd, 2016 at 4:05 pm
Very good publication. Keep it up.
December 5th, 2015 at 12:27 pm
Does Cheryl Strayed still answer letters as Dear Sugar? Please tell her I love her writing and wish she would write a full autobiography.
Lora
May 15th, 2014 at 9:46 pm
Help, please! How do I submit events to Notable Portland or the Events column?
May 10th, 2014 at 5:29 am
Hello, I am wondering if if the Dear Sugar column is still active, is she still answering emails and if so, where would I go to leave one for her? Also do not need to subscribe to Rumpus, would gladly..Thank you from country South Australia..Monica
April 7th, 2014 at 9:06 am
Sasha I was totally obsessed with Tell Me a Riddle thru my 40’s. Virginia
January 16th, 2014 at 6:23 am
I would love to join your book clubs , but we are getting ready to be full-time RVers, so I won’t have a physical address, Any chance there might be an e-book option for the club in the future?
October 10th, 2013 at 7:08 pm
Any news as to the fate of the “Dear Sugar” column? The fact that it’s still a cliff-hanger after almost a year and a half, with readers still mourning the loss, is testament to the fact that Cheryl Strayed affected a lot of people with her thoughtful and beautifully written responses to hard situations. Thank you (for the writings and for reading)!
June 20th, 2013 at 3:51 pm
Thank you for the feedback, Robey. On the new and upcoming Maakies the enlarged size has been adjusted.
June 20th, 2013 at 2:05 pm
the “maakies” comics are pretty unreadable in the smaller scale and don’t fit on the page when enlarged (last box in strip off page right).
on bith macbook and iPad.
is there any way to scroll across, or can you adjust the enlarged size to actually fit a screen?
February 3rd, 2013 at 4:26 am
Hey guys, I’ve been a big fan of yours for at least three years and I’ve posted a few comments here and there on your site. I love Rick Moody, Sugar/Strayed, Thomas Page McBee, Mari Naomi, Roxane Gay (just to mention my favorites), and I really enjoy almost everything you do. I’m even subscribed to the letters in the mail! I know that this doesn’t entitle me to more than reading and, occasionally, commenting. And I know that I’m not allowed to pour my rage or bitterness on your comment sections. But. I posted a critical Judgment on Natalie Dee comics which was removed for no apparent reason: I used the word “shoddy”, true (is that a terrible insolence, btw?) but I also added the words “to me”, closing the comment with a peaceful “de gustibus non disputandum est”. I said that N.D. seemed smart and nice but that the amazing number of comics she produced was probably due to the above-mentioned “shoddiness”… is that too spiteful? If so, I’m sorry (I’m not even a native english speaker so I might misuse words). But I strongly believe that polite critics are vital to art. They foster improvement, thinking and dialogue. And I’m not talking about “art-makers” only, but also about “art-users” as myself… with your decision to censor my comment you probably prevented someone else from explaining me his/her point of view, the fun that she/he finds in those comics and that I’m unable to catch. Long story short: I’m afraid that your moderation is a bit too harsh. That said, I probably can’t fully understand your reasons, that’s why (once again) I’m writing here. Thanks anyway for your great job. A sometimes-critical but always affectionate reader.
January 10th, 2013 at 7:53 pm
Hello, I wish to cancel my subscription to the book club. Though, I truely enjoy it I cannot keep up. Thank you, Robin Strong
November 18th, 2012 at 3:59 pm
I just read Tiny Beautiful Things. I would like to write a letter to Sugar about my metastatic breast cancer misdiagnosis for 3 years and how the cancer enveloped my spine, greatly impacted my quality of life and probably reduced my lifespan considerably. I recently wrote an op Ed that was published in my local paper. The hospital hasn’t taken accountably which makes it hard to move forward. I met with my doctors to see why they made the decisions they did and come up with opportunities for improvement to make sure it doesnt happen to others. I recently spoke at an annual Diagnostic Errors in Medicine conference and heard other incredibly sad stories as well. My medicine works for an average of 3 years. It will be 2 years in December. I am exhausted most of the time and my doctor and I are looking to see if there is something besides the cancer that is contributing. My death is the first thing I think about when I wake. Family and others keep telling me to move on. I can’t. I am working now to make a sandwich board and elk in front of the hospital when I’m able. It would just be an hour a day for exercise. I need Sugar’s advise. How do I reach her? Thanks.
October 9th, 2012 at 10:46 am
Hi. Good work.
I liked Sari Botton’s thing on being addicted to addicts.
But not to leave too negative an Al-Anon after-taste, though their meetings are less reliably good than AA, a good Al-Anon meeting is really good. I mean really good. Codependence is, after all, a deadly disease. It takes something really good to cut through it.
Best,
Monty Johnston