2015
-
impossible bottle by Claudia Emerson
Ellen F. Brown reviews Claudia Emerson’s impossible bottle today in Rumpus Poetry.
-
The Saturday Rumpus Interview: Karrie Higgins
The more narratives that approach reality “differently” get treated as “insane” or “unreal,” the less readers are exposed to them, and the more “unreal” or “insane” they seem. It’s like a feedback loop.
-
The Power of Pen Names
At Lit Hub, Tobias Carroll explores the history of authors using pen names, and what happens when these pseudonyms take on their own persona: Under the best conditions, they can add another wrinkle to certain literary works; under the worst,…
-
What Separates Us From the Dolphins?
Can dolphin sonar penetrate the steel hull of a boat—and pinpoint a stilled heart? Can dolphins empathize with human bereavement? Is dolphin society organized enough to permit the formation of a funeral cavalcade? The New York Review of Books reviews Carl…
-
Joanna Newsom Tour and Film Screenings
Joanna Newsom’s US tour dates have been announced for her new album Divers, which is coming out October 23rd via Drag City. But before the record hits stores and the tour begins, the video for the album’s titular track will be…
-
This Week in Short Fiction
You know it’s fall because of the crisp air, the changing leaves, the decorative gourds, and, most importantly, because the fall issues of literary magazines are launching. This week was Virginia Quarterly Review’s turn. On Monday, its Fall 2015 issue…
-
The Lobster, or a Critique of Circe’s New Dating App
In a world where no romantic attachment meant you were turned into an animal, which creature would your lonely self choose? Francine Prose, author of Bullyville, Blue Angels, and many others, writes about the strange, wholly imagined parallel worlds of…
-
Rumpus Original Fiction: Like Mike
All the same, I’m as much a slave to necessity as anyone here. Fear and desire rule the heart. The paycheck has me leashed and basically obedient.
-
Why They Chose the Cricket Risotto
Halfway through her essay “Mēl,” Amy Wright sits down to a freshly prepared bowl of cricket risotto. The Kenyon Review discusses what led them to publish Amy Wright’s latest essay.
-
Notable Chicago: 10/9–10/15
Friday 10/9: Jarrett Neal celebrates the release of his essay collection, What Color Is Your Hoodie? Women & Children First, 7:30 p.m. Saturday 10/10: Greg Gerke (My Brooklyn Writer Friend), James Tadd Adcox (Does Not Love), and Megan Kirby share…
-
A Writer’s Love-Hate Relationship with the Internet
Over at Vela Magazine, Sarah Menkedick discusses her complicated relationship with the endless distraction and instant gratification of the Internet as a writer: My default instinct is to skew towards the more challenging option, which demands greater discipline and less…
-
Stephen Pinker, Deplorer of the Dangling Modifier
After having written 800 pages on torture, rape, world war, and genocide, it was time to take on some really controversial topics like fused participles, dangling modifiers, and the serial comma. Over at the Guardian, Steven Pinker defends his choice to…