Recent posts
Rumpus Articles
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Sex and the Witty
There’s Something Wrong with Sven combines imaginative leaps worthy of Calvino and Vonnegut with tragicomic irreverence of the George Saunders variety.
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The Sketchy History of Times New Roman
“The case that Parker makes about the real origins of Times New Roman stands on narrow foundations. The sole piece of surviving evidence for his version of history is a brass pattern plate bearing a large capital letter B. He…
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A FAN’S NOTES, The Rumpus Sports Column #13: Roberto Bolano Counts His Pitches
A few nights ago I dreamed I was a member of the New York Yankees.
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The Pixies Meet Jean Luc-Godard
A “video to Pixies’ ‘Wave of Mutilation’ using shots from Jean-Luc Godard’s Pierrot le fou (Pierrot Goes Wild) from 1965.” (via @MarisaNakasone)
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Morning Coffee
Not really sure what these are, but they sure are pretty. Faces from The Wire. Don’t know what to tweet? You’re welcome. Bicycle “ticketed” for being badass and unique. A brief history of movie flying saucers. Speaking of spaceships, science…
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Charlie Stross Talks Happy Slapping, Robot Chauffeurs with Paul Krugman
I just came across this transcript of a conversation between Paul Krugman and the sci-fi writer Charlie Stross. They talk about why flying cars are a bad idea, what kitchens tell us about ourselves, and how “future shock” leads to…
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How Idioms Might Save the World
“…I was astonished (original meaning = struck by lightning) by something Bob Mankoff … said in a Charlie Rose Show interview. He said he thought of “humor as a necessary counterweight to the hegemony of reason.” I use that as…
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Smart People Talk Short Stories
In a post last week titled More Crappy News for Short Story Writers, I lamented what I considered to be a lost opportunity for the big publishing houses. They could, I suggested, use similarities between good short story writing and…
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Africa and Science Fiction
Nnedi Okorafor has an essay over at The Nebula Awards site about Africa’s relationship with science fiction, as well as a discussion on Penguin’s decision to make science fiction ineligible for The Penguin Prize for African Writing. “As (director Tchidi)…
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The Rumpus Sunday Book Review Supplement
This week, Rumpus books reviews a novel, a collection of prose poems, and a debut collection of short stories set in Louisiana.
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Rumpus Sunday Book Blog Roundup
I’m hoping to God that it’s just temporary, but for whatever reason, the book blogs are suddenly all worried about ethics, whether it’s what to do about reading writers with objectionable opinions or whether writers should base characters on people…