Recent posts
Rumpus Articles
-
The Rumpus Interview with Mark Leyner
Mark Leyner discusses his new novel, Gone with the Mind, about a failed novelist, Mark Leyner, who gives a reading to his mom in an almost-deserted food court.
-
Censoring Censorship
Emma Garman discusses the ability of UK’s elite to pay lawyers to keep their names out of the press. She raises the topics of censorship, public interest, and the availability of these resources to people of all classes: The loftiest…
-
Amazon Unintentionally Rewards Scammers
Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited product offers readers an all-you-can-eat model for book subscriptions. The books are mainly self-published titles (and Amazon pays authors by the number of pages read). The model sounds great in theory—readers download books risk-free, encouraging discovery of…
-
A Stand-In for New and Difficult Thinking
Clichés are tempting because they do the work of communicating for us. In a manifesto against workshop jargon, Helen Betya Rubinstein warns us of the dangers of sticking to old models: …because you’d have to remember all the way back…
-
This Week in Posivibes: Mary Margaret O’Hara
Mary Margaret O’Hara’s Miss America is one of those incredible albums worth resurrecting every few years, to ensure that it doesn’t get lost amid the discographies of more prolific artists. O’Hara has consciously decided to produce little else since the 1988 release of her…
-
When Realism Is Magical
Fabulism is a lot like this purse. It seems to belong to this world, but doesn’t follow all of the rules. It beckons you. It’s off. The more you explore it, the more mystery and power it has. Over at…
-
Can Unions Diversify Publishing?
The publishing industry is very white—79% as of 2016. One way to change that might be to unionize publishing workforces, argues J.C. Pan at The Nation. Pan cites the unionization of The New Press, where workers included an affirmative-action clause in…
-
Weekly Geekery
The government has always been spying on you. Updating the search for immortality. People could judge you for giving bad email. Facebook is not social networking.
-
Talking Passover
Time to gather for Seder: over at McSweeney’s, Rumpus Funny Women Editor Elissa Bassist has a handy guide (or a cautionary tale) of conversation topics to get through Passover’s rituals.
-
National Poetry Month Day 26: Beth Bachmann
nectarine & leather (riot) we said they’d never miss it our skin is twisted as harvest & smells like summer all day I hungered outside for something that is not here the rain came went
-
This Week in Indie Bookstores
Independent bookstores are thriving because many are adapting technology and learning how to better serve their local community. A stunning new bookstore has opened in eastern China with dazzling displays and whimsical architecture. Bookstores in Barcelona are adapting as Spain…
