The Rumpus Mini-Interview Project #202: Michelle Steinbeck
“I wanted every reader to see her or his own story.”
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Posts by: Nina Moog
A Certain Way of Singing: Talking with Dorthe Nors
Dorthe Nors discusses her newest novel, MIRROR, SHOULDER, SIGNAL.
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Here’s Your Beginning: A Conversation with Lynn Freed
Lynn Freed discussions her recent essay collection, The Romance of Elsewhere, the importance of a good first sentence, and the risks involved in writing irony.
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It’s Never That Easy: Talking with Deb Olin Unferth
Deb Olin Unferth discusses Wait Till You See Me Dance and I, Parrot, her work with prisoners, and how she ended up with a pet dog.
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The Rumpus Interview with Imbolo Mbue
Imbolo Mbue discusses her debut novel Behold the Dreamers, teaching herself how to write a novel, and the price of the American Dream.
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The Rumpus Interview with Raphael Cormack
Raphael Cormack discusses The Book of Khartoum: A City in Short Fiction, a collection of short stories he co-edited and translated, the editorial process, and the responsibilities that accompany translating writing.
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The Rumpus Interview With Jon Hopkins
The Rumpus talks to Jon Hopkins about his new album, Asleep Versions, about songwriting, recording, and music, and about cooking dinner, sort of.
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The Rumpus Interview with Marina Warner
Marina Warner’s work often focuses on mythology and the deconstruction of “myths of the feminine,” from Mother Goose, to the Virgin Mary, to Joan of Arc, and more. Here, the cultural historian talks about her latest work, Stranger Magic: Charmed States and the Arabian Nights, and her passion for the art of myth.
...moreEdith Pearlman Interview
Edith Pearlman’s interview over at The Millions is worth a gander whether your familiar with the author of recent collection, Binocular Vision, or just becoming acquainted. The interview includes ambling thoughts on Pearlman’s work and interests, and includes mention of Hermes typewriters, polar expeditions, gun collecting, Pearlman’s stylistic influences, and the task of literature.
...moreImages of War
In an interview at the New Statesmen, photojournalist Don McCullin reveals his thoughts on image fatigue, his age, religious convictions, and voting habits. “Where I grew up, most of the people gravitated to becoming criminals. I was surrounded by criminal elements and violence and things like that. And all the boys, they notched up quite […]
...moreCome Away With Me
After the publication of Gomorrah, a journalistic and autobiographical work that focused on and infuriated Naples’ Camorra crime syndicate, author Roberto Saviano entered into 24 hour protective surveillance and a life of restricted freedom. In his new politically charged television show, Vieni Via Con Me (Come Away With Me), Saviano has included anti-Berlusconi monologues by […]
...moreLunching with Luminaries
What do W. H. Auden, E. M. Forster, Philip Larkin, and William Empson have in common? Besides their Britainia, they’ve all had lunch with Steven L. Isenberg. If you missed it, Isenberg vividly recalls four mealtime encounters in this lovely essay from 2009 over at The American Scholar. A snippet from his lunch with Auden:
...moreLunch With Lydia
For admirers of The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis, those interested in Davis’ translations, or if you just like a really good peek into the life of a respected American writer, check out “Lunch With the FT: Lydia Davis.” The article touches on the origins of one of her sparsely written short stories (one sprung […]
...moreHarping About Harper Lee
With this year’s 50th anniversary of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, writers have been spurred to question whether the book deserves its place in the hall of American classics.
...moreWoods’ At Echo Lake
Recalling those famed sandwiches of chocolate, marshmallow, and graham cracker goodness enjoyed around a crackling campfire, aptly named folkie lo-fi musicians Woods bring back your campfire days.
...moreVonnegut’s Blackboard
“Kurt Vonnegut at the Blackboard” (remember those?) over at Lapham’s Quarterly. Vonnegut on Cinderella:
...moreFotografo D’assalto
Modern day Paparazzi have both Federico Fellini and recently deceased photojournalist Felice Quinto to thank for their name.
...moreJonathan Keats Screens Travel Documentaries for Potted Plants
In a Wired article, Scott Thill elaborates on artist Jonathan Keats’ Strange Skies installation, in which he screens films for potted plants in New York. The plants will be exposed to travel documentaries of various European skies. Keats states that that he feels it is only “fair that shrubs and trees know what’s happening, that […]
...moreFeminist Movement Depressing?
In a Los Angeles Times article published last month, Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed, comments on a study by University of Pennsylvania economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers in which they conclude that women have become steadily unhappier since 1972. Stevenson and Wolfers parallel their findings directly with the 1970s women’s movements, suggesting […]
...moreOne Tongue?
In John McWhorter’s World Affairs article “The Cosmopolitan Tongue: The Universality of English,” he asks if it would be “inherently evil if there were not 6,000 languages spoken but one?”
...moreWhy Sleep
I realized, a few days after moving into my apartment, that my neighbor is an enthusiastic accordion player who enjoys playing at odd hours of the evening. I have never had problems with insomnia or sleeping, but loud bursts emanating from compressed bellows at three in the morning do manage to wake me. This new […]
...moreKronos Quartet: The Rumpus Interview with David Harrington
I think, like it or not, that everything we do as citizens, as human beings, is a statement about how we want the world to be.
...moreA Quick Look at the Google Book Search Settlement
US district court judge Denny Chin will be ruling in a case on how we access printed books in the future. Who’s in the middle of a bid for our literary heritage? Google, of course.
...moreBiological Identity Theft
We live in a time where fake DNA has a place in the market! Nucleix, a company specializing in forensic DNA analysis, has uncovered the possibility of falsified DNA evidence at crime scenes. Based on a given sample or generated anew, DNA can be inserted into blood and saliva samples to create biological identity theft. […]
...morePlaying With Words
One thing that fascinates me about writing is how people play with the medium: making up games and assignments to bring us together. For example the Napkin Project at Esquire, where cocktail napkins are mailed to writers and then returned, each covered with a scribbled story.
...moreToo Many Inkblots?
In the last few months, Wikipedia has been in debate with psychologists who are upset that Rorschach inkblot plates can be easily found online. Because the Rorschach tests are displayed with common responses to the open-ended questions doctors pose while using the plates, several psychologists have voiced concerns that the materials are being undermined.
...moreMuch Ado About Amazon’s Kindle Mishap
We covered the news that Amazon removed books from subscribers’ Kindles last week. There is, however, more to the story.
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