Columns
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“Beloved Son Felix”: Coming of Age in the Renaissance
And yet for all this death, life went on, and what makes the journal truly fascinating are the everyday details of the mid-16th century. On a day trip to Villeneuve, Felix notes that rosemary is so abundant that it’s collected…
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On This Father’s Day
My wife and children give me every reason to feel loved, to feel appreciated, to feel needed. Every year, like every day, my family makes me feel like I’m special—that I’m their dad, that I’m her husband. But my wife…
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“The Personal is Always Political:” A Conversation with Kate Schatz
“By expanding beyond her story, I was able to broaden the scope and incorporate the experiences of other young women whose stories I encountered during my research. And finally: by creating a fictional world, I could give my protagonist experiences…
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Three Poems
a chainsaw made for her and yours The Chainsaw was invented by Scottish scientists John Aitken and James Jeffray who created a hand cranked “Aitken’s flexible chainsaw”, to split the pubic bone from women in difficult labor and remove the…
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Estrangement as a Chorus: A Conversation with Jenny Bartoy
“It helps, when editing, to think about the writer, the reader, and the self. When something is triggering and traumatic, I always think about the writer. Are they okay writing this? Are they okay sharing this? Editorially, I’ll say this…
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Decentering the Human Narrative in Fables: A Conversation with Thomas Wharton
“Do I have a process for tackling tragic scenes? Just to be honest and direct about what’s happening, and to avoid overwriting—that’s what moves me in the sentimental writing that I admire. If my own story makes me cry, that’s…
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Religious Experience
She had a mug collection that spilled out of her cabinets, which stands to reason: When you have children and grandchildren and a 23-year-long career in education, clear out a cabinet or two, because you are about to be lousy…
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The Rooster
“My parents joked about the incident for days, until the Tangshan Earthquake took over the news and quickly pushed it from their minds. The chick that had slipped Mimi’s mouth turned out to be a rooster, growing a bright comb…
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The Rumpus Book Club Is Back
We’re thrilled to announce the relaunch The Rumpus Book Club.* Our monthly author discussions will begin on June 30th at 7pm ET with Ann Patchett. Host Debbie Millman will be speaking with Ann about her storied career, Parnassus Books and,…
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Who You Would Be at the End of the World: a Conversation with Dave Housley
“[T]his process of building and connecting stories together into a larger work… You can start off with one version that you send out to lit mags, and then you can design another version that connects to a larger world. You…
