Writer and Rumpus columnist Peter Orner chats about compression in his work, the reappearance of characters, self-deception, and the stories we hold close.
Writer and journalist Cristina García talks about her latest novel, King of Cuba, how she came to write about Fidel Castro as an octogenarian, and returning to Cuba after more than a decade's absence.
Writer Molly Antopol talks about what it's like to craft a story collection over the course of ten years, the desire to never feel smarter than her characters, and the thin piece of glass that exists between her and Israel.
Writer Elissa Wald chats about noir-infused novellas, taking sex seriously in your work, the pop culture explosion of BDSM, and the erotic power of service.
Writer and activist Joseph Huff-Hannon discusses Gay Propaganda: Russian Love Stories, an oral history collaboration with journalist Masha Gessen and a look at the human rights crisis currently affecting Russia's LGBT population.
Chris Abani sits down to talk about the dangers and seduction of fiction, literature as transformation, growing up in Nigeria, and how "our every justification is a story."
Writer Peter Mountford talks about his latest novel, the impossibility of altruism, the realities of the midlife crisis, and the "catawampus" that is economics.
Writer Ben Marcus discusses his latest short story collection, metaphorical writing, language as a communication block, and the sometimes dysfunctional nature of workshops.
Amy Grace Loyd discusses her new book, her career as an editor (including her stint as the Literary Editor of Playboy), the state of publishing in the digital era, and the different hats one must wear when juggling the tasks of both writing and editing.
Writer and Rumpus columnist Jerry Stahl sits down for a candid chat about memoir, novels, shame, parenthood, being pigeonholed, and managing "the neat trick of being an outsider in all genres."
Mary Miller talks about her first novel, The Last Days of California, the musicality and rhythm of sentences, how to avoid authorial intrusion, and when it's better to back away from the revision process.
Writer, journalist, and critic Olivia Laing discusses her newest book, The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking, and the challenges of looking into the mind of an alcoholic versus the mind of a writer.