The prolific Stephen Dixon sits down with The Rumpus to discuss the endings of short stories, beginning with good lines, and his evasive history with editors.
Writer Sarah McCarry chats about girl friendships, holding down multiple jobs at once, and setting her novel, a retelling of the Orpheus myth, against the backdrop of 1990s grunge-fueled Seattle.
Canadian novelist Catherine Bush discusses the powers—and lives—of accusation, the close relationship between work and character, and the role of the social circus, at home and in the developing world.
Mary Kay Zuravleff talks about the DNA of the novel, how wordplay and math-thinking have influenced her writing, and the meaning behind "the art of family life is to not take it personally."
Poet Ellen Bryant Voigt speaks to the power of syntax, and her newest collection, Headwaters—"a monument to the conscious mind's compulsion to order and interpret a chaotic world."
We sit down with Rumpus contributor Owen King to talk about his latest book, Double Feature, paying homage to movies that are unintentionally funny, and only using research that gives a story meaning.
Mandy Stadtmiller, writer, comedian, and the deputy editor of xoJane, talks about promoting positivity in women's journalism, why no one gets hired because of résumés anymore, and the importance of maintaining a writing and editorial staff with differing opinions.
T.C. Boyle, who has now written over twenty books, talks to The Rumpus about his most recent short story collection, four decades of cooking up high-grade literary tales, the importance of performance during readings, and life at the Iowa Writers' Workshop.
Journalist and novelist Masha Hamilton sits down with Maud Newton to discuss the influences behind her latest book, What Changes Everything, the intricacies of writing about conflict, and how her work in war zones has helped shape her fiction.
Journalist Royal Young talks about his recent memoir, his past immersion in fame culture, and why our need to live publicly is often grounded in addictive behavior.