The Rumpus Interview with Karen Russell
From immortal citrus-suckers to a portentous flock of seagulls, the surreal phenomena in Karen Russell's stories break your heart but leave your suspension of disbelief completely intact.
Interviews
933 posts
The Rumpus Interview with Elizabeth Scarboro and Lidia Yuknavitch
Both Yuknavitch and Scarboro, whose books echo each other in interesting ways, were willing to talk with me about this question of what to do with memoir, and much more.
The Rumpus Interview with Adrian Van Young
Adrian Van Young, whose fiction wades in traditions formed by writers like Cormac McCarthy, Flannery O'Connor, and Edgar Allan Poe, explores horror, terror, and the supernatural in new and unexpected ways.
The Rumpus Interview with Ted Travelstead
Ted Travelstead is an incredible storyteller, the curator of a glorious beard, and one of the most naturally hilarious people I know.
The Rumpus Interview with Matthew Salesses
Writer and Rumpus contributor Matthew Salesses discusses the form of flash fiction, the selective nature of adoption narratives, and how to confront fears of parenting.
The Rumpus Interview with Jennifer Cody Epstein
Novelist Jennifer Cody Epstein discusses her new book, The Gods of Heavenly Punishment, and explores representations of morality, how to address public acts of political violence, and the ramifications of war.
The Rumpus Interview with Tamas Dobozy
Writer Tamas Dobozy discusses the art of the short story, writing about Hungarian history, and why he still favors being published in literary journals above all else.
The Rumpus Interview with Jim Gavin
Jim Gavin is a talented writer who allows his stories the room they need to be told. These are stories that are intelligent and quiet and moving, stories that take up time and space in satisfying ways.
The Rumpus Interview with Dan Kennedy
While many readers are familiar with the melancholy persona he’s adopted—and despite having written a new novel about a life falling apart—author Dan Kennedy is finally ready to admit something to the lit crowd, here and now: he loves mainstream American comedy...
The Rumpus Interview with Mark O’Connell
Mark O'Connell, author of the first original e-book from The Millions, talks about why he is interested in and troubled by what he calls this “frictionless sharing and flattening of affect,” particularly when it comes to what Internet inside jokes have nicknamed Epic Fails.
The Rumpus Interview with David Shields
Essayist and lauded thinker David Shields talks about his new book, whether it’s necessary to draw sharp distinctions between literary forms, and his celebration of literature that collapses the distance between the artist’s life and work.
The Rumpus Interview with Jesse Sykes
The first thing you notice about Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter is Sykes’s voice. It’s a stunning blend of contradictions, cutting and vulnerable, breathy and scratchy, enigmatic and bare.