Worth the Chuckles and Tears: Calypso by David Sedaris
Part of the magic of David Sedaris’s work stems from the simple truth that you really can’t laugh heartily until you’re hurting deeply.
Features & Reviews
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Being Human: A Conversation with Porochista Khakpour
Porochista Khakpour discusses her new memoir, Sick, the difficulty of receiving good medical care, and the blessing of online community.
Questions of Legacy: Talking with Adrienne Celt
Adrienne Celt discusses her forthcoming novel, Invitation to a Bonfire, how she found its characters' voices, and what it means to build a legacy.
What to Read When Beach Weather Arrives
Rumpus editors suggest some of their favorite summertime reads!
Three Collections in Two Volumes by August Kleinzahler
Be stunned by Kleinzahler's poetry in the far ports of your body.
Entertaining and Useful: A Conversation with Aline Kominsky-Crumb
Aline Kominsky-Crumb discusses her graphic memoir, Love That Bunch, drawing cancer, inadequacies of early work, and her burial wishes.
The Rumpus Mini-Interview Project #138: Melissa Broder
"We have what we need inside us already, it's just a question of uncovering it, of remembering who we are again and again."
Lessons from a Life: Alexander Chee’s How to Write an Autobiographical Novel
[T]he effect of reading Chee’s essays is to be reminded of why we write, but also, why we read, even in these times of never-ending distress.
What Is Vibrant and Hidden: A Conversation with Jenny Boully
Jenny Boully discusses her new book, Betwixt-and-Between: Essays on the Writing Life, construction of voice, occupying liminal spaces, and editing with sincerity.
What to Read When They Won’t Take the Guns Away
We offer these reading suggestions as a starting point, but know that real change must take place off the page.
Learning to Grow Where Planted: Maggie Smith’s Good Bones
Part of looking closer is seeing what is hard to face, and part of having courage is addressing what seems futile.
The Real People: A Conversation with Rebecca Makkai
Rebecca Makkai discusses her forthcoming third novel, The Great Believers, how she arrived at the book’s structure, and the story and its characters.