Features & Reviews
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A Challenge to Publishers: Just Say No to Gonzo
We’d like to introduce you to The Blurb, the Rumpus Books blog. Check this space for frequent posts about the state of our writing culture, our literary community, and the writer’s life, written by authors, editors, writing teachers, and readers.…
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Reading in the New Year
Rumpus Books asked dozens of writers what they’ll be reading on New Year’s Day, 2009. Here’s what they said:
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A Rabid Fan of the Novel Revolutionary Road Compares It to the Film
It has come to my attention that you keep adapting my favorite novels [see Atonement, Revolutionary Road, et. al.], and turning them into mediocre movies. Cease and desist! Get your own ideas!
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Going to See the Elephant, by Rodes Fishburne
Going to See the Elephant, the debut novel by Rodes Fishburne, is a paean to newspapering and young love, by a writer whose ambition is worn lightly on his sleeve. It’s a fun book about being young in a new…
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Washington Post Books Editor Steps Down
Marie Arana, the longtime editor of The Washington Post’s Book World is stepping down tomorrow. “For 15 years I have had the privilege and honor
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The Way I Am, by Eminem
Eminem’s memoir, The Way I Am, borrows its title from his 2000 single about the over-the-top trappings of fame, in which he vents: “I’m racin’, I’m pacin’, I stand and I sit/And I’m thankful for every fan that I get/But…
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The Shorty Q&A with Johnathan Hillstrand
“Hell, if I’d jumped on all the dames I’m supposed to have jumped on, I’d have had no time to go fishing.” —Clark Gable
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The Rumpus Long Interview With Tamim Ansary
Tamim Ansary is the author of West of Kabul, East of New York and the forthcoming book Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes. He is also the facilitator of the San Francisco Writers Workshop, the oldest…
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Coveted Covers
The Readerville Journal’s “Most Coveted Covers” section allows viewers to judge a book by its cover. Contributors weigh the merits of designers’ wiles, while the meat of the pulp is left unscrutinized.
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A Marriage of Drawing and Design
Lauren Nassef and Isaac Tobin are illustrator and book designer, respectively. Together, the Chicago-based couple has fashioned multiple covers by which books would gladly be judged.
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The Only Band that Mattered
Antonino D’Ambrosio remembers his time with Joe Strummer and reflects on the great band’s definitive new book THE CLASH “I wanted to be Pete Townsend, the bloke who throws his arms and jumps up and down.” Paul Simonon