Making’s Progress; or, A Defense of Poetry
"But how poetry can touch this utmost experience of being, before which language falters, I do not know, and can’t know, I am unable to know–unless I turn to poetry again...”
Rumpus Original
8550 posts
Drawing the Connection
Art is an act of finding, making, and forcing meaning; a synthesis of witness and imagination; a course that veers always toward empathy.
The Rumpus Interview with Steven Amsterdam
Steven Amsterdam's newest work, What The Family Needed, features a range of voices and perspectives, which will be no surprise to readers of his previous book, or to anyone who’s had a glance at his eclectic C.V.
Letter From Boston
I was walking out of MIT’s gym at 11 pm when the loudspeaker came on, telling us that there was a gunman on campus and to shelter in place.
Ted Wilson Reviews the World #179
SLIMER ★★★★★ (4 out of 5) Hello, and welcome to my week-by-week review of everything in the world. Today I am reviewing Slimer.
Fresh Air Fail: What Happens When Personal Writing Draws a Spotlight
Martha Bayne wrote a piece for The Rumpus about her unplanned pregnancy. Next thing she knew, she was being invited onto Fresh Air. That's when things got sticky...
In the Books
Social workers in South Korea frequently refer to North Korean defectors as da-moonhwa, a broad label that means “many cultures.”
The Rumpus Review of The Place Beyond The Pines
The Place Beyond the Pines begins with a long tracking shot, and the shot acts as a summary of everything that’s good about the movie: its confidence, its ambition, and…
The Last City I Loved: San Francisco
One part of me will always be on my roof in the Sunset District, smoking with my human butt on a damp spot, my cigarette butt about to rest on…
The Big Idea: Gish Jen
“The Big Idea” features interviews with people whose lights stay on—writers, artists, scientists, activists, and others who take a long and broad view of an issue, problem, or concept, and pursue it over many years.
RECORDS OF YOU
He didn’t own a record player because he didn’t need to hear anything. He wanted only to maintain what the vinyl represented: ties to his childhood, ties to New York.