Plrknib: A Tale of Stand-Up Comedy
Cincinnati, 1980. In late November on a Sunday morning my mother burned something she was cooking and the smoke alarm went off. And the joke was there – right there…
Rumpus Original
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From Russia with Love
Elif Batuman offers a rogue’s gallery of Russian writers, scholars, and literary characters—the only oddball missing is herself.
DEAR SUGAR, The Rumpus Advice Column #36: Icky Thoughts Turn Me On
You can take that power back at any moment.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Progress
“People were gathered in the entryway looking at something, and when we stepped forward we saw what: a couple laying on the floor, kissing and embracing in slow motion.”
10/40/70 #7: New Moon, Twin Peaks
This ongoing experiment in film writing freezes a film at 10, 40, and 70 minutes, and keeps the commentary as close to those frames as possible. This week, I examine…
Cometbus #52: The Spirit of St. Louis; or How to Break Your Own Heart, A Tragedy in 24 Parts
On most sunny summer days, Aaron Cometbus can be found leaning back in a folding chair behind a well-organized used book table on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, scribbling in Sharpie…
FUNNY WOMEN #24: Torture, Please!
My theory of the tortured artist is to be an artist, you don’t have to be tortured. But it helps. I am in graduate school. Because I have nothing better to…
Who’s the Narcissist?
Emily Gould may be the queen of oversharing—but you’re the one reading this review of her book.
Ted Wilson Reviews the World #35
FOOD ★★★★★ (3 out of 5) Hello, and welcome to my week-by-week review of everything in the world. Today I am reviewing food.
Have I Earned These Clichés?
When life is not the slightest bit luminescent, I read Lorrie Moore. She honors a commitment to the search for truth and morality through emotional and reachable means.
Swinging Modern Sounds #22: Son of Interactive Playlist
Rick Moody shares the music he's listening to now thanks to suggestions shared by others.
A Modern Reader #1: Friending Dostoevsky
We all have reading habits. We read in bed, at the table, on the train. Perhaps you read standing up in your kitchen, waiting for your pasta water to boil.…