The Rumpus Interview with Ben Tanzer
Ben Tanzer discusses his new essay collection Be Cool, why running is so important to him, and not being precious about his work.
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Next Letter in the Mail: Ben Tanzer
We’re getting ready to send out our next Letter in the Mail, and it’s from Ben Tanzer! Ben writes a very funny letter in an attempt to woo one of you to be his new husband and join him and his existing family at his imaginary compound on some beach somewhere. To make sure this letter makes its way […]
...moreWeekend Rumpus Roundup
“If there was one thing I learned from Tess Durbeyfield, Lily Bart, and Constance Chatterly,” writes Gina Di Salvo in the Saturday Essay, “it was not to get trapped.” When Di Salvo becomes a mother, classic works of literature that once provided comfort are reluctantly dropped in favor of the popular children’s film, Frozen. But elements […]
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The Sunday Rumpus Interview: Jonathan Travelstead
I try to…consider the writing process as seriously as I do entering a house with black smoke puffing from its eaves.
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The Sunday Rumpus Essay: There Will Be Blood
It is 1980, I am twelve years old, and there is so much blood.
...moreNotable Chicago: 9/5—911
Friday 9/5: David Tabak, author of the short story collection Lather Rinse Repeat, presents a reading of two short stories at City Lit Books. 6:30 p.m. The Naked Girls Reading is back this month to entertain on the theme “Back to School.” Come to the Everleigh Social Club to be stimulated intellectually. 7 p.m. Saturday […]
...moreWeekend Rumpus Roundup
First, “Making the Leap,” by Grant Snider. Michael Wong, in his very funny and poignant essay “Jack of Hearts,” explains how the idea of magic, as defined by his grandfather, helped him to accept the death of his father and transcend grief. In a review of Rose McLarney’s poetry collection, Its Day Being Gone, Richard […]
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The Sunday Rumpus Essay: End of Story
The cool story would be how we went home that night, dropped everything, booked our trip, and were soon having a threesome…under the ocean spray that endlessly cascades over San Sebastian’s horseshoe beachfront. But that isn’t what happened.
...moreNotable Chicago 12/8–12/14
Sunday 12/8: The Uptown Poetry Slam keeps up its weekly schedule. Stop in early for the open mic, and then stay late for the slam itself. 7 p.m., $6, The Green Mill. Monday 12/9: It’s a busy week for The Moth. They kick off this week with the usual StorySLAM at Haymarket, with stories on the theme of […]
...moreNotable Chicago 12/1–12/7
Sunday 12/1: It’s the last night of Here’s the Story for 2013, and it’s a doozy. For this year end celebration, they ditch the open mic portion and have a lineup of audience-selected favorites. Come out for the usual potluck, and listen to the year’s best stories. 7:30 p.m., $8 (or a dish to share), […]
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Orphans by Ben Tanzer
Brian Gresko reviews Ben Tanzer’s ORPHANS today in The Rumpus Book Reviews.
...moreNotable Chicago 11/3–11/9
Sunday 11/3: Feeling hungry? Pick up tickets to Here’s the Story and nourish your mind and body. It’s Chicago’s only potluck storytelling show. 7:30 PM, free with a dish to share, Stage 773. Tuesday 11/5: Join featured readers Vojislav Pejović, J.H. Palmer, John Rich, Paul McComas, Greg Starrett, and Rosamund Lannin for Tuesday Funk. 7:30 PM, free, […]
...moreWeekend Rumpus Roundup
Here’s what you may have missed on the Rumpus this weekend: A Yumi Sakugawa comic about an elephant god. An essay on parenting by Ben Tanzer. And yes, please note I have just lied to my older son. Parents do that a lot. I could defend it as a necessary means for getting though the […]
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