Haunted by Hoax: Paul Griner’s The Book of Otto and Liam
But Griner is too skilled a realist to allow The Book of Otto and Liam to become a simple revenge story.
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Posts Tagged: obsession
The Inescapability of Motherhood: Makenna Goodman’s The Shame
When the novel begins, Alma is in the car, speeding away from her life.
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Doing This Wild Thing: A Conversation with Leesa Cross-Smith
Leesa Cross-Smith discusses her new story collection, SO WE CAN GLOW.
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A Façade of a Woman: R.O. Kwon’s The Incendiaries
It is incredible to crack open an American novel and wince upon seeing parts of yourself reflected back so strikingly.
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The Rumpus Mini-Interview Project #120: Jeannie Vanasco
“If you’ve ever seen a video by somebody running and filming at the same time, that’s what the world looked like: shaky, fast, in and out of focus.”
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Mixed Feelings: The Emotional Labor of Listening to Men Complain
In the first installment of “Mixed Feelings,” a science-based advice column, Mandy Catron offers counsel on handling a partner’s obsession with their ex.
...moreSex, Money, and Art Forgery
“Novels about psychically and sexually burdened paintings have a rich literary pedigree,” writes UNC Professor of Art History Maggie Cao for Public Books. Cao’s essay tackles the subject of forgery, which puts “the intimate, almost magical role that works of art play in people’s emotional and erotic lives” into conversation with modern market forces that have, as […]
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Albums of Our Lives: My Chemical Romance’s The Black Parade
The summer before my final year at college, my fear started to manifest as an anxiety disorder specializing in sickness and disease.
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On Playing Games, Productivity, and Right Livelihood
One week last spring I said it out loud for the first time: “Sometimes I play so long, my fingers go numb.”
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The Rumpus Interview with Laura Mullen
Acclaimed poet and writer Laura Mullen talks about her new book, Complicated Grief, obsession, germ theory, and exposing the arbitrary and superficial protections that have failed us.
...moreWriting Memory
I think we all live in different ways. Some people don’t look back; some people dwell on the past. They are surrounded by mementos and pictures of the past. Other people don’t want to do that. It really depends on who you are. In an interview with Electric Literature, writer Joyce Carol Oates talks about […]
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The Rumpus Interview with Jenny Johnson
Poet Jenny Johnson discusses her forthcoming debut collection, In Full Velvet, phobias, courage, the dual consciousness of queer lovers, and what it means to belong.
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The Saturday Rumpus Essay: On Madness and Mad Men
In my eight years as a Mad Men fan, the series has repeatedly prompted me to reflect on parenting.
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The Saturday Rumpus Essay: Crushed
He’s a cute mensch, I gathered, a cuddly fellow with a well- groomed beard, sad eyes, and, most importantly, a comforting voice that sounded like he was about to either cry or laugh.
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