Author Archives: karen

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O magazine calls Refund one of “Ten Titles to Pick Up Right Now”

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In the January, 2015 issue, O magazine reviews Refund: “Each day Bender’s cast of ordinary people struggle to make sense of their debts, their fears, and how to be satisfied with what they’ve got, in short stories that are both … Continue reading

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MORE magazine calls Refund a “Book to Ring in The New Year”

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In the December, 2014 issue, More magazine reviews Refund: “Stories about hustlers, heirs, wage slaves, moguls, and the newly impoverished. “Is this where my life has led?” asks a hard-up character. “Where do I go now?” A fictional bonanza for … Continue reading

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Publisher’s Weekly on Refund!

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Thanks to PW for this beautiful review: “The stories’ strengths stem from Bender’s beautiful writing and her ability to convey the wonder and dread of ordinary life, the things we might notice—whether with terror or with joy—if we weren’t too … Continue reading

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Rebecca Lee on Refund

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“Every once in a while a book steps onto the stage and convinces readers all over again that literature is the great companion and interpreter of life. This is one of those books. In these eleven absolutely masterful stories by … Continue reading

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Tom Barbash on Refund

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“In an American moment where money rules and anxieties fester, Karen Bender has stepped in to tell all our stories with unsettling honesty, an eye for our absurdities, and an openness to the moments of grace that keep us going. … Continue reading

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“For What Purpose?” is included in the American Empires issue of Guernica

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A new short story, “For What Purpose?” is now up in the American Empires issue of Guernica magazine. The story is from my new collection, “Refund.” You can read the story here.

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My column, “The Emotional Power of Verbs,” is part of Susan Orlean’s “Skillshare” online class

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“The Emotional Power of Verbs,” which appeared in the Draft column last December, was noted in an online class taught by Susan Orlean in her Skillshare class. You can read about her class here. 

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“Taiwan’s Incredible Edible Revolution,” is up on Narrative.ly

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Narrative.ly publishes my piece on Taiwan’s Homemakers’ Union Consumer Co-op. You can read the article here.

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Andrea Barrett on “Refund”

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“Money, money! The things we’ll do to get it, the distortions (especially when children are involved) of the space between desire and satisfaction: these are Karen Bender’s subjects, which she handles with savage wit, great economy, and a brilliant instinct … Continue reading

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Danzy Senna on “Refund”

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“In Refund, Karen Bender offers us a vision of contemporary life that is tragic and deeply funny, disturbing and – most of all – true. These are stories about us, women and men living with the trappings of comfort and … Continue reading

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Jacquelyn Mitchard on “Refund”

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“These stories are among the best short fiction I’ve read in a generation. From the chains of straw and coins and angels that bind us to earth, Bender weaves not only gold, but the rings of Saturn.” —Jacquelyn Mitchard, author … Continue reading

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My piece, Pets in Taiwan: The Complexity of Love, now up on The Atlantic site

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My article on pets, Taiwan, the low birth rate, and the complex nature of love is up on The Atlantic website: you can read the piece here.

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My story collection, “Refund,” is available for preorder!

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“Refund” is coming out January 13, 2015, but you can order it here and here and here.

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A Town of Empty Rooms reviewed at ReformJudaism.org

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Rabbi Anne Perry reviews A Town of Empty Rooms; you can read her review here.

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“The Sea Turtle Hospital” now out in Story Quarterly

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My short story, “The Sea Turtle Hospital,” has just been published in issue 46/47 of Story Quarterly.  You can find out more about the magazine here.

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