“In the very best of fiction, an intimate, spiritual communion momentarily transpires between reader and author. In the case of Bender’s novel, these moments occur during these flawless passages of authentic longing and isolation. Like some of today’s best contemporary … Continue reading
Posted in News | Leave a commentToday my second novel, A Town of Empty Rooms, is born.
Posted in News | Leave a comment“This book would be a great discussion piece on the interplay between religion and society as we navigate the personal and the public and the place of religious life in our culture at large.” Read the rest of his terrific … Continue reading
Posted in News | Leave a commentBen Steelman interviews me for the Star-News. Read the interview here.
Posted in News | Leave a commentRead the interview here:
Posted in News | Leave a commentRead an excerpt of my novel here. http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/
Posted in News | Leave a commentErika Dreifus generously reviews my novel on her blog. Read it here.
Posted in News | Leave a commenthttp://blogs.forward.com/the-arty-semite/167489/women-helped-jewish-lit-evolve-in-/
Posted in News | Leave a commentThis is one of my favorite quotes on the creative process, from Martha Graham to Agnes de Mille: our mother passed on this quote, and I think it’s great. “There is a vitality, a life force, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time. This expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is, nor how valuable it is, nor how it compares withother expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open. No artist is pleased…there is no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a a queer, divine dissatisfaction. A blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others.”
Posted in On Writing | Leave a commentBooklist says, “Bender has created complex characters in a novel that provocatively considers our basic need to connect with other people, and how very fragile those connections can be.”
Posted in News | Leave a commentCounterpoint Press has just accepted my collection, Refund.
Posted in News | Leave a commentPublisher’s Weekly says: “Bender’s a keen observer of marriage and the psychological bonds that tie mothers, daughters, fathers, and sons. The novel excels in stirring the reader’s sympathy and outrage…Bender offers an absorbing and often touching look at the struggles of … Continue reading
Posted in News | Leave a commentAuthor John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of Pulphead, says, “Quiet power is something we have too little of in our fiction these days, so I cherished it all the more in Karen Bender’s Town of Empty Rooms. She observes her characters from what … Continue reading
Posted in News | Leave a commentCraig Nova, author, most recently, of The Constant Heart, says, “A Town of Empty Rooms is a gift to anyone who loves real books about real people. It is profound, moving, and so beautifully written as to break your heart. It’s as … Continue reading
Posted in News | Leave a commentEdith Pearlman, author of Binocular Vision, says, “I read this absorbing book in one sitting. It has everything to make you go on reading – conflict, hope, disappointment; displays of confusion, displays of ignorance, displays of foolishness; —and, at bottom, an … Continue reading
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