News

The Words of Dr. L on Lithub list: Eight Books About Women with Secret Lives

Bonnie Friedman lists “The Words of Dr. L” along with eight books focusing on women and their secret lives. “To read it is to sit at the feet of a master of the short story form.” You can see the whole list here.

My collection Refund mentioned in NY Times “Read Like the Wind” section!

Teaching NYCIntensive classes this summer with Robert Anthony Siegel!

We are scheduling two weekend revision workshops in our NYCIntensive weekend workshop program this June and August. On June 26-28 and August 7-9, we will meet in midtown Manhattan to discuss fiction or nonfiction manuscripts of up to 25 pages. I co-teach this class with the brilliant Robert Anthony Siegel, and we both give feedback on manuscripts, with an additional zoom meeting after the class. The class is in person but there is a hybrid option as well. Contact me at karenebender1@gmail.com if you have any questions!

The Words of Dr. L is Longlisted for The Story Prize!

The Words of Dr. L is on the Longlist for The Story Prize! You can see all the longlisted titles here.

Chicago Review of Books includes The Words of Dr. L on Best Story Collections of 2025 list

The Chicago Review of Books names “The Words of Dr. L” on their list of Best Story Collections of 2025.” You can see the full list here.

Interview on Nicole Adler show

I loved doing an interview with Nicole Adler for her Youtube show, “The No-No show.” Nicole played Lena in a stage production of my story “Eternal Love” in San Francisco a couple years ago. You can watch the interview here.

The Words of Dr. L is a “Best Book of 2025” by Kirkus Reviews!

Kirkus Reviews has included The Words of Dr. L on its list of Best Books of 2025–Fiction. You can see the whole list here.

Paris Workshop in July 2026 through Writing Workshops

I’ll be teaching a fiction workshop July 14-19 2026 in Paris through Writing Workshops! Robert Anthony Siegel will be teaching the nonfiction workshop, and Ramona Ausubel a generative workshop. You can find out more and apply here.

NYCWriting Intensive with Robert Anthony Siegel in January

Robert and I will be co-teaching our NYCWriting Intensive again the weekend of January 23-25 in Midtown Manhattan. The class, open to both fiction and nonfiction writers, will meet 5-7 pm Friday eve January 23 and then 9 am to 4 pm Saturday January 24 and Sunday January 25. Lunch will be included, and we will all meet for dinner on the 24th. Email me at karenebender1@gmail.com for any questions and to sign up.

Goodreads includes The Words of Dr. L on story collection list

Goodreads includes The Words of Dr. L on this list of 96 great collections published in the last three years. You can see the whole list here.

Lilith magazine reviews The Words of Dr. L

“The smooth prose of these stories escorts us towards soft, barbed realiza- tions: loss, isolation, and new starts do not require catastrophic change in order to occur, they are ahead of us no matter what.” Lilith magazine reviews The Words of Dr. L; you can read the whole review here.

The Words of Dr. L selected as a best-written new work of speculative fiction by The Auraist

The Substack “The Auraist” selected “The Words of Dr. L” as a well-written new work of speculative fiction. You can read more about the site here.

Teaching NYC Writing Intensive August 8-10 in person in NYC

I’m co-teaching with my husband, Robert Anthony Siegel, in a workshop run by us, for fiction and nonfiction writers, the weekend of August 8-10 in Midtown Manhattan. A weekend to get feedback on your work in progress, connect with other writers, discuss the writing life. Email me at karenebender1@gmail.com for more information. Registration is open now.

The New Yorker reviews The Words of Dr. L!

“These often speculative stories take place in worlds in which troubling features of our own are amplified . . . Beyond the collection’s interest in political commentary, what most animates it is familial heartache.” The New Yorker reviews The Words of Dr. L in its Briefly Noted section.. You can read the full review here.

Interview with Jane Ciabattari up on Lithub

I talked to Jane Ciabattari about process and The Words of Dr. L for Lithub. You can read the interview here.