The latest updates.
“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 for the telling situation. Her stories floored me.” —Andrea Barrett, author of Archangel and Servants of the Map
“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 security, while anxiety thrums under the surface and a sense of calamity looms. This collection moved and enthralled me throughout.” —Danzy Senna, author of Caucasia and the story collection: You are Free
“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 of The Deep End of the Ocean and Second Nature
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.
“Refund” is coming out January 13, 2015, but you can order it here and here and here.
Rabbi Anne Perry reviews A Town of Empty Rooms; you can read her review here.
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.
You can read Kay Campbell’s review here.
A Town of Empty Rooms is now out in paperback; a new excerpt, “The Pinewood Derby,” is up on www.byliner.com. You can read the excerpt here.
I talk to Jon Winokur for his website, “Advice for Writers.” You can read the interview here.
Are verbs emotional? Yes, they are! You can read my essay in the New York Times here.
I have a new story, “This Cat,” on the Narrative magazine website. You can read the story here.
My work is now included on the Byliner website. You can find some of my stories and essays here: www.byliner.com.
I talk with my partner in the trenches, Robert Anthony Siegel, about A Town of Empty Rooms. You can read the interview here.
Very grateful to Narrative magazine for selecting my story “Sent” as a Top 5 Story of the Week for 2012-2013. You can reach the announcement here.