News
The latest updates.
Interview for SUNY Stony Brook’s Bookends blog
30 Jan 2021I talk to the Bookends blog about the revision process. You can read the interview here.
“The New Order” on list of “9 Political Novels Feminists Should Read”
22 Dec 2020Bitchmedia lists “The New Order” as one of 9 Political Novels Feminists Should Read to Understand Our Current Chaos.” You can read the whole list here.
A new story, “Helicopter,” appears in Air/Light magazine
14 Dec 2020My story, “Helicopter,” appears in the launch of Air/Light, a new journal published by USC. You can read the story here.
Faculty Mentor in Alma College’s new low-residency MFA program
12 Nov 2020I’m excited to be a mentor in the new MFA program in Creative Writing at Alma College. The first residency will be in June, 2021. You can find out more about the program here.
My flash fiction “The Pile,” appears in The Commuter series
07 Sep 2020Happy that my flash fiction, “The Pile,” was published in Electric Literature’s “The Commuter” series. You can read the story here. https://electricliterature.com/the-pile-by-karen-bender/
Teaching Zoom Workshops through the 1455 Literary Arts site
04 Sep 2020Starting this month, I’m going to be teaching some drop-in and ongoing writing classes through 1455. The schedule for September and October is here–check back for updates! https://1455litarts.org/workshops/
The 14:55 Interview
21 Aug 2020I really enjoyed talking to Sean Murphy, Director of 1455 Literary Arts, in this interview about reading and the writing life. You can watch the interview here.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9MKbpF1rBE&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3HyHFRt7rjqCmoz2KpQwyx_xzCV2PUl1em9f1H9qHN14J0vveLIwSg0EE
Zoom Talk at 1455 Literary Festival
19 Jun 2020I’ll be participating in the 1455 Literary Festival this year. On July 18, at 4 pm, I’ll be giving a Zoom talk about my essay, “If You Have These Traits, You May Be A Writer,” as well as my 10 Commandments for Becoming a Writer. The festival events are free. Join us! The link is here.
“The Shame Exchange” wins a Pushcart Prize
05 Jun 2020I’m honored that my story “The Shame Exchange,” which appeared in The Yale Review online, has won a Pushcart prize and will be reprinted in Pushcart Prize XLV: Best of the Small Presses.
Zoom fundraiser class raised $1,361!
25 Apr 2020Thanks to everyone who participated in my Zoom creative writing class on sensory detail; we raised $1,361 for Feeding Southwest Virginia. Check back for more classes, fundraisers, and regular craft classes and one-month workshops. Updates in the Editorial Services page on the website.
Free Zoom Creative Writing Class to raise money for Feeding Southwest Virginia
12 Apr 2020I’m running a free 1 hour Zoom class to raise money for Feeding Southwest Virginia. The class will be April 25 at 2 pm. EST. Make a donation to Feeding SW VA, send me a receipt of your donation through a message through my Contact page and I’ll send you the link and materials for the class. We’ll be talking about sensory detail, reading a Cheever story and doing fun in-class exercises. Here’s a link to donate. Message me with any questions! https://www.faswva.org/
My story, “The Cell Phones” was reprinted in Weston Magazine.
19 Feb 2020
My short story, “The Cell Phones,” which appears in my collection “The New Order,” was just reprinted by Weston magazines.
On panel “What to Write (and Read) in the Age of Trump” at Museum of Literature in Dublin
01 Jan 2020
I loved being part of a panel with Aleksander Hemon and Chris Beckett, moderated by Dolores Resano, at the Museum of Literature in Dublin on December 14, discussing “What to Write and Read in the Age of Trump.” I discussed the journal Scoundrel Time, where I’m Fiction Editor, and shared some of our journal’s wonderful work.
Keynote speech at conference at Clinton Institute of American Studies, University of Dublin
01 Jan 2020
I was thrilled to be a Keynote speaker on December 14, 2019, at the Clinton Institute of American Studies at the University of Dublin for the conference, “Alternative Realities: New Challenges for American Literature in the Age of Trump.” My talk was: “Fiction as Warning, Witness and Mirror: Reading from Stories from The New Order.”
My story “Refund” discussed in essay collection, “Neoliberalism and Contemporary American Literature.”
19 Dec 2019
“Refund” was discussed in an essay, “Fictions of Human Capital; Or, Redemption in Neoliberal Times,” by Christian P. Haines, in the essay collection, “Neoliberalism and Contemporary American Literature” edited by Liam Kennedy and Stephen Shapiro.