The latest updates.
I’m honored to be a Mentor in SUNY Stonybrook’s new program, BookEnds, through Southampton Arts. Students in BookEnds get guidance in finishing their novels or story collections. You can find out more about the program, and how to apply, here.
You can read my short short story, “The Shame Exchange,” published in The Yale Review online, here.
“American writer Karen E. Bender is a master of the short story, managing to create fully rounded characters in well-developed plots within a limited word count.” You can read the rest of the review in the Winnipeg Free Press here.
“She articulates our new normal in terms both empathetic and terrifying….Bender unveils the complex set of motives that caused America to impale itself.” You can read the whole review by Scott Poole here.
I spoke with Marrie Stone about process, craft and The New Order for her radio show “Writers on Writing” on KUCI. You can listen to the show here.
Apartmenttherapy.com calls The New Order a “sharp, thought-provoking and urgent collection.” You can read the whole review here.
“Bender is known for her keenly observant and perceptive stories, including her collection Refund, a 2015 National Book Award finalist, and while her stories have a universality that makes them timeless, The New Order very much speaks to this particularly fraught time.” You can read the rest of the review here.
“A finalist for the National Book Award, lauded for her short stories, Bender returns with a collection that reflects America’s new reality.” The New York Times Book Review includes The New Order on a list of New and Noteworthy books. You can see the list here.
I talk to Jane Ciabattari about five story collections that shaped my work for Lithub. You can read the interview here.
I talk about The New Order with Mitzi Rapkin on her First Draft program on Aspen Public Radio. You can listen to the interview here.