Ben Tanzer's Blog, page 273

What We Thought We Knew, a Binghamton story, coincidentally, and sort of conflictually, for us anyway, hits the Blue Print Review at an odd time.

We wanted to let you know that "What We Thought We Knew," which is one of the original Binghamton stories we wrote and was first published by the now sadly defunct RAGAD literary zine, before being included more recently in our short story collection Repetition Patterns from CCLaP, has been re-printed in the wonderful new issue of Blue Print Review, and we are quite appreciative, though conflicted about the timing which feels sort of odd given all that has gone down there this past week. [image error]

The return of SIR CALLOWAY. Can you dig it? We can dig it.

Many of you may recall, okay, okay, all of you recall, that during Lucky Man's meteoric rise to the top of the literary universe we had the opportunity to shoot the video Yo! Lucky Man Raps - see below - with the excellent Chicago rapper SIR CALLOWAY. Recently the video received a "video response," and we are so happy to see SIR CALLOWAY again we thought we would run it here for your viewing pleasure - see above. Frankly, we kind of dig it and we hope you do as well.

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Sunlight At Midnight, Darkness At Noon.

Check it out, Orange Alert Press has a new joint on the way and it sounds quite cool. No, make that way cool.[image error]

Some closing thoughts on Atlanta, both the chapbook and the people, well that, and the new episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life.

Now that we are home we wanted to share some closing thoughts on our jaunt to Atlanta this past week. First off, we read the chapbook Atlanta by the most excellent writer and new bestest friend Jamie Iredell and we really cannot stress enough how much we enjoyed these almost song-like prose poem flash fiction-like riffs on many of our favorite topics, including, but not limited to bars, chicks, Kafka and Johnny Cash. Sadly, Atlanta is sold out at the moment, but we expect the great minds behind

Pink and Orange Graham? Yes, totally, its more writer on writer love. Plus some interview.

The highly entertaining and oddly coincidental stretch of recent TBWCYL, Inc. favorite writers talking to other favorite writers of ours continues with a killer interview on What to Wear During An Orange Alert between the possibly real Sam Pink, he of many excellent publications, including Move in With Me, the first ever piece published in This Zine Will Change Your Life and newish best friend ever Barry Graham publisher of Dogzplotz and author of The National Virginity Pledge. It is much fun, s

File this under: when efforts to co-opt corporate social media campaigns go bad. Or, Old Spice Swagger is no friend of ours.

The Old Spice Swagger campaign promised to help us spread our message about changing lives. And they promised to create some additional buzz about Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine. Instead we got this and not only are we horrified, but we feel a little used. Who could imagine a big multi-national corporation pulling something like this. We are shocked, shocked we tell you. And sad. Quite sad. Unless it still somehow helps us moves books that is. And changes lives of course. Then we'r

This Self-Portait Will Change Your Life, Week Twelve - "Atlanta."

It is Week Twelve of our fully self-absorbed and arguably mind-bending project This Self-Portrait Will Change Your Life. Our goal is to post one-self portrait per week for one year and if you are so inclined, and we would like to think you are, feel free to check out the project in its entirety at the Flickr. This week's portrait is titled "Atlanta" and that is because we are not only in Atlanta, but we are reading Atlanta by Jamie Iredell. To be honest, we've actually finished it, and we loved

Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine hits the Beaverdale Books on April 20th. Join us won't you. C'mon, you might get some Domini.

We are quite excited and most appreciative to have been invited to read from Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine at Beaverdale Books in Des Moines, Iowa on Monday April 20th. We hope to see you there and we are assuming that with three weeks notice you will be able to make it regardless of where you live or what you may already have scheduled. That is a correct assumption, right? Good, because did we also mention that not only is the illustrious, and fetching, John Domini likely to be t

Tanzer is developing a further depth to his writing with each work. Repetition Patterns gets mud luscious'd and likes it. A lot.

Big thanks to J.A. Tyler and the crew at mud luscious for their very kind review of Repetition Patterns in the new edition of this most excellent of literary zines. We are much appreciative and have even posted a snippet below for your viewing pleasure. Please have at it, and J.A., drinks are on us for sure when next we cross paths.

"Tanzer is developing a further depth to his writing with each work, even the revisions of previously published works. Pay attention; we are learning."
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Radiant Days. Most radiant indeed.

We have been trying to think about the best way to express our great affection for Radiant Days by Michael Fitzgerald, but it all seems cliche. You know the story in so many ways, its a coming of age tale, a road trip and a love story, rife with drugs and sex, a debut novel done as males tend to do them, and yet it's so rich and audacious, painful and fresh, such a page-turner, that none of that matters. Its more like a reboot or a reinvention, but here is the thing, it also has substance and de