Ben Tanzer's Blog, page 67

And then there was the time we learned on Twitter that Orphans won the 24th Annual Midwest Book Award in Fantasy/SciFi/Horror/Paranormal.

Congrats to @BenTanzer for winning the 2014 Midwest Book Awards in Fantasy/SciFi. It was a true #honor for Spireseeker to be a finalist!
— E.D.E. Bell (@edebellauthor) May 16, 2014

More here.

"Unfiltered, honest, raw." Lost in Space. Fanboy Comics. Delightful.

Quite delightful, and endlessly appreciated. Excerpt? Word.

"Such amazing stories he shares. Tanzer writes so fluidly from one thought to the next, although non-linearly, still making everything feel organic - complete stream of conscious. Every emotion, every thought he expressed comes across genuinely, as if he is speaking to you from across the table or sitting in the living room, not artifice at all. Tanzer bares his soul in Lost in Space, having the courage as a writer to not only share the good in how he feels on parenthood, but his fears, the downsides of noticing other women while he is married, all the while knowing people aren’t always ready or capable of handling honesty, but he writes it all the same. He writes it for himself and for his sons. I appreciate that, because as I mentioned before, women - people for that matter - don’t often get to hear this perspective. So, an unfiltered, honest, raw version with comments about hot girls and questioning manhood right next to a chapter of movies to watch with your son separated by categories such as "Movies That Make Me So Nostalgic for High School That I Want to Force Myself to Sit through Them Even Though We Didn’t Go to High School Together" is much needed by the masses in my book."

This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Eighty-Four - Not The Russian Tea Room, starring the Todd Summar and Kori Klinzing.

We are so not the Russian Tea Room. But we are most definitely podcast, Todd Summar, Corey Klinzing, the Goreyesque, The Gashlycrumb Tinies, fur coats, and much more. So do hit it, it just might change your life.

"He is our punk-rock, surfer-dude dad and we should be glad for that." Lost in Space. Goodreads. Lovely this.

And much appreciated. More. Excerpt? Word.

"With Lost in Space, Ben Tanzer continues his eloquent, humorous, poetic and deeply thoughtful project wherein he tries to come to terms with what it means to be a father, a son, a husband, and a man in our present world."

Inside Madeline. The Paula Bomer. It is release date. And ready to change your life.

More here. Here. And certainly here.

We are HuffPost Lost in Space interview. Yes, that HuffPost.

And big thanks to the Loren Kleinman for making it so. Excerpt? Word.

LK: I love how you give a Dad's emotionally telling and honest perspective and translation of fatherhood in Lost in Space. Do you feel that more dads should talk about fatherhood more openly? Maybe we should embrace or encourage Daddy Bloggers?BT: I appreciate the kind words, and I am always careful about telling anyone, much less writers and dads what to do. However, as a culture I think we need to better embrace fathers' roles in the lives of their child. Which isn't to express great sadness for the role of men in culture, I'd say we're doing fine in general. But it is to say that when it comes to children we need to better focus on integrating men into the institutions that serve children, just as we need men to play an active role in the lives of children, all children. It is also to say, that we benefit as a society, when we give fathers permission to discuss their experiences, be they good, bad, ugly, or sad.We don't necessarily expect men to feel anything, much less talk about it, but what if we did? Imagine all of the possibilities around healthier dialogue and healthier people, not to mention the potential for less violence and who knows what, if they, we, did, talk more about what they felt?

This Book Will Change Your Life - Bald New World by Peter Tieryas Liu.

What do we expect to read when we hear something is science fiction? Lasers? Star Wars? Some future world rife with spaceships, robots, and mysterious, totalitarian leaders? Or is it something more simple? Worlds we know where technology and change are slowly creeping in, altering the ebb and flow or our normal patterns, and morphing day to day activities into something confusing, and fraught with a constant fear of the unknown, and the what is, or is not, to come? Bald New World by Peter Tieryas Liu has all of that. Which is not to say it's reductive or paint by numbers, but it is to say, that Liu knows what's expected of him and he delivers it. What makes Bald New World, and by extension, Liu himself, special though, is he also knows that in great books, and this is a great book, no question about that, these set pieces and themes are also there to serve as a platform to make a statement about something larger or more personal. And while there are clearly statements here about the intersection of corporations, politics, and religion, what Liu is ultimately commenting on is family. How family scars or lifts us, and sometimes both at once. How we escape its shadows and build a life. The various forms family takes and what families do to support one another, at times to thrive, and other times merely to survive. And how sometimes, we have to build our own family, searching for the right friends and partners, building something real, and healthy, and making what we need from the world. None of which is science fictional at its core. It is life, and we don't need spaceships or dystopia to understand that and admire Liu's efforts to illustrate this. Still, it is science fiction, and when not upsetting, and even when it is, Bald New World is a fun, exciting read because of this, and sure to change your life. Luckily for the reader, Liu well understands this too.

The new edition of This Zine Will Change Your Life is live. All Twice Told. And full of Trecost.

The new edition of This Zine Will Change Your Life is live, and we are thrilled to have new story, A Life Twice Told by Foster Trecost, and (almost) as always, photo action from Adam Lawrence, music curation from Jason Behrends and mid-term election prose love from Pete Anderson. We hope you enjoy this edition and we appreciate all shout-outs and links. Finally, please note, we are hoping more of you will submit comix, and music, novel excerpts, and art, and video, yes, video, and combinations there of. And most finally, Manziel, huh? 

"The real joy of this collection is the interplay between past and present, childhood and maturity." Lost in Space. The Collagist. Word.

A quite lovely and most definitely humbling review indeed. And big thanks to The Collagist for that. Excerpt? Word.

"Tanzer cuts through the sourness of growing old, inexplicably, by showing how sour it can get. It's an odd technique, but it's refreshing for someone writing about parenthood to avoid sentimentalizing becoming a parent. Through the pain and discomfort, something sweet and touching can emerge. Like some of the best flavor pairings, the sour and the sweet aren't just in opposition, but they actually complement one another. This is because Tanzer just presents fatherhood, warts and all."

"Heartfelt writing and brutal honesty." Lost in Space. The Good Men Project. Totally yes.

A quite thoughtful and most definitely appreciated review indeed. And big thanks to the Gabino Iglesias for that. Excerpt? Word.

"Tanzer is a very talented author who was built a reputation as an outstanding voice in independent literature. However, the beauty of Lost in Space comes from the fact that the author abandoned all pretensions and opted to share many aspects of his life as a father of two sons using only heartfelt writing and brutal honesty. There are no attempts at looking like a hero, seeming perfect or pretending to teach others how things should be done. Instead, the writing here offers pain, humor, and proof that parents face unique situations within the context of something that’s incredibly universal."
Tanzer is a very talented author who was built a reputation as an outstanding voice in independent literature. However, the beauty of Lost in Space comes from the fact that the author abandoned all pretensions and opted to share many aspects of his life as a father of two sons using only heartfelt writing and brutal honesty. There are no attempts at looking like a hero, seeming perfect or pretending to teach others how things should be done. Instead, the writing here offers pain, humor, and proof that parents face unique situations within the context of something that’s incredibly universal. - See more at: http://goodmenproject.com/arts/ben-ta... is a very talented author who was built a reputation as an outstanding voice in independent literature. However, the beauty of Lost in Space comes from the fact that the author abandoned all pretensions and opted to share many aspects of his life as a father of two sons using only heartfelt writing and brutal honesty. There are no attempts at looking like a hero, seeming perfect or pretending to teach others how things should be done. Instead, the writing here offers pain, humor, and proof that parents face unique situations within the context of something that’s incredibly universal. - See more at: http://goodmenproject.com/arts/ben-ta... is a very talented author who was built a reputation as an outstanding voice in independent literature. However, the beauty of Lost in Space comes from the fact that the author abandoned all pretensions and opted to share many aspects of his life as a father of two sons using only heartfelt writing and brutal honesty. There are no attempts at looking like a hero, seeming perfect or pretending to teach others how things should be done. Instead, the writing here offers pain, humor, and proof that parents face unique situations within the context of something that’s incredibly universal. - See more at: http://goodmenproject.com/arts/ben-ta...