Ben Tanzer's Blog, page 71

Wherein we are Local Writers reading with the quite amazing Joseph G. Peterson, Bill Hillmann, and Alexai Galaviz-Budziszewski on April 25th at the Seminary Co-op Bookstore and look forward to seeing you there thank you cool done.

Like totally. More here. Seriously. Nice.

Shameless, albeit much appreciated, Matt Micheli Lost in Space Tweet hype. And big thanks to the Matt Micheli for that.

And many thanks back at you, my good man. @bentanzer http://t.co/mwcxwF8NV8
— Matt Micheli (@micheliworld) April 16, 2014

Wherein Timothy Moore talks Orphans, Bald New World, Annihilation, new dystopias, and the loss of identity. And our brain nearly explodes.

Like totally explodes from the geeked-out, fan boy excitement. So, please do take a look, and if it is your wont, we are excerpt as well.

When it comes down to it, all three books are very different and ask different questions about identity. All are worth reading and analyzing and questioning.

"For myself, I'll never stop questioning.

I believe that we are more than our jobs. We are more than what we like on Facebook, what we read, what food we eat. We are more than our skin. Our race. Our personality. Who we love. Even our biology.

But I can't stop wondering. How much more?"

Shameless, albeit much appreciated, Pete Anderson Lost in Space Tweet hype. And big thanks to the Pete Anderson for that.

"...to be lost in something so different than the life we know..." @BenTanzer in Italy. http://t.co/uqblxqkQKV
— Peter Anderson (@Peter29Anderson) April 14, 2014

Wherein we are Essay Fiesta and April Showers with the quite amazing Maggie Jenkins, Barrie Cole, Tom Wolferman, and Erin Diamond on April 21st at The Book Cellar and look forward to seeing you there thank you cool done.

Like totally. More here. Seriously. Nice.

This Book Will Change Your Life - When I First Held You, Edited by the Brian Gresko.

Are we still required to put our biases and caveats on the table? Remind you that we are drawn to dad writers and writing on fatherhood? Partial to personal essays? Or feel great affection for the writer Brian Gresko? Can we in fact, even objectively riff on When I First Held You, the new anthology edited by Gresko that comes with the subtitled: 22 Critically Acclaimed Writers Talk About The Triumphs, Challenges, and Transformative Experiences of Fatherhood? And does it even matter? Good writing is good writing is good writing regardless, yes? We think so, and writing that touches on so much that is so human, death, joy, triumph, sadness, change, sickness, aging, and yes, transformation, but also happens to use the trope of parenting, and being parented, to get there, should appeal to all, shouldn't it? It should, and it will, because we all know all of it, at some time, and in some way. We are alive, and we love, and hurt, and so we know all of this, and we feel it, and this collection is a window to all of that. Now, that said, we are also biased to runners and rage and dead dads, and so even among a collection we collectively love we still want to take a moment to single out the pieces by Andre Dubus III, Benjamin Percy, Garth Stein, and Alexi Zentner, triumphs all, and all certain to change your life. We also want to take a moment to commend the Brian Gresko for breathing this collection to life, no small chore that, and let you know in advance that we recently had the chance to podcast with Brian, we will be running it soon, it is certain to change your life as well, and no, there is no bias there either.

"Imaginative and sobering." Orphans. Small Press Reviews. Sweet. Totally.

Quite sweet. Much appreciated. And drinks on us Small Press Review (and Lavinia Ludlow), many, whenever, and however, we next, and somehow meet. Excerpt? Word.

"Like most of Tanzer’s work, chapters are fast-paced, succinct, and contain no fat, dead ends, or draggy dialogue. Background details unfold naturally through flashbacks and stream-of-consciousness inner monologue, and paint a vivid image of Norrin’s internal struggles."

This Book - Made to Break - and Podcast - The Endless Road - by, and starring the D. Foy - Will Change Your Life.

There is suffocation and speed, words popping and sentences packed, old friends, new love, grudges and pain. They are trapped, and squeezed, and things have to give, and break, and you want to call it horror, but don't do that, call it fear and confusion, and real life, compressed and harried. Call it Made to Break, the glorious debut novel from the D. Foy, who is all speed and word popping too, once trapped, but now hurtling down the open road, talking, and reading, and taking twenty plus years of jacked-up energy and splaying it across the universe to all who will listen. Call any and all of it whatever you want, just call it, read it, and do note that we jumped onto the D. Foy journey, albeit briefly, but still long enough to podcast, so do hit it, it just might change your life.

And then there was the time that we locked arms with Paula Bomer to hype our new books at the Mellow Pages Library and all was right in the world. Or at least in Brooklyn anyway.

"Sharp and fervent." Lost in Space. The Ghost Ocean Magazine. Totally.

Super thoughtful, mostly fab, and appreciated, totally. Excerpt? Word.

"At its strongest—which is often—the writing exposes the kind of stream-of-consciousness, seat-of-pants anxiety of parenthood, Tanzer’s prosaic speed moves past each parental episode. His voice matches the pace of the essays, most of which recount a stressed father in stressful situations."