New Essays & Columns
Rumpus Original Fiction: Three Flash Stories by B. Do
“It’s an unspeakable thing, asking someone to stay.”
Rumpus Original Essay: "Body All The Way Down" by Alexandra Middleton
“All she knew was that she couldn't let it happen again. All she knows is that a body is a dangerous place to be.”
Rumpus Original Column Beyond the Page: "Empowerment Avenue" by Emily Nonko
“brimstone, angry gods, and bad burial; no / comfort, no rejoicing / abyss or waiting room, cloud / or loam, rain or music in the wind?” |
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Interviews & Reviews
Samantha Mann interviews Jessica Hoppe about First in The Family
“I think now more than ever, people want the truth.”
Brynn Grey reviews Nick Rees Gardner's Delinquents and Other Escape Attempts
“Gardner has ultimately created a timely and moving collection...”
Brian Truong interviews Randy Ribay about Everything We Never Had
“I saw their humanity and individuality—the people behind the labor that you might otherwise not see.”
O-Jeremiah Agbaakin reviews Hussain Ahmed's Blue Exodus
“Blue Exodus brilliantly traces all migrations from the personal, communal, and universal...”
Santiago Jose Sanchez discusses publishing Hombrecito for The First Book
“I'm immensely grateful for the life that has allowed me the time and space to make this kind of art.” |
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| JOIN US in person at
Punch Bucket Literary Festival
Tomorrow SEPTEMBER 21 in Asheville, NC |
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If you're in the Asheville, NC area, The Rumpus will be tabling at the Punchbucket Literary Festival from 9 am to 5 pm tomorrowSaturday, September 21
And our Publisher, Alyson Sinclair, will be on a panel with the good folks from Southern Cultures, Ecotone,and The Greensboro Review from 4-5:15 pm (Renaissance Hotel, Ballroom C1). More info here. Come by and say hello! |
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| And in November . . .
Rumpus Senior Essays Editor, Alysia Li Ying Sawchynand Publisher, Alyson Sinclair will be attending |
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| Letters in the Mail (from authors!) |
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Letters in the Mail from authors is a Rumpus subscription in which you receive an actual, postmarked letter from one of our favorite writers in your IRL mailbox twice a month. All letters are non-promotional, include a creative prompt, and have a return mailing address in case you'd like to write the author back!
Up next, an author letter from . . .
October 1: Aggeliki Pelekidis was born in Brooklyn to Greek parents. She was a public relations executive in NYC for a decade, including working as the Director of Public Affairs for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and Manager of Marketing Communications for the New York Aquarium. She earned her MA and Ph.D in English with a creative writing emphasis from Binghamton University. Her dissertation, a short-story collection titled Patrimonium, won the Distinguished Dissertation Award in Creative Writing. Her work has appeared in the Michigan Quarterly Review, North Dakota Quarterly, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, Confrontation, the Masters Review, and many other journals. She’s currently the Associate Director of First-Year Writing at Binghamton University. Her debut novel, Unlucky Mel, published on 9/15/24 by Cornell University Press’s Three Hills Imprint. Subscribe by September 30! |
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| Pre-order alert:
WE'RE MAKING NEW TRAVEL MUGS! |
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 | | Note: This item is available for pre-order. We'll begin shipping the second week of October 2025. [Mock-up pictured here.] The NEW "Write Like a Motherfucker" travel tumbler is elegant and classy AF! This is your new grownup high quality 16 ounce insulated MiiR brand to-go mug. MiiR is a certified B-Corp, and we're basically selling these at cost. This tumbler handles hot and cold beverages equally well. It fits great in a cup holder and in your hand. Black powder coated with Rumpus red etching. It's the classic design by Walter Green. “Write Like a Motherfucker” is a quote from one of the most famous Dear Sugar columns by Cheryl Strayed.
*Annual Rumpus Members, a reminder to log into your store account, if you'd like to pre-order at a 20% discount. |
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| Do you want to establish a regular writing routine? |
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We recently launched a new Rumpus offering: The Writer's Welcome Kit, a 5-week asynchronous online course to establish your regular writing practice. This course was created by author and writing coach Paulette Perhach specifically for writers who are looking for a starting point as they begin to practice their craft in an intentional way. *Perhach's book, Welcome to the Writer's Life, was published in 2018 by Sasquatch Books / Penguin Random House and was selected as one of Poets & Writers' Best Books for Writers.
If you're a beginning writer in any genre who would like guidance on establishing a dedicated writing practice OR any writer who wants to commit to an intentional routine, this course was built for you.
Ready to start? |
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| Submissions for Comics are open August 1 until October 31.
Two new columns, Collaborative Criticism and Close Reads are now open year-round!
Our new column Parallel Practice is open again for submissions. Read the call here before submitting.
We are open for Funny Women and Prose and Poetry Book Reviews submissions year-round.
Submissions for Poetry opened on Aug. 15 and closed on Aug. 19th, since we hit our 500 submissions limit in just four days.
Save the dates: Essays submissions will open again on Oct. 1-31.
(Reminder, annual Rumpus Members can submit their work in any genre all year long.) |
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Reader Support Keeps The Rumpus Going! |
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Founded in 2009 in San Francisco, CA and now based in Asheville, NC with readers and editors all over the US and abroad, The Rumpusis one of the longest-running independent online literary and culture magazines. Our mostly volunteer-run magazine strives to be a platform for risk-taking voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere. We lift up new voices alongside those of more established writers readers already know and love. Often, we are an emerging writer's first notable publication, which is something we’re really proud of. We believe that literature builds community—and if reading The Rumpus makes you feel more connected, please show your support! Our Membership and subscription programs along with tax-deductible donations made to The Rumpus through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, help keep us going and brings us closer to sustainability.
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