Ben Tanzer's Site

That time I was (or will be) Words Matter, a three-part storytelling workshop series, in partnership with Gardner Philanthropy Consulting LLC.

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 15:03:51 -0700

The quite fab Jessica Gardner has launched Gardner Philanthropy Consulting LLC., which I strongly encourage you to check out, she rocks, and I'm honored to partner with Jessica on her first professional development offering—Words Matter, a three-part storytelling workshop series. You can learn more about series and register here, though if you're so inclined, I may have shared some details below as well. All that, hope to see you there, and please let me, or Jessica, know if you have any questions.

Words Matter: An Introduction to Get Your Story Down is a 30-minute session designed to introduce the concepts we’ll explore more deeply on April 22 and 23. This session is free, and registration is separate from the other workshops.

Get Your Story Down: A Personal Storytelling Masterclass and Messaging: Maximizing Your Leadership Story to the Situation will equip you with practical tools to share your personal or organizational story in a compelling way—with donors, funders, volunteers, or in everyday conversations. You can register for each individually ($59) or both together ($99).

All sessions will be held on Zoom.

This Podcast (& Book) Will Change Your Life, Episode Three Hundred and Eighty - Single-Minded, starring the Steve Lafler & Crazy for You by the Paul Theroux & the Steve Lafler.

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 19:10:51 -0700

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Life stars Steve Lafler (Crazy for You, Death Plays a Mean Harmonica, 1956 Book One: Sweet Sweet Little Ramona, Bughouse & many, many other fine works). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Lafler's family compound in Northern California in March 2026. You can listen to this episode here, or below, either is totally cool with me.

As needed please feel free to wholly enjoy Steve's last appearances on This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode One Hundred and Forty-Nine (Episode One Hundred and Forty-Nine!) - Weird Tree Limbs from December 2016 (December 2016!),

As motivated you can also check out my This Book Will Change Your Life - Crazy for You by the Paul Theroux & Steve Lafler post at the Read More

That time I wrote a blog post for Writing Workshops titled "Wishing is Not a Strategy: Ben Tanzer on Hope, Diligence and the Writing Life" in a wholly blatant effort to promote my Writing Workshop workshop titled (appropriately enough) "Introducing the Power of Hope to Our Writing Process."

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 11:59:12 -0700

Please do give "Wishing is Not a Strategy: Ben Tanzer on Hope, Diligence and the Writing Life" here, enjoy some excerpt below, most definitely consider joining us on April 30th, and if you have any questions please give me a shout as well, because I'd be thrilled to connect.

I was in class the other night, and a professor called me a "diligent" writer.

Before I continue, let's note that, yes, I'm a student again. I'm pursuing a very part-time Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA). I'm not sure I'll ever finish this degree, though if I do I hope it will lead to some interesting teaching and training opportunities down the road.

Opportunities, such as faculty positions, I do not qualify for now.

In this way, I'm playing the long game. I'm also actively seeking to ensure there is a long game and I'm doing everything I can to identify and pursue the action steps necessary along the way to be in a position to ensure that happens---or at least I'm thinking strategically about what I need to do in case I find myself in a position to pursue something I want when I want it.

I'm sure this doesn't sound very sexy or romantic.

You want to write, I want to write, we all...Read More

This _ Will Change Your Life is launch.

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 23:20:01 -0700

So, yes, I am now Substack and yes, I hope you'll consider joining me there, or here, as I talk about writing, writers, podcasts, books I love, my own, others, hype, hustle, craft & workshops.

Cool?

Word.

This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Three Hundred and Seventy-Nine - C'Mon, Have Fun, starring the Rabbit Hole Of Research The Podcast.

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 16:08:36 -0700

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Jotham Austin, II PhD, Nick Elizalde, and Georgia Geis (Rabbit Hole of Research The Podcast & lots of other cool stuff). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Rabbit Hole of Research The Podcast's home studio, which can be found somewhere in the Hoosier state in January 2026. You can listen to this episode here, or below, either is totally cool with me.

As needed, please feel free to wholly enjoy my appearance of Rabbit Hole of Research The Podcast, Episode 42: Broken Futures, or as also discussed on the show, those of long-time friends and clients Lee Matthew Goldberg,...Read More

Did you know you can register for the Montana Summer Institute 2026: Creating Conditions Where the Good Can Grow—and that the fab Steph Patton & I (& friends) are leading a session on "Using Hope and Concern to Transform Communications?" Well, you do now.

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 14:19:07 -0700

The Montana Summer Institute 2026: Creating Conditions Where the Good Can Grow is the good stuff, and yes, I'm super excited about our session on "Using Hope and Concern to Transform Communications, super excited, and that said, it's all so good, all of it, so good, so please do learn more here, and please plan to join us, cool? Cool. And right on. See you there.

This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Three Hundred and Seventy-Eight - The Most Famous Writer On Earth, starring the Patrick Wensink.

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 05:52:45 -0800

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Patrick Wensink (The Great Black Swamp, Fake Fruit Factory, Broken Piano for President & many, many more). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Wensink's home, which can be found in the general vicinity of the Cumberland Gap in January 2026. You can listen to this episode here, or below, either is totally cool with me.

As needed please feel free to wholly enjoy Patrick's last appearances on This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Fifty (Episode Fifty!) - Goat Boy from August 2012 (August 2012!),

Also, as motivated, most definitely check-out our previous episode: This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Three Hundred and Seventy-Seven - A Hint Of Delight, starring the Deborah Shapiro.

Submissions for Oyez Review Vol.53 are open & I'm thrilled to both share this with you & play a role in the publication of this issue.

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:49:41 -0800

I have the quite thrilling opportunity to support the team putting out the new issue of the Oyez Review, the literary magazine of the Creative Writing Program at Roosevelt University. Submissions are open until March 5, 2026, and you can check out the call for submissions below. As far as the submissions link is concerned, please go here to access the Reruns & General Submissions Portal, which yes, you read that correctly, we're down with previously published pieces from now defunct lit journals and sites.

This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Three Hundred and Seventy-Seven - A Hint Of Delight, starring the Deborah Shapiro.

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:35:59 -0800

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Deborah Shapiro (Watching the Detective, Consolation, B-Side Editions). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Shapiro's Chicagoland home in January 2026. You can listen to this episode here, or below, either is totally cool with me.

Also, as motivated, most definitely check-out our previous episode: This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Three Hundred and Seventy-Six - A Better Place, starring the Lucie Frost.

This Book Will Change Your Life - PIECE OF SHIT LOSER SCUMBAG: THIS IS NOT A MEMOIR by the Matt Micheli.

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 15:05:12 -0800

Read it. And blurbed it. Yo.

"I can't tell you whether Matt Micheli is in fact a piece of shit loser scumbag--this is not a memoir, supposedly; what I can tell you is Micheli knows how to make the depraved and deranged sing. He also knows how to elicit empathy for his characters, most of them anyway, and his ability to do so makes all the difference in these engrossing stories of otherwise normal people casually engaging in, and with, the quotidian and contemporary horrors of everyday life."

You may learn more about, and order, PIECE OF SHIT LOSER SCUMBAG: THIS IS NOT A MEMOIR here.