Ben Tanzer's Site

Spencer Fleury & Jihoon Park are The Brooklyn Rail interview—and many thanks to the Joseph Salvatore for that.

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 22:09:44 -0700

It's true, I recently had the pleasure to speak with Spencer Fleury and Jihoon Park about their new books, The Shitbird and Stickman at The Brooklyn Rail and you can check it here. You also can read some excerpt below. Cool? Right on.

Rail: This may be because Dolly Parton died as we were working on this, though building off Spencer’s comment that writing is hard, and maybe even Jihoon’s reference to his therapist, do you feel the act of creating can also be healing and that art itself can provide a salve, or at least an escape, for those consuming it?

Fleury: The healing process is itself an act of creation, or at least re-creation, of the self. When I was working on the stories that eventually became my story collection, I Blame Myself But Also You, I kept coming back to a mantra I picked up somewhere along the way: turn pain into art. Not every artist does that, but it’s what I tried to do, and I think that’s what makes for the most interesting art. That, of course, is a separate question from whether art can...Read More

This Book Will Change Your Life - (step)sisters by the Curtis Smith.

Tue, 22 Sep 2026 19:54:05 -0700

Read it. And blurbed it. Yo.

"Curtis Smith is a master lyricist and with (step)sisters, he's crafted a beautiful song that breaks your heart into little pieces only to rebuild it again."

You may learn more about, and order, (step)sisters here.

This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Three Hundred and Ninety-Two - How Life Is, starring the Keith Koeneman.

Fri, 18 Sep 2026 14:43:43 -0700

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Keith Koeneman (Paternity, A Novel, First Son: The Biography of Richard M. Daley). It was recorded in-person (in-person!) at Koeneman's 1872 (1872!) Lincoln Park home in September 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 Ninety-One - The Good Stuff Speaks To Me, starring the Spencer Fleury.

This Podcast Will Change Your Life is very special The Shitbird release day episode, also known as Episode Three Hundred and Ninety-One - The Good Stuff Speaks To Me, starring the Spencer Fleury.

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:18:15 -0700

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Spencer Fleury (I Blame Myself But Also You, How I'm Spending My Afterlife) on Pub Day for his new book The Shitbird. It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Fleury's new home office in Portugal, yes that Portugal, in August 2026. You can listen to this episode here, or below, either is totally cool with me.

As needed please feel free to wholly enjoy Spencer's last appearance on This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Three Hundred and Thirty-SixThe Art of the Ask: Writing that Connects & Converts is most definitely happening, the cost is $79, it will be super engaging and you can learn more about workshop 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.

Overview

Learn what makes an annual appeal letter work — then start writing yours with hands-on exercises, discussion, and feedback.

Words matter -- especially when you're asking someone to invest in your mission.

Your annual appeal campaign is one of your most important opportunities to connect with donors, tell the stories of your impact, and inspire people to give. Doing that effectively is the key.

How does your annual appeal letter fit into that campaign?
What story should you tell?
How do...Read More

"An engaging and complex tale of two families, along with a clutch of fascinating secondary characters and their stories." - KIRKUS REVIEWS

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 22:08:18 -0700

This is so happening and all reviews, interviews, and hype is welcome. If you're interested in any of that (or anything else), including an ARC, please let me know and we'll get on it post-haste. Further, you can learn more about Paternity: A Novel here. All this and some cover copy for Paternity: A Novel may be found below. Enjoy.

"A small community with skeletons in the closet: a midlife affair, hidden DNA tests and the discovery of a daughter years after an affair ended. Paternity explores the nuances of class and money in a large, urban city. Beneath the calm surface of cosmopolitan lives, two upper-middle class families grapple with their anxieties, tragedies and secrets as they raise families and pursue happiness over two decades. Paternity is bound together like a small community with skeletons in the closet: a children’s piano recital with shrouded ties to the past; a midlife affair; hidden DNA tests; an unsolved murder; and the discovery—18 years after an affair ended—of a daughter, giving one character a second chance at fatherhood."

This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Three Hundred and Ninety - You Can Make Your Own Path, starring the Brian Alan Ellis.

Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:49:36 -0700

This episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Brian Alan Ellis (House of Vlad Press, A Series of Pained Facial Expressions Made While Shredding Air Guitar: Poems, Observations, Lists, Letters, Notes, Bullshit Aphorisms and General Tales of Ordinary Crabbiness & so much more). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Ellis' Sunshine State home office in August 2026. You can listen to this episode here, or below, either is totally cool with me.

As needed please feel free to wholly enjoy Brian's last appearance on This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode One Hundred and Twenty-EightThis episode of This Podcast Will Change Your Life stars Dan Taberski (Manifesto, Running from COPS, Missing Richard Simmons & many, many other fine podcasts). It was recorded over the Zoom between the This Podcast Will Change Your Life home studio in Chicago, IL and Taberski's Empire City home office in August 2026. You can listen to this episode here, or below, either is totally cool with me.

Also, as really motivated, most definitely check-out our previous episode: This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Three Hundred and Eighty-Eight - It's Not Going To Happen To Me, starring the Liz Scott, Ph.D.

“Tanzer has continued to hone his craft and crystalize his uniquely cool yet earnest writing voice with every literary stepping stone.”

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 21:22:08 -0700

Much love to the Ben Drevlow for his banger review of The Missing in American Book Review and the Tom Williams for making it happen.

We are Craftwork Library.

Thu, 13 Aug 2026 22:13:51 -0700

Quite cool it is to learn that “How to Build a Rewarding Creative Life,” my Craft episode from otherppl with brad listi has been included in the new otherppl Craftwork Library. Will listening to this episode change your life? Possibly. I certainly believe so. Is it cool regardless? Totally! Enjoy.