BEN TANZER
THIS AMERICAN LIFE
60 PGS
"If I want to think of sharply written stories that capture a humorous reality of the day-to-day I think of Ben Tanzer. Or if I just want to think about one of my favorite underappreciated writers, I think of Ben Tanzer."
- Josh Spilker, Deckfight
"Something that's always consistently impressed me about Ben's writing -- his willingness to dig under the polite layers of young middle-class life, to find the ugly and dark bits and hold them up for all of us to look at."
- Jason Pettus, CCLaP
"His writing is lovely. The words run across the page, smooth and effortless. They flow together so naturally. His transitions almost hypnotize you."
- Lori Hettler, TNBBC's The Next Best Book Blog
"Ben Tanzer is a funny guy."
- Tim Frederick, Baby Got Books
"Tanzer, in a manner most mysterious to me, somehow harnesses the power of straight, conventional writing without the usual level of pandering or expositional obtuseness. The words say exactly what they mean, no more and no less, and thus his books drive us forward - we become propelled,"
LISTEN TO BEN READ
IRA GLASS WANTS TO HIT ME - http://apostrophecast.com/2008/11/ben-tanzer.html
NOTES FROM THE HONORARY OSCAR SPEECH I'LL NEVER GIVE - http://www.cclapcenter.com/2011/01/cclap_podcast_65_an_evening_wi.html
IT'S ONLY ROCK N ROLL, BUT WE LIKE IT - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lynnalexander/2010/03/01/full-of-crow-weekly-poetry-hour
JUST SAY NO - http://www.bentanzer.blogspot.com/2010/10/this-podcast-will-change-your-life.html
DADDY DREARIEST - http://www.youmethemeverybody.com/2011/05/16/episode-151-8x8-51011-at-the-hungry-brain/
I do not consider myself to be a stalker. Nor do I think of myself as much of a sycophant. I am a bit of a starfucker though and at one time anyway a lover of anything and everyone associated with Ira Glass and the radio show This American Life.
It once seemed to me that my writing was perfect for the show, but you don’t have to take my word for it, many people told me so. No, you wouldn’t know them, but you can trust me. It also seemed to me that under the right circumstances Ira Glass and I could be great friends, and I knew this in the same way that so many of my single female friends know that they are perfect for John Cusack. How do they know this? They just do.
But how does one get a piece on the show? Or even meet Ira Glass who I understand rests in a cryogenically sealed chamber between shows? I imagine one could lurk outside the studio or Ira’s home, though again please note that I am not a stalker, and that the charges to that affect filed by NPR’s legal office here in Chicago did not stick. One could also submit their work, which I have done, but how well does one’s actual work reflect their wit, timing, and ability to move the public to tears, joy, and maybe even arousal in the space of one sentence? Not well, not my work anyway.
From "Ira Glass Wants to Hit Me"
