Thu, 24 May 2012 05:53:23 -0600WeeblyMon, 21 May 2012 13:41:24 -0600http://www.ben-mauk.com/1/post/2012/05/news-graduation-iwp-teaching.htmlTwo Saturdays ago, I graduated from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. Presumably this means I now have an MFA in creative writing, although I've yet to see any official documentation to that effect.

In other news, this July I'll be mentoring and supervising Russian high-school students as part of the University of Iowa International Writing Program's "Between the Lines" summer camp.

Finally, I have accepted the position of adjunct assistant professor at the University of Iowa for the 2012-13 school year. I will be teaching "Art of Revision" in both fall and spring semesters.
]]>Wed, 04 Apr 2012 08:11:32 -0600http://www.ben-mauk.com/1/post/2012/04/nicholson-baker-on-the-lit-show.htmlI had the pleasure of sitting down with Nicholson Baker on The Lit Show, where we discussed House of Holes, Human Smoke, politics and the novel, and the dangers of fudging in non-fiction. Listen to his genial eloquence (and my lack of same) here, or download via The Lit Show podcast using iTunes.
]]>Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:15:30 -0600http://www.ben-mauk.com/1/post/2012/04/book-review-geoff-dyers-zona.htmlMy review of Geoff Dyer's wonderful new book Zona is up at The Iowa Review.

Zona’s stated subject is Stalker, Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1979 masterpiece about three men who journey to a desire-granting room in a forbidden, supernatural landscape called “the zone.” And indeed, Dyer describes the film scene-by-scene—nearly shot-by-shot—annotating his description with quotations culled from the works of Whitman, William James, Slavoj Žižek, and Rilke himself. But Zona’s subject is also, and equally, film itself. And it is also Tarkovsky the man, and the aleatory, uncontrollable process of making art. And of course, it is the eternal subject of any Dyer study: the author’s own cantankerous, improbable existence.

Read the rest here.
]]>Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:40:23 -0600http://www.ben-mauk.com/1/post/2012/02/ben-marcus-on-the-lit-show.htmlOn The Lit Show, Ben Marcus and I chat about his new novel, The Flame Alphabet.

Stream the interview here, or subscribe and download via The Lit Show podcast using iTunes.

]]>Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:41:04 -0600http://www.ben-mauk.com/1/post/2011/12/the-lit-show-on-htmlgiant.htmlSean Lovelace gave a nice shout out to The Lit Show and my Martone interview over at HTMLGIANT.
]]>Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:37:56 -0600http://www.ben-mauk.com/1/post/2011/11/michael-martone-on-the-lit-show.htmlOn The Lit Show, Ben interviews Michael Martone about teaching, writing, and Martone's new book of short fiction, Four for a Quarter.

Friday, 11/11 at 1:00 p.m. CST. Podcast now available here.
]]>Sat, 29 Oct 2011 13:28:36 -0600http://www.ben-mauk.com/1/post/2011/10/colson-whitehead-interview-rescheduled.htmlThe interview with Colson Whitehead has been rescheduled for this Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m.

Listen here.
]]>Wed, 26 Oct 2011 12:28:02 -0600http://www.ben-mauk.com/1/post/2011/10/first-post.htmlOn The Lit Show, Ben interviews Colson Whitehead about his new zombie apocalypse novel, Zone One.

TIME/DATE TBA -- on KRUI and online. Listen here.
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