Ben Greenman
Encyclopedia
Ben Greenman is an American writer and magazine editor.
. He attended Miami Palmetto High School
and then Yale University
where he worked on the Yale Herald. After Yale, he worked as a film critic at New Times newspaper in Miami and then moved to New York City to work as a freelance writer and editor. His journalism has appeared in such magazines as Rolling Stone
, Mother Jones
, Time Out New York, "The Forward
" and other publications. In 2000, he joined the staff of The New Yorker
magazine.
's Charles Kinbote.
A Circle Is a Balloon and Compass Both: Stories About Human Love, Greenman's third book and second collection of short fiction, was published in the spring of 2007 by MacAdam Cage, a San Francisco-based independent publishing company.
. The novel, which tells the story of a fictional funk-rock star who shares some characteristics with such real-world celebrities as Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye, and Curtis Mayfield, was praised by Time magazine, New York magazine, the Village Voice, the Miami Herald, Publishers Weekly, and other publications.
For Please Step Back, Greenman also recorded a theme song in collaboration with the funk-rock cult figure Swamp Dogg
.
of KISS (Kiss and Make-Up) and Simon Cowell
of American Idol (I Don't Mean to Be Rude, But...).
, the feud between Donald Trump
and Rosie O'Donnell
, and the troubles surrounding Britney Spears
). He has also invented the Conceptual Art Registry (in which he generates hundreds of ideas for conceptual art shows and then licenses them to young artists) and authored a series of epistolary stories that challenge the validity of commentary by the conservative talk-show host Sean Hannity
. As a collaborative artist, he has worked with the band One Ring Zero
on their author project, with the poet Mary Anfinsen, with the singer/songwriter Boyce Day, and others. He is also the inventor of 3*TYPE, a revolutionary three-dimensional typographical process announced in McSweeneys in March 2010.
At the 2007 The New Yorker
Festival, Greenman moderated a panel discussion on superheroes in popular culture with Tim Kring
, the creator of the NBC series Heroes
; the comic-book artist and writer Mike Mignola
; the comic-book writer Grant Morrison
; and the novelist Jonathan Lethem
. He also conducted an onstage interview and performance with the indie rock trio Yo La Tengo
. At the 2008 festival he interviewed the horror-movie directors Wes Craven
and Hideo Nakata
.
At the 2007 edition of Litquake, the San Francisco literary festival, Greenman moderated an onstage event, the Literary Death Match
, for Opium magazine; participants included the novelist Wesley Stace and the eventual winner, the author Daniel Handler
. He is also the regular judge for the Literary Upstart live fiction event sponsored by the New York-based L magazine.
Greenman maintains his own website, www.bengreenman.com, which formerly purported to be a community bank but does not any longer.
--What He's Poised To Do (2010)
--Please Step Back (2009)
--Correspondences (2008) -- Includes the Postcard Project.
--A Circle is a Balloon and Compass Both (2007)
--Superworse (2004)
--Superbad (2001)
--More Mirth of a Nation (2002)
--101 Damnations (2002)
--Politically Inspired (2003)
--May Contain Nuts (2005)
--The Encyclopedia of Exes: 26 Stories by Men of Love Gone Wrong (2005)
--Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans (2005)
--Stumbling and Raging: More Politically Inspired (2006)
--Rock and Roll Cage Match (2008)
--Cassette From My Ex (2009)
Biography
Greenman was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. He attended Miami Palmetto High School
Miami Palmetto High School
Miami Palmetto Senior High School is a secondary school located at 7460 S.W. 118th Street in Pinecrest, Florida, USA, a Miami suburb; its principal is Allison Harley. The school is on 23 acres in southwest Miami-Dade County, Florida, and is part of the Miami-Dade County Public Schools district....
and then Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
where he worked on the Yale Herald. After Yale, he worked as a film critic at New Times newspaper in Miami and then moved to New York City to work as a freelance writer and editor. His journalism has appeared in such magazines as Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, Mother Jones
Mother Jones (magazine)
Mother Jones is an American independent news organization, featuring investigative and breaking news reporting on politics, the environment, human rights, and culture. Mother Jones has been nominated for 23 National Magazine Awards and has won six times, including for General Excellence in 2001,...
, Time Out New York, "The Forward
The Forward
The Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
" and other publications. In 2000, he joined the staff of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine.
Superbad/Superworse
Greenman's first book of fiction, Superbad, was published by McSweeneys Press in 2001. The book is a collection of stories, most humorous, dealing with such issues as creativity, originality, and pop culture while also experimenting with fictional forms. Superworse, published by Soft Skull Press in 2004, reworked some of the material from Superbad while at the same time adding a more novelistic structure to the book, mostly through the editorial interventions of a character named Laurence Onge, an intrusive editor who bears some resemblance to Vladimir NabokovVladimir Nabokov
Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a multilingual Russian novelist and short story writer. Nabokov wrote his first nine novels in Russian, then rose to international prominence as a master English prose stylist...
's Charles Kinbote.
A Circle Is...
Correspondences
In 2008 Hotel St. George press released a handmade and letterpress-printed edition of his book, Correspondences. The book, made by a letterpress studio called Blue Barnhouse, features an intricate book casing that unfolds to reveal three accordion books and a postcard which allows the reader to contribute to the story; the casing has part of the story on it as well. The first printing of the book is a limited edition; the project has already been reviewed (favorably) by the Los Angeles Times and Time Out. Stories from or connected to Correspondences have appeared or will appear in McSweeneys, OneStory, and the L Magazine.Please Step Back
In spring 2009, Greenman published a novel entitled Please Step Back with Melville House PublishingMelville House Publishing
Melville House Publishing is an independent publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. The company was founded in 2001 by the husband and wife team of Dennis Loy Johnson and Valerie Merians in Hoboken, New Jersey, a location Johnson jokingly called "the Left Bank" of New York City...
. The novel, which tells the story of a fictional funk-rock star who shares some characteristics with such real-world celebrities as Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye, and Curtis Mayfield, was praised by Time magazine, New York magazine, the Village Voice, the Miami Herald, Publishers Weekly, and other publications.
For Please Step Back, Greenman also recorded a theme song in collaboration with the funk-rock cult figure Swamp Dogg
Swamp Dogg
Jerry Williams, Jr., , is a soul music artist who is better known by his pseudonym Swamp Dogg.Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, Williams made his first recording in 1954 under the moniker "Little Jerry", a 78 rpm single on the Mechanic label titled "HTD Blues" / "Nats Wailing"...
.
What He's Poised To Do
In fall 2009 Greenman signed with Harper Collins: the first book will be What He's Poised To Do, an expanded paperback based on the material from Correspondences. In advance of the book's June 2010 publication date, Greenman launched a blog called LettersWithCharacter.com, which invites readers to compose letters to their favorite fictional characters. The book was named one of the best books of the year by several critics.Celebrity Chekhov
In October 2010 Greenman published "Celebrity Chekhov," a book of short stories in which he replaced Anton Chekhov's characters with contemporary celebrities. He launched the book with an event at Powerhouse arena with the author Neil Strauss.Ghostwriting
Greenman ghostwrote the memoirs for two noted entertainment figures, Gene SimmonsGene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
of KISS (Kiss and Make-Up) and Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
of American Idol (I Don't Mean to Be Rude, But...).
Other projects
In addition to his books, Greenman has penned a series of musicals that reflect on current-events happenings of the day (one recent example, If I Did It! The Musical, responds to the news that O.J. Simpson planned to publish a book speculating on the murder of his ex-wife Nicole, and others retell the stories of the racehorse BarbaroBarbaro
Barbaro was an American thoroughbred who decisively won the 2006 Kentucky Derby, but shattered his leg two weeks later in the 2006 Preakness Stakes, ending his racing career and eventually leading to his death....
, the feud between Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business magnate, television personality and author. He is the chairman and president of The Trump Organization and the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts. Trump's extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have...
and Rosie O'Donnell
Rosie O'Donnell
Roseann "Rosie" O'Donnell is an American stand-up comedian, actress, author and television personality. She has also been a magazine editor and continues to be a celebrity blogger, LGBT rights activist, television producer and collaborative partner in the LGBT family vacation company R Family...
, and the troubles surrounding Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
). He has also invented the Conceptual Art Registry (in which he generates hundreds of ideas for conceptual art shows and then licenses them to young artists) and authored a series of epistolary stories that challenge the validity of commentary by the conservative talk-show host Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
. As a collaborative artist, he has worked with the band One Ring Zero
One Ring Zero
One Ring Zero is a modern music group led by Joshua Camp and Michael Hearst that melds many genres and sounds to create a unique type of music.-Instruments:...
on their author project, with the poet Mary Anfinsen, with the singer/songwriter Boyce Day, and others. He is also the inventor of 3*TYPE, a revolutionary three-dimensional typographical process announced in McSweeneys in March 2010.
At the 2007 The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
Festival, Greenman moderated a panel discussion on superheroes in popular culture with Tim Kring
Tim Kring
Richard Timothy "Tim" Kring is an American screenwriter and television producer, best known for his creation of the television series Strange World, Crossing Jordan, and Heroes.Kring is Jewish...
, the creator of the NBC series Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
; the comic-book artist and writer Mike Mignola
Mike Mignola
Michael Joseph "Mike" Mignola is an American comic book artist and writer who created the comic book series Hellboy for Dark Horse Comics. He has worked for animation projects such as Atlantis: The Lost Empire and the adaptation of his one shot comic book, The Amazing Screw-On Head.-Career:Mignola...
; the comic-book writer Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison
Grant Morrison is a Scottish comic book writer, playwright and occultist. He is known for his nonlinear narratives and counter-cultural leanings, as well as his successful runs on titles like Animal Man, Doom Patrol, JLA, The Invisibles, New X-Men, Fantastic Four, All-Star Superman, and...
; and the novelist Jonathan Lethem
Jonathan Lethem
Jonathan Allen Lethem is an American novelist, essayist and short story writer. His first novel, Gun, with Occasional Music, a genre work that mixed elements of science fiction and detective fiction, was published in 1994. It was followed by three more science fiction novels...
. He also conducted an onstage interview and performance with the indie rock trio Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo, sometimes abbreviated as YLT, is an American alternative rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan , Georgia Hubley , and James McNew .Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential...
. At the 2008 festival he interviewed the horror-movie directors Wes Craven
Wes Craven
Wesley Earl "Wes" Craven is an American actor, film director, writer, producer, perhaps best known as the director of many horror films, particularly slasher films, including the famed A Nightmare on Elm Street and Wes Craven's New Nightmare, featuring the iconic Freddy Krueger character, the...
and Hideo Nakata
Hideo Nakata
Hideo Nakata is a Japanese filmmaker.-Life and career:Nakata was born in Okayama, Japan. He is most familiar to Western audiences for his work on Japanese horror films such as Ring , Ring 2 and Dark Water...
.
At the 2007 edition of Litquake, the San Francisco literary festival, Greenman moderated an onstage event, the Literary Death Match
Literary Death Match
Literary Death Match is a reading series co-created in 2006 by Todd Zuniga, Elizabeth Koch & Dennis DiClaudio.The series features four readers who read their own writing for seven minutes or less, and are then lovingly critiqued by three judges in the categories of literary merit, performance and...
, for Opium magazine; participants included the novelist Wesley Stace and the eventual winner, the author Daniel Handler
Daniel Handler
Daniel Handler is an American author, screenwriter and accordionist. He is best known for his work under the pen name Lemony Snicket.-Personal life:...
. He is also the regular judge for the Literary Upstart live fiction event sponsored by the New York-based L magazine.
Greenman maintains his own website, www.bengreenman.com, which formerly purported to be a community bank but does not any longer.
Books
--Celebrity Chekhov--What He's Poised To Do (2010)
--Please Step Back (2009)
--Correspondences (2008) -- Includes the Postcard Project.
--A Circle is a Balloon and Compass Both (2007)
--Superworse (2004)
--Superbad (2001)
Anthologies
--Mirth of a Nation (2000)--More Mirth of a Nation (2002)
--101 Damnations (2002)
--Politically Inspired (2003)
--May Contain Nuts (2005)
--The Encyclopedia of Exes: 26 Stories by Men of Love Gone Wrong (2005)
--Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans (2005)
--Stumbling and Raging: More Politically Inspired (2006)
--Rock and Roll Cage Match (2008)
--Cassette From My Ex (2009)