Karen Bender’s latest collection of short stories, "The New Order," was released just ten days after the massacre at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
The first story in the collection is called, “Where to Hide in a Synagogue”.
In this episode of Talk of Iowa, Charity Nebbe talks with Bender about the collection and her characters, who deal with everything from junior high angst, workplace harassment, gun violence, and more.
Bender is a graduate of the Iowa Writer’s Workshop and has taught at the program. She was a finalist for the national book award for her short story collection "Refund," and is the author of two novels.
