Thursday, July 26, 2018

If Nobody Remembers Us

Here's my latest story, which published in GatherDC:

Ann stood alone on the other side of the dance floor, swaying offbeat. I approached my friend in her white gown. She looked as chic as my tailored tux and bow tie, which someone else knotted for me because I suck at “adulting”. The closer I got to her, the more I thought Ann looked inebriated and like she wasn’t there at all. I also thought we looked better than the rest of our C-squad royalty status at the Grand Finale Gala for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Man & Woman of the Year campaign. We were celebrating a fundraising campaign that raised $2.4 million to research new cancer treatments.

“Hey!” I said. Ann’s eyes remained cold and unresponsive, so I put my hand on her bare shoulder. “I haven’t seen you for hours,” I said, fishing for a response.

Ann noticed me then. “Behhhhhn!” I’d spent enough time around adults who forgot college ended fifteen years before to know. If a correlation existed between the number of seconds to pronounce a single vowel and the level of intoxication, then Ann was Sweet Dee. They were both Philly’s finest.

Ann’s mouth turned a 180. “L. is dead.” Keep reading If Nobody Remembers Us...

Leia Mais…

Sunday, July 15, 2018

Words by ruBENstein Quarterly Newsletter - Summer 2018

I published the third edition of my quarterly newsletter last week. Check out my latest Words by ruBENstein or subscribe to it. Every three months I'll share: one or two of my recent stories plus an oldie but goodie; my most popular social media post; and one story and life lesson from one of writing's greats.

Words by ruBENstein Quarterly Newsletter

Leia Mais…

Monday, July 2, 2018

Writing in Italy: A Story Through Screenshots

Was I finding time to write in Italy? my friend, Flash, asked me. I got her text just over the halfway point in my two-week trip, which I split between participating in a group writing retreat and exploring on my own.

I befriended Flash a year ago over coffee and rock climbing, two of my favorite things. She often asks thoughtful questions, to which I try responding in equally thoughtful fashion. Sometimes, her written messages also contain the best emojis.

I counted the number of times that past week I'd typed away at a story for a dedicated one to three hours. Zero. So I texted back that I wasn't really finding time to write—that I had journaled a bit and scribbled notes in my pocket notebook I call Ben Rubenstein's Sucky Words, but that was all.

Turns out I lied; I didn't consider the moments I'd dedicated myself to writing texts and emails to friends and family and posting my thoughts online.

I'm sharing some of those here. Maybe collectively they will tell of something meaningful. Even if they don't, this could be fun. So, here's the story of my travels in Italy, told in chronological order strictly through one text message and screenshots of various online posts I selected after reviewing every word I wrote while in Italy (click on the screenshots to visit the original posts). Caio!








My text message to Flash, after she asked if I was having an amazing time and before she asked if I was finding time to write:











Leia Mais…