81: Can Writers Bring People Together? – A Conversation with Jeff Bender

A former division-one athlete and musician, Jeff Bender now writes fiction, comedy, and screenplays. He earned his MFA from Columbia University, and his work has appeared in The Iowa Review, McSweeney’s, Guernica, The Offing, and elsewhere. He’s also received support from residencies including the Edward F. Albee Foundation and Jentel, among others. In this episode, we discuss his current projects, a novel-in-progress about two former athletes struggling to navigate life after graduation, and a TV pilot about a priest struggling with romantic temptation, both informed by Jeff’s overlapping and oxymoronic identities: liberal, Catholic, comedy writer, ex-wrestler, and suburban dad.