| Carleton student’s short story published in national anthology |
By: DAVID HENKE, Staff Writer
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Posted: Tuesday, November 17, 2009 11:42 pm
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NORTHFIELD — A sinister black panther, a pen pal who knows more than he should and a young boy with a tough family life.
They’re all facets of Carleton College sophomore Rebekah Frumkin’s short story, “Monster.” The 14-page tale, written by the philosophy student last year, was published in 2009 edition of the prestigious anthology “Best American Nonrequired Reading” — a collection edited by prominent American author Dave Eggers.
The tale follows “Danny,” the fictional, 8-year-old protagonist, as he deals with family turmoil and experiences a series of surreal and sometimes macabre visions centering around a black panther. The story ends with a meeting between Danny and his oddly enlightened pen pal.
Frumkin submitted the story to several regional literary journals last year, including the Boston-based Post Road Magazine. The story was then picked up by 826 National, a non-profit literary education organization in which Eggers is involved.
The next thing she knew, Frumkin received a letter from Eggers himself, asking if he could publish the story in his anthology.
“It was like the gods came down and accepted me into their pantheon, however briefly,” Frumkin said. “It was being plucked out of obscurity.”
The recognition is well-deserved, said Carleton Professor of Philosophy Jason Decker, who taught Frumkin in several of her classes.
“There’s a way that good writers draw you into their writing in a way that makes you see past their words. You’d never guess that the story was written by a freshman undergrad,” Decker said of Frumkin’s story.
WHERE TO FIND REBEKAH FRUMKIN’S SHORT STORY
Frumkin’s short story, “Monster,” was published in the 2009 edition of “Best American Nonrequired Reading,” a literary anthology edited by Dave Eggers. The anthology is available for $14 at both the Carleton and St. Olaf College bookstores.
— David Henke covers city, business and youth issues. He can be reached at dhenke@northfieldnews.com or 645-1100.
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