Three questions with Ben Tanzer

August 2, 11:51 AMChicago Literary Scene ExaminerRobert Duffer

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Chicago writer and social worker Ben Tanzer's second novel, Most Likely You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine, has been released by indie start-up Orange Alert Press. The press stems from Jason Behrends comprehensive Chicago music and arts site, What to Wear During an Orange Alert, which features a daily interview with an artist with some relationship to Chicago. Every Friday features a new band, Thursdays he interviews a writer, Wednesday an artist. Tanzer's first book, Lucky Man, came out from Manx Media early last year. He took time out from his unyielding schedule as a social worker, writer and father of two to answer three questions with the Examiner.

1. Tell us about the book, its genesis, the urgency you had in having to
tell the story.

I was finishing my first book Lucky Man and I was thinking about what I might do next. I found myself focused on this conversation I had with a friend of mine that had been kicking around in my head for a while. She told me about how she and her husband had come together very quickly as a couple, imploded just as quickly and then had tried to figure out how to get back together. I thought that kind of story would be fun to write, especially since I never really dated as an adult. In terms of any real sense of urgency though, I also saw this story as an
opportunity, or vehicle, that would allow me to tackle themes and ideas that
I did feel more urgent about - New York City in the early nineties, one
version anyway, fractured families, shooting pool, siblings, literature, and
pop culture. These themes all seemed to readily fit in this story fairly
well, well, I think so, or hope so anyway, you will have to let me know.

2. How did you get hooked up with Orange Alert for your second book, and their new venture into publishing?

Jason Behrends is the overseer of all things Orange Alert and he is an amazingly cool, sexy and thoughtful guy. He had asked me if I would do an interview for the blog after Lucky Man came out and then we became friendly. We started seeing each other at readings, he did a podcast with me to run on my blog This Blog Will Change Your Life, I helped him with the Orange Pulp CD he developed, I recruited him to be the music guy for my zine This Zine Will Change Your Life - and for my corporate sponsors please note that series of plugs, next time it could be you - and he started to feel like a real kindred spirit - you know, a fellow trying to be creative, working 9-5, lover of artists and independent everything, always hustling looking to do new things dad guy. When I started to shop the book around I sent it to him as well because minimally I really respect his taste and wanted to get
his reaction, but I also wanted to suggest that if he was at all interested in maybe taking on a new venture like publishing he was someone I would be thrilled to work with. He read it, he got excited and here we are. Pretty cool, right?

3. You're a social worker at a non-profit by day, a writer by night and a husband and father of two all the time. Why do you write?

It's hard not to be cheesy when answering something like this. I always wanted to write, I always loved to read, I loved writers, and hanging out in bookstores, buying books, and I wanted to be part of that, but I couldn't get started. And then I did get started, I was hitting thirty and I said enough. So I got started and now I can't stop and won't stop, like running and reading and shooting pool and even drugs at one point, it's something I crave and enjoy, and it's so calming, and there's more balance and excitement in my life, and I get to meet writers like Amy Guth, Nick Ostdick, Pete Anderson, Jill Summers, Tim Hall, Elizabeth Crane and most recently Shannon Burke, and it's so stimulating and interesting. Meanwhile, here I was already married anyway, and I do work I like a lot, and my wife and I decided to have kids and it's all been very crazy the last few years, and really hard to do any of it well, but I have no choice now, it's a really cool life, and I'm in it, and I'm not getting back out. So there.