The Rumpus

The Rumpus is an online literary magazine founded by Stephen Elliott, and launched on January 20, 2009.^[1] The site features interviews, book reviews, essays, comics, and critiques of creative culture as well as original fiction and poetry.^[2] The site runs two subscription-based book clubs^[3] and two subscription-based letters programs, Letters in the Mail^[4] and Letters for Kids.^[5]

The Rumpus

Type of site	Literature, culture
Owner	Alyson Sinclair
Editor	Aram Mrjoian (editor-in-chief); Stephanie Trott (managing editor)
URL	therumpus.net
Launched	2009; 16 years ago (2009)

The Rumpus has fostered writers, artists, and editors like Roxane Gay who served as Essays Editor and who credits the site for developing her audience,^[6] Isaac Fitzgerald who served as managing editor before moving to BuzzFeed to help create BuzzFeed Books,^[7] Rick Moody, Wendy MacNaughton, Paul Madonna, Peter Orner, Yumi Sakugawa, Steve Almond, and Cheryl Strayed, who began her "Dear Sugar" advice column on the site.^[8][9]

In July 2016, the site launched the Rumpus Lo-Fi Film Festival in Los Angeles as response to the high cost of other festivals.^[10]

In January 2017, The Rumpus was purchased by Marisa Siegel,^[11] previously the site's managing editor.^[12] Siegel was editor-in-chief and owner of The Rumpus for five years, before selling the magazine to Alyson Sinclair in January 2022.^[13] Sinclair appointed Alysia Li Ying Sawchyn editor-in-chief. In September 2023, Sawchyn was succeeded as editor-in-chief by Aram Mrjoian.^[14]