99 Problems

by Ben Tanzer

Why is it that so many full-time writers seem to be full-time runners as well, and what is it about each activity that seems to fuel the other? In "99 Problems," Chicago author Ben Tanzer tackles this very question, penning a series of essays completed after a string of actual runs across the United States during the winter of 2009, cleverly combining the details of the run itself with what new insights he gained that day regarding whatever literary story he was working on at the time; and along the way, Tanzer also offers up astute observations on fatherhood, middle-age, and the complications of juggling traditional and artistic careers, all of it told through the funny and smart filter of pop-culture that has made this two-time novelist and national performance veteran so well-loved. A unique and fascinating new look at the curious relationship between physical activity and creative intellectualism, "99 Problems" will have you looking at the arts in an entirely new way, and maybe even picking up a pair of running shoes yourself.

"99 Problems" is an electronic-exclusive publication from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography. Find a wealth of supplemental material for it at [cclapcenter.com/99problems].

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

42 pages, ebook

First published August 16, 2010

About the author

Emmy-award winner Ben Tanzer's acclaimed work includes the short story collection UPSTATE, the science fiction novel Orphans and the essay collections Lost in Space and Be Cool. His recent novel The Missing was released in March 2024 by 7.13 Books and was a Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year finalist in the category of Traditional Fiction and his new book After Hours: Scorsese, Grief and the Grammar of Cinema, which Kirkus Reviews calls "A heartfelt if overstuffed tribute to the author’s father and the ameliorative power of art," was released by Ig Publishing in May 2025. Ben is also the host of the long running podcast This Podcast Will Change Your Life and lives in Chicago with his family.

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to be careful. I know what you guys are thinking. You are thinking I have a thing for this guy, don't you? Yeah... Go ahead. Admit it. The second you saw this review was for Ben Tanzer and his newest release, you rolled your eyes. Didn't you? Don't deny it! I saw you!

Well. You know what? I don't care. Think what you want. The man knows how to write. You would review everything he wrote too, if you downloaded some of his stuff. CCLaP, his e-publisher, makes it so easy to do. Why don't you take a look. Go ahead, it's ok. I'll wait. No, really... go ahead. I will just sit here, I don't mind.

Oh, did I mention that they offer different ways to download it? It's available in PDF for both US and EU laser printers, and there's an EPUB version for most eReaders. There is even an payment option (yes, free is an option. No strings, I swear).

Did you know Ben is a runner? Yup. He likes to run. Every day. No matter where he is or what he is doing. It helps him get his thoughts together. It's like a drug. He pushes himself. Hard. He times himself. He likes to feel the burn. And the ache. I wonder if he is a masochist. He gets itchy and cranky when he's all cooped up. He can't function. He panics. He throws temper tantrums.

Well, ok. Maybe not temper tantrums.

I was trying to build suspense. You know? Trying to get your attention. But I let it get out of hand. Here, let me try this again.

99 Problems is a collection of essays that Ben wrote about his own experiences with running and writing during the winter of 2009, and how intricately entwined the two processes are for him. As his feet hit the pavement all across the country, Ben's thoughts wander to the book he is currently writing. Or the passing of his father 9 years ago. Or the fact that he is no longer as young as he used to be, and needs to step up his game. Or the time when he watched his buddy chat up a chick he knew in high school.

His writing is lovely. The words run across the page, smooth and effortless. They flow together so naturally. His transitions almost hypnotize you... Look at my words. You are getting sleepy, You want to put on a pair of running shoes. You want to go for a run outside, You want to run like the wind.

I'm no runner. Not a big fan of the running. Pumping the legs. Wearing the sneakers. Making the sweat. I'm the girl who was left panting and gasping on the outer edge of the track in gym class, clutching her side, while all the other kids ran laps around me.

But Ben manages to make me wish I was a runner. His essays make me think I am missing something by not running. They make me think I should run out to Sneaker King and purchase a pair of running shoes.

This is Ben. A story teller. An influencer. A glutton for punishment.

This is Ben wearing his heart, like his Ipod, on his sleeve.

This is Ben cranking up the volume on Jay-Z, and running the words of his next story out of his head, down into his arm, and storing them in his fingers until he makes his way home to write them out.

So. Did you check 99 Problems out, like I asked? Well, hang on. Watch this. I am going to attach a link for you look at. Jason from CCLaP put together this really cool interactive google map that showcases one of Ben's essays by tracing the actual path he ran in "The Long Haul". It's complete with photos of the places he mentions in the essay as well.

http://www.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&a...
Tell me that isn't the coolest thing you have ever seen!

Happy e-publication day Ben! May your running paths always be clear, the weather always be perfect, and the stories continue to flow through your fingers, my friend!

[Ben]

It changed my life.

[Mark Brand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think arguably one of the most difficult feats a writer can attempt, something less like patient, careful craft and more akin to sword swallowing or juggling chainsaws, is trying to cogently describe the experience of fatherhood.

It isn’t just that the vocabulary doesn’t exist (it doesn’t), that maternal sentiment tends to dominate the dramatic discourse (it does) or that narratives of fatherhood tend toward a skewed, lop-sided cliché of the absent, abusive, or at best emotionally-distant and enigmatic father (they do). It’s all of these things together, and more. It’s the fact that good fatherhood doesn’t sell. And I don’t just mean in the money sense. It doesn’t sell itself to a reader as reality. No one wants to listen to a man complain about the grinding, thankless nature of responsible fatherhood. Where’s the drama? Where’s the action? Who cares if dad is bored to distraction or is subtly dissatisfied with life in general for years that stretch to decades? Who gives him a second thought if dad can’t sleep because he’s worried about the future? Angst by itself is so twenty years ago. Unless dad is hitting, raping, abandoning, emotionally-scarring, creatively-suppressing, stubbornly socially anachronistic, or betraying the protagonist’s modern compassionate values (or occasionally sacrificing his life in a quaint gesture to prove that he is worthy to be a father to begin with) readers would just as soon put a cardboard cutout in the family photo and get to the good stuff about mom and her struggles against a world that’s terribly unfair to women and children.

Responsible fatherhood doesn’t make for cinematic, set-piece narrative construction or tidy three-act novel progression. It doesn’t make you keep turning the pages to see what’s going to happen next. In fact, if it was written as accurately as it can be, a story about real fatherhood might make a reader wonder if they even want to continue reading. You can see the difficulty of selling this, let alone writing it.

And with this paradox comes the realization of how the pioneers of race and gender equality of the 50’s and 60’s must have felt. Few things have been as disappointing to me in my adult life as seeing so few positive fictional fatherhood role models reflected back at me culturally, when I know for a fact that I and dozens of my male friends struggle silently every day to live that life and walk in those shoes. The Good Dad. Everyone knows one, but unless he dies tragically at a young age or snaps and climbs a clock tower with a rifle hardly anyone takes notice of him. He is a static and uninteresting fixture unless and until he transforms into The Bad Dad. A father character that takes even the smallest step towards a life not defined by utter debasing sublimation to the betterment of the family has just bought a ticket on the slippery slope that leads toward that same bullpen of negative father stereotype clichés. Unless you look back 30 years or more, that’s virtually the only widespread character arc in modern fiction for fatherhood.

This is perhaps not without reason. The non-pathological 21st Century American Father might well be the most difficult, uncompelling character archetype to fictionalize. You can see them standing off to the sides of playgrounds watching their toddlers, in the kitchen washing the dishes after dinner, and double-parked in front of the pre-school in the bus lane at 7:30AM, hoping they can make it to work on time and that they didn’t forget junior’s sunblock, sun hat, change of clothes, diapers, wipes, nuks, lovies, water bottle, formula, and the order form for picture day which won’t actually happen for a month but needs to be paid in full ahead of time. What on earth is this guy doing? Besides being a dull, uninspired doormat, that is. If he’s not a secretly a CIA agent or serial killer, and is instead exactly what he appears to be, how is a writer supposed to build a story around that? Beta-males and metrosexuals had their cringe-inducing heyday in popular culture, but let’s face it: the emasculated American male is also becoming clichéd as croc shoes on nurses.

As a reader, though, I care about that guy. I care about what he thinks when he has to pull himself out of bed in the morning. I care about what he does to escape the tedium. I care about what makes him put one foot in front of the other and keep going. I care about how he sleeps at night. I care because that guy reflects something a lot closer to what I am than most fictionalized fathers.

And Ben Tanzer cares about that guy, too. Tanzer’s new book, 99 Problems, is ostensibly the culmination of a lengthy exercise in exploring the crossover dynamics between running and writing, but it’s also much, much more. It bears note as well that this book was released by the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography, using the same payment-optional downloadable e-book format used for Repetition Patterns. This is quickly becoming a popular book format and CCLaP has gotten it as close to perfection as anyone at this point. 99 Problems is a pleasure to read, and not without some thanks to this innovative platform.

In 99 Problems, he gets past the jittery, panicky, claustrophobia of new fatherhood he touched on in his earlier book Repetition Patterns, and settles into the figurative long-haul. How does a man stay a man when he is pulled like living taffy in the opposing directions that fatherhood takes him? Tanzer's narration would have you believe that creative and physical self-realization are only as far away as a pair of running shoes, but the broader implication is the more important concept. The book dwells on the nuts and bolts of running and writing, but as astute readers have noted there are deeper themes at work. One of these is the impact aging has on the psyche of men, the other is the slave’s game responsible fathers play of finding ways to cast off the yoke for a day, an hour, or even just five minutes. The game of finding a way to fly without ever leaving the chains.

And this is where Tanzer shines. He shows you the chains, and makes you want the narrator to fly. Most writers I know, with a few notable exceptions, take the easy way out. Why confront this ugly, uncompelling, unpopular, slightly-depressing truth? What does it serve? Are we supposed to feel bad for dad because he chose to be a father? Women and children aren't "chains" in the literal sense, even if you can sort of see his point. There are a hundred reasons not to write responsible fathers into fiction, and most of the time I let other authors off the hook when they keep their heads down and decide not to stir that hornet's nest. The ones who do face the reality head-on, though, earn my immediate and lasting respect. Admiration and pity are muddy emotions to pair with each other, but that’s exactly what this sort of narrative demands. Today’s Good Dad is an object of both. Beneath this is the place inside a real man where the static builds between how life is, how life should be, and the synapse of human nature that the creative sparks fly across. 99 Problems is that spark; nuanced, unpretentious, and without fear.

[Mel Bosworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first time I met Ben Tanzer was in Montpelier, Vermont in late winter, early spring 2010. He was there for work and I was there because I wanted to meet the man behind the name I’d been seeing all over the internet for the last two years. I wanted to meet the man who seemed like the kindest, hardest working writer I’d ever brushed up against. I wanted to meet the man who’d agreed to write a back cover blurb for my first chapbook on ridiculously short notice at a time when we were both still virtual strangers, more or less. Above all, I wanted to run with this man. And that’s what I did.

Ben was nice enough to let me crash in his hotel room after an evening of beer sampling and good conversation, an evening which allowed me a 3-dimensional glimpse into the life of Ben Tanzer and just how dedicated this crazy bastard really is. At around midnight Ben fell asleep with a book on his face, a book I’m sure he reviewed shortly thereafter, and I’m still kicking myself for not taking a picture of that. And then, at 6am, the show began. Stumble out of bed, still dark outside, running gear, shoes, hat, gloves, go.

Ben and I went on a slow and steady 60 minute run around the somber, chilled city of Montpelier. We danced around black ice. We talked about our projects. We talked about our injuries. We talked about women. We high stepped along railroad tracks, Stand By Me style. We breathed and we laughed. And it was good. Ben was every bit the kind, hard working writer I’d made him out to be. And it was easy for him, because with Ben Tanzer there is no bullshit. He lives like he writes: honestly and with great heart.

Months later, 99 Problems, Ben’s collection of essays about running and writing, was pushed into the world by CCLaP, a coupling that, in my mind, couldn’t be more perfect. It got me excited. It got me to thinking about my run with him. It got me to thinking about how he’d handle the subject matter. It got me to thinking about all the things I owe to running in my own life, and how it’s helped me as a writer and as a human being.

And so on a warm Friday I read Ben’s essays in a cozy café in Brattleboro, Vermont. It certainly wasn’t a planned thing to be in Brattleboro, a couple of hours south of Montpelier, but that’s the way it worked out. And as I chomped on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and sipped green tea from a mug, I laughed, I nodded, I grew misty.

Goddamn.

This, to me, is Tanzer at his absolute best. He’s writing what he knows, he’s writing what he’s passionate about, he’s writing free. He allows us into his mind, no holds barred, as he strikes heel to toe, heel to toe over blacktop and hard packed earth. This is Ben Tanzer writing about himself in an addictive prose that’ll keep your eyes moving so quickly they’ll sweat. And once they cross that finish line—jubilant, loose, pulsing—they’ll want more. And with a craftsman like Ben Tanzer beside you, capable of stirring a second wind into any set of lungs, you’ll get more.

And you won’t have to wait long, of that I’m sure.

I’m honored to call Ben Tanzer my friend, and I am thrilled and inspired when I watch him run. 99 Problems snaps the tape at the finish line, roaring.

[Lavinia Ludlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s every writer’s goal to become such a fantastical storyteller that the reader dissolves into the narration and lives through the story. Tanzer has managed to perfect that in his stories such as those found in 99 Problems. His narration is honest and real, relate-able. Certainly a great publication from Tanzer and CCLaP. Definitely worth checking out now.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book about running and writing that gives me a shout out that you'll read all year. 5 stars *****

Also: I now feel a burning need to lace up my running shoes. And write.

[Jason Pettus · Rating 5 out of 5]

FTC DISCLOSURE: I am the publisher of this book.

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

APOLOGIA: A critical essay designed deliberately to be all-positive in nature, in order to convince others to become fans of the subject being discussed.

Why I Signed "99 Problems" -- An Apologia.

Ever since turning 40 last year, I've discovered a whole new fascination in my life for physical activity (bicycling for me), and especially the complicated role it now plays in my life as far as how it affects my sense of creativity, intellectual capacity, and even simple endurance; it is in fact a subject I've often found myself discussing with Chicago author and full-time runner Ben Tanzer, who I'm proud to count as a personal friend after publishing his story collection Repetition Patterns in 2008 to great success. Ben is a much more serious athlete than I am, someone who used to run competitively when younger and is still frankly pretty competitive to this day, and so has always had some really fascinating observations about this subject to share; this is how his new essay collection 99 Problems came about in the first place, in that I thought his readers would be interested in hearing these observations as well, leading to him keeping careful notes over the course of winter 2009 after every run he did, building by the end an intriguing unified set of nonfiction stories regarding all these subjects just mentioned and more, all of them told through his usual humorous filter of pop-culture that has made him so well-loved in the last few years, and a staple of the national literary tour circuit.

And indeed, here on the eve of the book finally going public in summer 2010, I find that Ben has ultimately done something pretty spectacular with 99 Problems, putting together a manuscript that's not only a wonky tech-filled delight for his fellow runners, but that also stands as a powerful meditation on middle-age, and of the nice and sometimes not-so-nice ways that we males in our forties deal with the suddenly lowering limits that happen to our bodies during this period of life. Apart from his bigger points regarding the relationship between physical activity and creative intellectualism, I have to say that it's his thoughts on aging that are my true favorite moments in this book, because of them so often mirroring my own -- this sense that our bodies are somehow betraying us, the frustration of no longer being able to accomplish certain goals simply becuase you're determined to, the start of the disconnect between willpower and capability that just becomes worse from this point on, especially shocking in middle-age because of most of us still considering ourselves too "young" to experience such a thing. Regardless of whether you yourself are an athletic person or not, I suspect that many people will respond favorably to 99 Problems just for this subject alone, making it a worthwhile read no matter what your personal relationship to running.

But like I said, the main point of 99 Problems precisely is to examine the complicated relationship between physical activity and creativity; and it's here where Ben really shines, even more interesting in this case by him taking a sort of sideways approach to the subject, delivering not grand summing-up observations but rather looking at the nitty-gritty details from each of the runs themselves, examining the specific insights he had on that particular run regarding whatever creative project he was working on that particular week, whether that was a new story, his latest novel, or his perpetually frustrating efforts to finish his latest screenplay. This is such an interesting subject, I think, because it seems to belie the traditional image of the boozing, drugging, chain-smoking artist one step from death; more and more these days, it seems, not only are the most successful artists the ones to incorporate regular physical activity in their lives, but even our definition of what is "hip" for artists to do in their spare time is profoundly changing. It seems that we as a society are realizing more and more just what an integral role physical health plays in our mental and creative health as well; and Ben really examines this issue in a legitimately deep and complex way in 99 Problems, precisely by doing what he's so good at in his fiction as well, by focusing in on the small and personal, by making it one person's story that by extension becomes an entire society's.

As with his first story collection for CCLaP, I'm immensely proud to have my name associated with this book, and I have a feeling that there will be as many passionate fans for 99 Problems once it comes out as there is for his inventive, funny novels and short stories, and especially when it comes to my fellow sore, perpetually injured, middle-aged exercise enthusiasts. I urge you to download a copy for yourself whenever you have a chance, and become either a new or continued fan of this remarkable writer.

[Ray Charbonneau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben’s book is a series of essays written after some of his daily runs during the winter of 2009. The stories mix details of Ben’s runs with his thoughts on his writing projects and his life generated during those runs.

Ben and I are both runners and writers in our 40s. I figured I’d relate to what he had to say, so I downloaded the book to my iPhone. The ePub version was 199 pages long on my tiny iPhone screen (equivalent to maybe 50 pages when formatted for a typical paperback). I was able to finish it in an afternoon of reading, but I read faster than I run.

It’s clear from the book that Ben understands what it means to be a runner. You’re a runner if you need to run, if running satisfies something inside you the way nothing else does. Running faster or further is nice, but not necessary.

I really like when Ben’s writing about running. He explains his obsession in a way that’s very personal, but easy for other runners to relate to. “Why is running so important to me? The cliché response is, “Why is breathing important?” Because it simply is, and as soon as you get a taste of it you want more. Just like drugs or sex. Or Pringles. (…) And what I eventually learned was that when the drugs are no longer anything but another hurdle to getting real stuff done; when you don’t actually want to have sex all the time, or at least put in all that effort to have it all the time; when the Pringles, if you are honest, leave you sort of queasy, and laying on the couch breathing heavily; there is running.”

Even when they’re not competitive, all obsessive runners find some way to be elitest about what they do. Running is so right, that it’s hard to understand why anyone chooses alternatives. Ben lives in Chicago, where it is often cold and windy, but “I run, year-round and outdoors. I could tell you that I don’t look down on people hitting the treadmill this time of year, but I would be lying. That’s not running; that’s exercise. It’s healthy and beneficial, but it’s not running.”

Sometimes Ben goes a little overboard. After flying home sick, he went out for a run, tired and achy, and then wrote, “This could be unbearable; but the thing is, just like sex, running under duress is still better than not running.” I suspect he didn’t really mean to equate running with rape. He also compares the lack of literary running books with the lack of positive gay role models in media. These comparisons illustrate that running might mean a little too much to Ben. I can relate.

The book isn’t as strong when Ben is tying his running to his writing. Sometimes it works, like when Ben decides to push himself to extend his writing range on a project while pushing himself to run faster on his regular loop, or when he gets in an extra long run with no problems, in part because he’s distracted from worries by working out a plot. Other times, the link to writing is forced, or almost non-existent.

The title of the book comes from a Jay-Z song, where Jay-Z has his problems, but not with women. Running is Ben’s “bitch”. If you agree with Ben that, “I can eat later. I can sleep later. I can drink coffee later. But there’s no guarantee that I will be able to run later. Shit happens. I’m gone,” then this book is for you.

[Giano Cromley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The essay collection 99 Problems is a meditation on the intersection of creativity and physical exertion, best expressed in that old Puritan chestnut: "The body fuels the mind." Each essay represents a different run and a different creative dilemma that the author Ben Tanzer must solve. In his essays, he goes deeply inward, revealing his inner thoughts with a fearlessness that gives each piece a visceral impact. I picked this book up on the advice of a friend and it helped me as I struggled with my own marathon training. I've read lots of running books, but none of them ever got me motivated to go out and put some miles under my feet, then come back and pick up the pen to write, like 99 Problems.

[Claire S]

I had the opportunity to help proofread this book, and unfortunately due to traveling wasn't completely able to luxuriate in it. But I did get enough exposure to it to know that this looks like a lot of fun, and a great journey to join. Easy, breezy to read, but actual substantial content as well. Running, writing, living.. all goes together pretty well.

Since it's 'pay what you want', there's *literally* no cost to exploring it for yourself.

Looking forward to reading it at the first opportunity!

[Nunyah Biznuss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like running? Like writing? Then Ben Tanzer's essays on the intersection of writing and running will make your day.

It's a quick read, but a deep one. I totally relate to Tanzer. When he said that people who run on treadmills don't really run in the first chapter, I knew I was going to LOVE this little book.

If you're looking for a read to inspire you to run, this could be the book!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dug this set of essays from writer/runner Ben Tanzer. I really liked how his stories not only had a learn-able significance, they were also scenic visits to places I know well—like Chicago. Good stuff.


[Edited:] Oh yeah, I interviewed Ben—check it out: http://www.hellasound.com/site/read/b...

[Krusher Basta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love to run.

I love to read.

I love Chicago.

So for me, this is a perfect book. But any runner who enjoys reading will like it. Ben Tanzer’s essays are well written and touch on topics all runners will relate to. I could picture myself running the same routes he describes in Chicago. I would have liked to read more.

[Alex Kudera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun, inspiring read; I bet quite a few folks will emerge intent upon running or writing. I blogged a bit upon these essays too, and you'll see that strangely enough the author and I crossed paths at a frisbee tournament in 1993. http://kudera.blogspot.com/2010/11/be...

[Xian Xian · Rating 4 out of 5]

For some odd reason, I had been eyeing this for awhile. I’m fond of Tanzer’s short story collections, but I don’t read non-fiction, rarely, even memoirs. I decided to pick it up anyway, as soon as Murakami was mentioned, I had to read it. Despite being a fan of Murakami, I had never read What I Talk About When I Talk About Running. Not because I didn’t want to, I just never had the chance to buy it or ask for it. I had only read 6 of his novels, so I guess that would be something I would enjoy right? I had only read the two CCLaP short story collections from Tanzer, and I hope to read more of his work. So of course, I picked up the essays. Here were the issues though, I’m not athletic at all, I have no interest in running, maybe walking, but running is out of my league. I clap for the ones who can exercise or do anything active without having heart palpitations and regretting it.


I read this collection without high expectations or any sort of standards. I was just reading Tanzer’s thoughts every time he ran. I don’t want to put a rating on this or even make a whole detailed review about it, despite that I did on Goodreads already. Reviewing a person’s thoughts is like standing up on stage and telling someone your slam poem about your hardships sucks. Did that even make sense? I rated it by my enjoyment. It didn't blow my mind or make me cry; instead I was intrigued by his passion of the running and the need to write. Every writer has their own ritual for their word bleeding; Tanzer’s ritual is having his feet hug the cement.

Original Blog Post:
http://wordsnotesandfiction.blogspot....

[Benoit Lelièvre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another very short book by Ben Tanzer. This one left me with mixed feelings. It's not easy to write about how anything could relate to writing, because when you're busy doing something else and thinking about writing, well, you're actually not writing. Two different exercises, two different muscles used. Sometimes, Tanzer gets it right and I almost forget he's running as he's musing. Other times, he's missing the point completely.

Don't get me wrong, it's a tremendous challenge that Tanzer took on himself to write essays about how writing and running relate. There are moments of brilliance, but for most of the collection, I found it to be very raw, almost like it wasn't ready yet. I'd be curious to see Tanzer revisit the concept in five or ten years.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice book of essays about running and writing. I know I enjoyed it at the time, but I honestly can't really remember many details a few weeks after reading, so it must've not been that incredible.