Draft:Randy Fertel
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| Submission declined on 12 August 2025 by S0091 (talk). This submission's references do not show that the subject qualifies for a Wikipedia article—that is, they do not show significant coverage (not just passing mentions) about the subject in published, reliable, secondary sources that are independent of the subject (see the guidelines on the notability of people). Before any resubmission, additional references meeting these criteria should be added (see technical help and learn about mistakes to avoid when addressing this issue). If no additional references exist, the subject is not suitable for Wikipedia.
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This draft has been resubmitted and is currently awaiting re-review. |  |
Comment: Need critical reviews of his work which likely exists (see WP:AUTHOR). Reviews in academic journals are the better ones to use so suggest checking JSTOR if you have access and the JSTOR url can be used to do an automated citation. S0091 (talk) 17:39, 12 August 2025 (UTC)
Randy Fertel | |
|---|---|
| Born | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer; academic; philanthropist |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Harvard University (Ph.D.) |
| Notable works |
* A Taste for Chaos: The Art of Literary Improvisation (2015)* Winging It: Improv’s Power & Peril in the Time of Trump (2024) |
Randy Fertel is an American writer and philanthropist. His primary focus is improvisation, the arts, and the environment. He serves as president of the Fertel Foundation and the Ruth U. Fertel Foundation. He is the son of Ruth Fertel, founder of the Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse restaurant chain.
Early life and education
[edit]Fertel is from New Orleans, Louisiana. He holds a Ph.D. in English and American literature from Harvard University and has taught literature at institutions including Harvard, Tulane University, LeMoyne College, and the New School for Social Research.
Publications
[edit]Fertel is the author of three books, The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak (2011), A Taste for Chaos (2015), and Winging It (2024).[1][2] His memoir The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak: A New Orleans Family Memoir was published in 2011 by the University Press of Mississippi.[3][4][5][6][7] In 2015 he published A Taste for Chaos: The Art of Literary Improvisation, a study of improvisational techniques in literature and the arts, with Spring Publications.[8] Critical Studies in Improvisation wrote that A Taste for Chaos presents "a theory of improvisation as it relates to the history of literature," noting that "Fertel is the only writer to have attempted such a sweeping assessment of literature in the Western tradition."[9] Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche called the book important in that it "offers a new and powerful multidisciplinary context for Jung’s Red Book (2009), all the while providing a radical argument about the psyche and its arts."[10]
His 2024 book, Winging It: Improv’s Power & Peril in the Time of Trump, also from Spring Publications, discusses improvisation’s cultural and political implications.[11] He contributed a chapter, "Trickster, His Apocalyptic Brother, and a World's Unmaking: An Archetypal Reading of Donald Trump" to the Jung's Red Book for Our Time: Searching for Soul Under Postmodern Conditions, Vol. 2, edited by Murray Stein and Thomas Arzt.[12]
Fertel's writing has been published in Smithsonian[13], The New York Times,[14], Washington Spectator[15] and The Kenyon Review[16][17]. He has appeared on podcasts and public radio to discuss his books, New Orleans, and the subject of improvisation.[18] [19]
Philanthropy
[edit]Randy Fertel serves as president of the Fertel Foundation and the Ruth U. Fertel Foundation, organizations that support arts, education, and community initiatives primarily in New Orleans, such as the Edible Schoolyard New Orleans (ESYNOLA), a nonprofit program that integrates gardening and cooking education into local public schools. The Fertel Foundation, alongside The Nation Institute, co-founded the annual Ridenhour Prizes for Courageous Truth-telling.[20] Fertel’s foundations also support local cultural and educational projects.[21] [22]
References
[edit]- ^ Randy Fertel: The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak: A New Orleans Family Memoir. University Press of Mississippi. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
- ^ "Randy Fertel: Winging It and A Taste for Chaos". Spring Publications. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
- ^ "Fertel, Randy. The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak: A New Orleans Family Memoir". Library Journal. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "Memoir brings two eccentric New Orleans characters to life". Mississippi Business Journal. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "A literary feast: Meal pairs love of food, books. Dinner brings author, readers together for conversation, fun". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "The Holiday Food Books You'll Actually Want to Read". Esquire. 18 November 2011. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak: A New Orleans Family Memoir". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ Bishop, Paul (2017). "A Taste for Chaos: The Art of Literary Improvisation. By Randy Fertel". Literature and Theology. 31 (2): 248–249. doi:10.1093/litthe/frw040. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "Book Review: A Taste for Chaos: The Art of Literary Improvisation". Critical Studies in Improvisation. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "Review: Improvisation and Craft: Art's (Jungian) Opposites". Jung Journal: Culture & Psyche. JSTOR 26596801. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "Randy Fertel's 'Winging It': The Pleasures And Perils Of Improvisation". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ Randy, Fertel (8 May 2018). "Trickster, His Apocalyptic Brother, and a World's Unmaking: An Archetypal Reading of Donald Trump". Chiron Publications. SSRN 3212749. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "Beyond Bourbon Street". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "The Mississippi River Delta Must Be Restored". New York Times. 28 January 2012. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "Trickster, Improvisation and the Crisis of Trust". Washington Spectator. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "Katrina Five Ways". Kenyon Review. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "Carpe Vitam: How to Do Things with Spontaneity". Kenyon Review. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "Randy Fertel on the Power and Peril of Creative Improvisation". Common Edge. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
- ^ "Randy Fertel: Improv Everywhere - Clear+Vivid with Alan Alda". Apple Podcasts. 2024-09-10. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
- ^ "Ridenhour Courage Prizes". C-SPAN. 2007-04-07. Retrieved 2025-08-15.
- ^ "Causes". Fertel Foundation. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
- ^ "Edible Schoolyard New Orleans". Edible Schoolyard New Orleans. 26 January 2012. Retrieved 2025-08-11.