At 14 and 15, I was sort of my town's resident beatnik. Garth Risk Hallberg beatnikresidentsort Change image and share on social
The writing that feels the best to me, I experience sometimes, is a kind of weirdly deep listening - like, it feels like if you just listen hard enough, the next sentence will tell you what it needs to be. Garth Risk Hallberg deepexperiencefelt share on social
Writers since at least the heyday of Gore Vidal have bemoaned their audience's defection to other forms of entertainment. Garth Risk Hallberg audiencebemoandefection Change image and share on social
When something is at risk or in danger or about to be lost, those are the moments you start to realize how much it means to you. Garth Risk Hallberg dangerlosemean Change image and share on social
Reading was not just an escape or a Band-Aid; it was a deep form of feeling seen and recognized, and being able to see and recognize other kindred spirits. My dad was a writer, too, which also likely had something to do with that. Garth Risk Hallberg aidbanddad share on social
The central question driving literary aesthetics in the age of the iPad is no longer 'How should novels be?' but 'Why write novels at all?' Garth Risk Hallberg aestheticagecentral Change image and share on social
I always thought I was going to be a great poet, and go and live in New York, where the great poets lived - you know, where Whitman had walked the streets. Garth Risk Hallberg greatlivepoet Change image and share on social
The ego being shattered is not what frightens me - that can be useful for writing - but the ego being inflated is sort of like it dying of gout. Garth Risk Hallberg dieegofrighten Change image and share on social
I remember reading 'The Hobbit' on a car trip from Ohio to Mississippi and getting out at a rest-stop in Mississippi and feeling jet-lagged at my return from Middle-earth. Garth Risk Hallberg carearthfelt Change image and share on social
In college, I was a huge fan of 'Les Miserables.' I seem to remember that people who were into French literature preferred Hugo's poetry. Garth Risk Hallberg collegefanfrench Change image and share on social
