When I finished graduate school, I had a master's of fine arts from a prestigious institution, a manuscript that would eventually become my first published book - and almost no marketable skills. Victor LaValle artbookeventually Change image and share on social
You can't write a story about a mental hospital in the United States without facing the grand example of 'Cuckoo's Nest.' Victor LaValle cuckoofacegrand Change image and share on social
I hadn't stopped fearing the chance of passing on an illness, but that fear had become balanced by the observation that being ill wasn't the same as being beaten. Victor LaValle balancebeatchance Change image and share on social
If you want to learn the true nature of a child you have to watch how she plays. If you want to learn the true nature of an adult you have to watch how she does her job. Victor LaValle adultchildjob Change image and share on social
I like America, where believers eddy around each other like currents of air. Even our atheists are devout! To be an American is to be a believer. I don't have much faith in institutions, but I still believe in people. Victor LaValle airamericaamerican share on social
Whether it was H. P. Lovecraft's doomed towns or Shirley Jackson's lonely, looming 'The Haunting of Hill House,' the boondocks had all the fun. As a black kid in Queens, New York, I couldn't have felt more removed. Victor LaValle blackboondocksdoom share on social
I had a pretty bad time when I was an undergraduate at Cornell University. I failed out of school. I was much, much heavier. Victor LaValle badcornellfail Change image and share on social
Miniature golf, like billiards, is a game of angles. And, like billiards, most of the fun is in pretending you know what the hell you're doing. The worse you do, the more you have to laugh. Victor LaValle anglebadlybilliard Change image and share on social
I've spent my life visiting a handful of people who are very close to me when they've been committed to one hospital or another in New York. Victor LaValle closecommithandful Change image and share on social
In the past, a writer had to go outside and get to know others before learning about their work, but the Internet has made humanity more accessible for misanthropes like me. I read blogs, tweets, Facebook posts and Reddit threads where people detail their jobs. Victor LaValle accessibleblogdetail share on social
