My Novels Are Certainly More Exciting Than

I Have Actual Dreams Of Bruce Springsteen Calling Me Up On Stage To Wear A Bandanna And Play Rhythm Guitar Next To Little Steven.

When I Was Writing 'the Abstinence Teacher,' I Really Tried To Immerse Myself In Contemporary American Evangelical Culture.

I Was Writing Very Early, Like I Was Involved In Our High School Literary Magazine, Which Was Called 'pariah.' The Football Team Was The Bears, And The Literary Magazine Was 'pariah.' It Was Great. It Was Definitely A Real Sub-culture. But I Wrote Stories For Them.

I Was A Garbage Man In New Jersey In Summers During College At Yale. Everybody Else Got To Go To Switzerland And I Got To Go To The Dump.

They Both Seemed To Understand That Describing It Was Beyond Their Powers, The Gratitude That Spreads Through Your Body When A Burden Gets Lifted, And The Sense Of Homecoming That Follows, When You Suddenly Remember What It Feels Like To Be Yourself.