Orchid hunting is a mortal occupation.

I've always been afraid of video games - not afraid that I wouldn't like them, but that I would like them too much, and that after mere seconds in front of any particularly bright and absorbing game, I would abandon all ambition, turn into a mouth-breathing zombie, and develop a wide, sofa-shaped rear end.

I teach a non-fiction writing class at New York University, and one of my great pleasures is deciding on the syllabus.

My inspiration is really very simple: I'm struck by things that I want to know more about. I really do react just as a curious person: who is this person? What's the story behind this situation? Why do people like this or dislike this thing?

The thing is, I have a zillion apps, and I'm always looking for the perfect arrangement for them, so scrambling my home screen is part of that eternal quest.

Oversized houses, like oversized cars, seem to be a particularly American fixation.

You have to simply love writing, and you have to remind yourself often that you love it.