Colson Whitehead is a New York-based novelist. He is the author of the 1999 novel The Intuitionist, as well as four other novels and one book of non-fiction. In 2002, he received a MacArthur Fellowship. Read full biography of Colson Whitehead →
I live in Brooklyn. I moved here 14 years ago for the cheap rent. It was a little embarrassing because I was raised in Manhattan, and so I was a bit... →
'Sag Harbor' was a very different book for me. It changed the way I thought about books that I wanted to do.
What isn't said is as important as what is said.
I get invited to do panels with other Brooklyn writers to discuss what it's like to be a writer in Brooklyn. I expect it's like writing in... →
I was inspired to become a writer by horror movies and science fiction.
I'm just trying to keep things rich for me creatively and for the readers who follow me.
Write what you know.
You can't rush inspiration.
A lot of my writer friends live near me, and that makes people think we just hang around with one another in cafes, trading work and discussing... →
Early on my career, I figured out that I just have to write the book I have to write at that moment. Whatever else is going on in the culture is just... →
Growing up devouring horror comics and novels, and being inspired to become a writer because of horror novels, movies, and comic books, I always knew... →
I grew up reading the 'Village Voice' and wanting to be one of these multidisciplinary music writers, film writers, book writers. And I... →
Colson Whitehead is a New York-based novelist. He is the author of the 1999 novel The Intuitionist, as well as four other novels and one book of non-fiction. In 2002, he received a MacArthur Fellowship.