Tacked above my desk are photos of artists I admire - Hopper, Sargent, Twain - and postcards from beloved bookstores where I've spent all my time and money - Tattered Cover, Elliot Bay, Harvard Bookstore.

Next quotes

• J. R. Moehringer:

  I'm a big fan of the poet Mary Jo Salter, and although she doesn't need to be discovered at all - s

• J. R. Moehringer:

  Write every day; never give up; it's supposed to be difficult; try to find some pleasure and reward

• J. R. Moehringer:

  I've been trying to write a book since before I was old enough to vote, and I've collected many rej

• J. R. Moehringer:

  If you can live in Vegas, or visit Vegas, and leave in one piece, still loving it and somehow laugh

• J. R. Moehringer:

  While I was busy hating Vegas, and hiding from Vegas, a funny thing happened. I grew to love Vegas.

• J. R. Moehringer:

  Vegas is like the old definition of writing: though I don't enjoy writing, I love having written. T

• J. R. Moehringer:

  You think you choose the subjects of your books. But sometimes, in ways you don't know, the books c

• J. R. Moehringer:

  Food still isn't my thing, but I've learned to respect its power and significance.

• J. R. Moehringer:

  In Zurich, in a cafe overlooking the Limmat, I ate butter-drenched white asparagus pulled from the

• J. R. Moehringer:

  My father was a food lover and a deadbeat dad, and maybe a connection between good food and bad dad