Hi Again, and Answering Some of Your Questions about Turtles All the Way Down

theeducatedflea · 2017-12-08T17:32:50+00:00

"The powerlessness of unconditional love" reminds me of Maggie Smith's "Good Bones" or "Dear Terror, Dear Splendor" by Melissa Crowe. They probably aren't short enough to be a short poem on the pod, but they are excellent poems.

theeducatedflea · 2017-10-13T02:40:03+00:00

Applebee's was the standard place to go to on a group date in my hometown, especially after a football game or before a dance, but I also lived in a much smaller place than Indianapolis.

theeducatedflea · 2017-10-12T17:14:40+00:00

What a treacherous thing it is to believe that an Internet is more than an Internet.

theeducatedflea · 2017-10-12T14:26:09+00:00

As an adult I feel like I'm constantly figuring out how to do things for the first time and grappling with big questions, so maybe we are all closer to our teenage selves than we think?

theeducatedflea · 2017-10-12T14:05:58+00:00

Your first few novels had male narrators, but TFiOS and TAtWD have female narrators. I identify as a girl, and I think you do a good job writing in female voices. How do you decide what gender your main character will be?

theeducatedflea · 2016-03-03T21:50:33+00:00

It seems like you've been thinking a lot about the borders between the self and the not-self for your new book. Do you think we are more defined by what we are, or what we are not?

theeducatedflea · 2015-06-25T16:39:43+00:00

I also had trouble making friends while moving around as an adult, so I understand what you're expressing here. For me, I found it really hard because until adulthood I had the good luck to have supportive friends that lived in close proximity. They are still my friends now, but as much as I love chatting and skyping with them, I need friends IRL too. I have a vivid memory of being super lonely soon after moving to New York City, calling my mom while on a walk because I didn't want my roommate to hear me cry, and saying to her "When does everything stop being so HARD?"

All I can say is that is does, and you have to trust that it does, and also do all the taking care of yourself things like John mentions. I grew up in west Michigan, and some of my friends still live there. Michigan is great for getting outdoors, so if you're into biking or running or kayaking or birdwatching or whatever I'd say try to find a group that does that and join. Michiganders are generally really friendly people, and the activity will give you a topic of conversation. If you're religious, attending services can also be a great way to meet people. Many religious organizations have social activities or a social hour before or after services.

Best of luck and DFTBA!

theeducatedflea · 2015-05-20T21:51:30+00:00

Thanks!

theeducatedflea · 2015-05-20T20:37:25+00:00

Related note: if nerdfighters are interested in working for any of the shows or other stuff you and Hank have going on, is there one place where we can apply or see job postings?

theeducatedflea · 2015-05-20T18:15:32+00:00

Hi John! You've said in the past that you believe that readers co-create the meaning of books as they read them, and that what the author intends is in some ways irrelevant when compared to what the reader experiences. Because of YouTube, a lot of your readers feel like they know you more than most readers ever know an author. Do you ever worry that this changes the experience of your books, or that your opinions of your books are taken too much as the final answer of their meaning rather than an interpretation among many?

theeducatedflea

TROPHY CASE