Sign in

Garth Greenwell

@garthgreenwell.bsky.social
15K followers 46 following 485 posts

What Belongs to You, Cleanness, & Small Rain | 2025 PEN/Faulkner Award | Eeyore at the gay club | garthgreenwell.substack.com

PostsRepliesMedia
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
“Austere” is maybe the word most commonly used to characterize Rachel Cusk’s work. It doesn’t feel wrong, exactly—but analyzing a paragraph in Life of M, I realized I’m not really sure what it means. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/what-does-...
150
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Sometimes a settled idea about a writer's style (that it's "austere," say) can keep us from seeing the writing itself. I wrote about a paragraph from Rachel Cusk's Life of M--& the most perfect word I've come across in a new book this year. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/what-does-...
010
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Tomorrow!
000
Reposted by Garth Greenwell
The Believer @thebeliever.net · 15/09/2026
“I don’t believe we are capable of a tenderness that does not also contain cruelty. Or at least I’m not interested in writing about a cruelty that does not contain tenderness or about a tenderness that does not contain cruelty.” — @garthgreenwell.bsky.social www.thebeliever.net/an-interview...
thebeliever.net
An Interview with Garth Greenwell - Believer Magazine
I had heard of Garth Greenwell’s work, but somehow I had never read any of it until September 2019. I received a galley of his second book, Cleanness, just weeks after I returned to New York from a…
021
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Starting Saturday! Full info & registration: www.garthgreenwell.com/store/p/firs...
050
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Tonight!
020
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Friends in Iowa City, please join us this Wednesday at 7pm at Prairie Lights to celebrate Luis’s beautiful new book.
030
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Starting one week from today! There’s still time to join us for this online class on Portrait of a Lady. www.garthgreenwell.com/store/p/firs...
050
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I’m trying to start a new book & so am obsessed with openings. But maybe first sentences aren’t as all-important as they seem? I wrote about a very great novel with a very bad first line. Free post, no paywall. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/how-not-to...
072
Reposted by Garth Greenwell
Alexander Chee @alexanderchee.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
I’m celebrating the 25th anniversary of my debut novel Edinburgh this fall with a new Mariner Classics edition (intro by @garthgreenwell.bsky.social) on Oct. 13th at the Center for Fiction with Brandon Taylor, @mirajacob.bsky.social and @rokwon.bsky.social. centerforfiction.org/event/edinbu...
A dark green book jacket with a wooden fox head at the center. Text is in white and reads: "ONE
OF THE
GREAT QUEER NOVELS •
- BRANDON TAYLOR, GQ
0 F
OUR
TIME."
EDINBURGH
25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION
ALEXANDER CHEE
BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT
1125845
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The next To a Green Thought Book Club pick is Gwendoline Riley’s Booker-longlisted The Palm House. We’ll be meeting via Zoom on October 18th at 3pm ET to talk about it. Open to all Founding Members of the newsletter. Subscribe at the link: garthgreenwell.substack.com/subscribe
021
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Scholarship applications for this online class on Henry James’s Portrait of a Lady close TOMORROW, Tuesday, Sept 1. The class starts Sept 19. Full info at the link. www.garthgreenwell.com/store/p/firs...
030
Reposted by Garth Greenwell
Chris J. Rice @chrisjrice.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Yes to this.
011
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
I shared a few more thoughts on workshop—including my best variation on the traditional format, & why I still think, whatever the adjustments we make, it’s a bad model of aesthetic education. Link (no paywall) here: garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/a-few-more...
292
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
STARTING IN ONE MONTH! Join us as we read some of the greatest works in modern literature. We begin Sept 19 with Portrait of a Lady. All sessions recorded; scholarships available. Full info (scroll down for individual classes) here: www.garthgreenwell.com/classes
150
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
James had published several books by 1881, but he knew Portrait of a Lady would be different. “On that I shall take my stand,” he told a friend. Join us as we read this great masterpiece, starting Sept 19. www.garthgreenwell.com/classes
020
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
The question of how to facilitate the kind of formation necessary for aesthetic education is a difficult one. I wrote about why we should stop pretending workshop is the answer. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/why-i-dont...
0110
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Thanks for the shout out, Lit Hub. Join us as we read Portrait, starting Sept 19. Scholarship applications close Sept 1. www.garthgreenwell.com/classes
070
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Workshop is a truly terrible model of aesthetic education. I wrote about why, and also something that might be better. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/why-i-dont...
150
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
I wrote about why workshops are terrible and I won’t be teaching them anymore. (Note: This is not MFA discourse.) Also: a few thoughts about what might work better. Link: garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/why-i-dont...
0142
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
2017–2026
2581
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Polish intellectual queers in the 1930s were wild—the rabbit holes have rabbit holes. I wrote about the great gay opera King Roger & some adventures of its composer & librettist. Including a cameo by Czeslaw Milosz. Link to full essay (no paywall): garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/a-queer-po...
020
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I wrote about the wild gay life of the Polish composer Karol Szymanowski, & the Des Moines Metro Opera’s daring production of his wild gay opera, King Roger. It was mind-bogglingly good. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/a-queer-po...
3132
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Starting in Sept, I’m teaching a year-long series of classes on Henry James. Join for one or all as we read some of the greatest fiction in English. First up: Portrait of a Lady. Full info here: www.garthgreenwell.com/classes
174
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Very grateful to George Saunders for this shout-out in his newsletter. You can read more about the Henry James class here: garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/why-we-lov...
0112
Reposted by Garth Greenwell
Chris Lloyd @cilloyd.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
New episode of Books Up Close out with THEE @garthgreenwell.bsky.social! 💙https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ep-37-garth-greenwell-small-rain/id1792209740?i=1000776247022
1143
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
“Aussi contemporain que proustien.” Very happy to see Small Rain as a summer coup de coeur in Le Monde. www.lemonde.fr/livres/artic...
030
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
I wrote about Henry James and why I’m teaching a year-long series of online classes on his work. Free post, no paywall. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/why-we-lov...
0110
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Starting in September, I’m teaching a year-long series of online classes on Henry James. You can take them individually or as a sequence. I’d love for you to join us. Scholarships are available. All the details are here: garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/why-we-lov...
1248
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
On how learning to speak Latin, maybe the least “optimized” or “profitable” use of time imaginable, has reminded me of time’s value. Link to full essay: garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/learning-t...
181
Reposted by Garth Greenwell
Daneet Steffens @daneetsteffens.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
“…how lucky we are that he got so much time for making, and that he used that time so well.” A lovely tribute, full of wonderful details.
192
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
I shared some thoughts on David Hockney, whom I never met but whose work I’ve kept close for a long time. Also: his kindness to the great neglected painter Patrick Angus. Free post, no paywall. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/some-thoug...
12010
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
On learning a language to hear the sound of a beloved voice. Link to full essay: garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/learning-t...
020
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
About nine months ago I started studying Latin (again), this time in a class that treats it as a living language and aims for immersion. It’s an absolute waste of time, I can’t recommend it enough. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/learning-t...
1221
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
"or for pleasure, the great pleasure of the archive, the great archive of pleasure; we will call this art" Today's Poem-A-Day, by Andrea Lawlor, is a marvel; please take a minute to read it. poets.org/poem/positio... @poetsorg.bsky.social @anderlawlor.bsky.social
poets.org
Position Paper #53: National Archivist
In the new place which will be also the old place we will save useful things neatly,
070
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Edmund White died one year ago today. I wrote this piece about the privilege of getting to know him in the last decade of his extraordinary life. Free post; no paywall. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/on-edmund-...
0120
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I wrote about falling in love with my partner through translating his poems—& what it’s like to publish a book of his poems (co-translated with Idra Novey) 13 years later. Free post; no paywall. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/translatin...
0120
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Human meaning is embodied, embedded, holistic--which is one reason ChatGPT & Claude aren't great at translating poems. Link to full essay (no paywall): garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/translatin...
0100
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
I wrote about the pleasures & anxieties of translating your partner’s poems—& the grace of having a friend like Idra Novey to help. Also: the surprising joys of making a home with another writer. Free post, no paywall. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/translatin...
070
Reposted by Garth Greenwell
DIE ZEIT @zeit.de · 23/05/2026
Gibt es morgen noch ein morgen? Garth Greenwell verwandelt die Klinik zum Roman.
zeit.de
»Kleiner Regen« von Garth Greenwell: Dankbar und desinfiziert
Gibt es morgen noch ein morgen? Garth Greenwell verwandelt die Klinik zum Roman.
031
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Carmen Maria Machado on Rocío García’s “Tocando la luna,” currently on view at the Leslie Lohman Museum, & the terror & pleasure of releasing yourself to overwhelming forces. Full convo here, no paywall: garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/talking-ab...
031
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
I talked with Carmen Maria Machado about the pleasures of thinking alongside paintings, her first experience curating with the Leslie Lohman Museum, writing stories backwards, & the Cuban painter Rocío García. No paywall. garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/talking-ab...
0164
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
So happy that this beautiful book is in the world today. It was a joy to translate Luis’s poems with brilliant Idra Novey. Thank you Washington Square Press & especially Jenny Xu. Please look for a copy at your local bookstore, or all of the links here: www.simonandschuster.com/books/One-Mo...
0100
Reposted by Garth Greenwell
Dorian Stuber @ds228.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
If you, like me, have recently read Giovanni’s Room, you would do well to read this lovely essay.
1181
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
In just over two weeks, please join us for a discussion of Ben Lerner’s new novel, Transcription. Open to all paid subscribers, at any level. Full info here: garthgreenwell.substack.com/p/on-politic...
031
Reposted by Garth Greenwell
walkinginca.bsky.social @walkinginca.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
An upcoming class by Garth Greenwell, a brilliant teacher as well as writer, for anyone interested in style.
181
Reposted by Garth Greenwell
Alina Stefanescu @alinaetc.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Loved this book when I read it the first time many many (oh so many) years ago, and loved it fiercely again when I read the new printing, movingly introduced by @garthgreenwell.bsky.social. www.mcnallyeditions.com/books/p/noct...
mcnallyeditions.com
Nocturnes for the King of Naples — McNALLY EDITIONS
Edmund White Foreword by Garth Greenwell The letters of a seducer to the great love of his life, a sensual tour-de-force by “the paterfamilias of queer literature” ( New York Times ). 
2264
Garth Greenwell @garthgreenwell.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
Style is one of the most important & mysterious aspects of writing. Join me in June for this Zoom craft class on what it is & how we can get better at it. 3 sessions, all recorded. Scholarships available. Full info here: www.garthgreenwell.com/what-is-styl...
071
Reposted by Garth Greenwell
The Yale Review @yalereview.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
"We do things with art, is what I mean to say; we don't just suffer it." —Garth Greenwell, on reading past offense.
yalereview.org
Garth Greenwell: On a Sex Scene in Miranda July's All Fours—and…
Garth Greenwell asks what we can do with the art that offends us—and why staying with bad feeling might matter.
082