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Whats your favorite place to read in New York?
Barry Jenkins:I could tell you, but then it would no longer be mine!
Hari Kunzru:The Rose Reading Room at the NYPL.
Imbolo Mbue:My living room couch, late at night.
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Esmeralda Santiago:Favorite limits my choices.
I read on queues waiting to enter a theater, or to buy my lunch at a bodega.
I read on the subway.
I read in cafes, restaurants, in waiting rooms, in the ladies room at Saks Fifth Avenue.
Whats the worst and/or best thing youve ever experienced on the subway?
It flew directly into my head, got stuck in my hair, and then seemed abruptly to disappear.
I was convinced for the rest of the day that it was in my backpack or on my person.
The best was a time I saw someone readingGoon Squad.
Our eyes met, and she looked amazed.
When a spot opened next to her I sat down and we had a lovely conversation.
Turned out we knew people in common.
We exchanged email addresses, and it was like finding an old friend.
Jenkins:People give up their seats on the train more often than the city is given credit for.
I smile every time I see this simple gesture.
Kunzru:Most of the worst things involve body fluids.
A spontaneous dance party on the L was probably the best.
Santiago:Worst: Men exposing themselves.
When youre staring at a blank page, what tricks do you use to get started?
Egan:My trick is always the same: I allow myself to write badly.
Sometimes, without warning, something good happens.
Jenkins:I just start.
Theres no tricks really, at least none that Ive found.
Kunzru:Doing errands.
Deciding to cook elaborate lunches.
Mbue:Are there any tricks to it?
I would love to hear one.
Santiago:I close my eyes, breathe for a few minutes.
I envision my characters/protagonists.
I call their names and ask for permission to tell their stories.
Most of the time they give me an image or an event that becomes a scene.
Whats your favorite book-to-movie adaptation, and why?
Egan:The English Patient.
Jenkins:The Diving Bell & the Butterfly.
Kunzru:Recently, Im going to sayInherent Vice.
Anderson really got Pynchon, which is near-impossible to do on screen.
Santiago:Mario PuzosThe Godfatherwas made into two fantastic movies (I, II).
Whats your favorite NYC bookstore?
How would you describe your relationship to it?
Egan:Greenlight Bookstore, down the block from me in Brooklyn.
I feel that were collaborators in the project of selling my book and other books we all believe in.
I also love to browse; its a beautiful, light-saturated place, and I always make discoveries.
I buy most of my books there.
Jenkins:McNally Jackson.
I dont live in New York, so this is a tough question to answer.
I linger in the magazine section here often when Im in New York.
Its a safe space.
Kunzru:I think picking one would be a cruel betrayal of all the others.
Several of my favorites have closed down.
My local is Greenlight in Fort Greene, and Im always happy in there.
Mbue:Book Culture on Columbus Avenue.
Santiago:I no longer live in NYC but remain a fan of the Community Bookstore in Park Slope.
6. Who are a few new authors youre excited about?
I admired Lisa HallidaysAsymmetry.
And Im listening to Christine MangansTangerine, which is really eerie and fun.
Jenkins:Durga Chew-Bose, Michael Thomas, Katharine Noel.
And playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins!
Kunzru:Im about to read two new books by the poet Anne Boyer.
She should be better known.
Theres an Argentinian novelist called Ariana Harwicz.
Her novelDie, My Love,has just been translated.
I think thats her first book in English.
Long after I read it, the story and its prickly protagonist has stayed with me.
I also loved Imbolo MbuesBehold the Dreamers.
What are you currently watching?
The creators have turned interpersonal awkwardness into high art!
And there was one scene that made us scream with laughter no small feat!
Jenkins:I recently finishedWild Wild Country.
I watched it twice.
Kunzru:I have enjoyedWild Wild Country, the documentary about what happened when the Rajneeshees came to Oregon.
Mbue:I recently got Netflix and watchedThe Godfatherparts one and two.
Santiago:Im currently watching the Sunday night series on Starz based onHowards End.
On Monday nights I watchThe Terroron AMC, and on Tuesday,Truston FX.
While on the treadmill, Ive also been watching the new series on NetflixTroy.
Whats the New York-iest moment in your book?
Jenkins:A simple ride on a crosstown bus with our heroine Tish.
Kunzru:The central characters landlord changes the locks on him.
What would the soundtrack to your book be?
Egan:Benny Goodman.
Jenkins:Miles Davis and Nina Simone.
Horns and worn voices.
A busker inspired by Miles or Nina playing underground, the rumble of the train approaching.
Thats what I hear when I hear Beale Street.
Kunzru:Its a book thats all about music, mostly 1920s and 1920s blues.
I have a Spotify playlist here:
Mbue:Idiba by the late Cameroonian great Francis Bebey.
Or a soft makossa song by any of the fine musicians from my beautiful homeland.
Santiago:When in Puerto Rico, the boleros and cha-cha-chas of Bobby Capo and Felipe Rodriguez.
Whats your favorite sentence from your book?
Kunzru:Do writers really answer that?
Santiago:There are guavas in the Shop & Save.
