Name: Adam Dalva
Genre(s): Fiction, Non-Fiction, Graphic Novels, Literary Criticism
Classes taught at Writers House: Non-Fiction, Introduction to Creative Writing, Advanced Multi-Genre
Tell us three interesting things about yourself that most people don’t know.
I deal 18th Century French Antique Furniture.
I once sang in the White House.
I’m one of the ten highest ranked Goodreads critics in America.
What’s the first job you ever had?
18th Century French Antiques Dealer
What are you currently obsessed with?
This year, I’ve been obsessed with the novels of Iris Murdoch, short weird French novellas, and Jean Claude Van Damme movies. I love basketball, but I’m a Knicks fan so I’m not obsessed with that.
What’s your approach to teaching writing?
Teaching writing is my favorite thing—my approach is to give students the opportunity to write, read, and be read as writers. This means to read published writers as peers, not deities, and to treat one another with the same respect and care we’d give the greats.
What’s the best writing advice you ever received?
From my mentor Lydia Davis: use Anglo-Saxon derived words for action sequences, and Norman derived words for romantic scenes.
What are you currently reading/watching/listening to that you can recommend and why do you think it is worthwhile?
I am loving the recent books by T Kira Madden, Garth Greenwell, and Deborah Levy—they expand my understanding of our world, and of the way great literature exists between genres.
Where can we find your work (Twitter or Instagram handle/web page/online publication)?
Twitter: @adalva
Instagram: @adamdalva
Website: adamdalva.com
Anything else you would like to share about your home life?
I live with my fiancée, Alana, in Brooklyn. She was my first crush ever, during freshman year of college, and we were friends for 14 years before we started dating. I also spend part of each week with a Maltese named Mopsie.
