"There are two wonderful periods of time for me to write in Iowa: one before 8:00 and one after 17:00, because the sunlight then is so tender and sublime."

"I have the full confidence that anything deeply private is completely universal. So I think what is privately Armenian and privately mine is good literature for everyone to read."

"Our book is about the function of the brain. We argue that we live in a world that is chaotic and often unpredictable, and the book presents our thesis that the brain invents a simplified world to help us navigate this chaos and conduct our daily activities."

"One morning, I got out of bed and looked out my window and saw a group of children dressed in full tactical gear."

"The essays move around a lot in subject and form -- there are shorter, more lyric pieces, longer works of cultural criticism and literary journalism, some memoir work; one is about Brad Pitt eating on screen, another is about watching LeBron James's online dad content, another is about Andy Warhol's diaries"

"I believe that broken bodies tell broken stories. Or, they can, at least. Mine does."

"Iowa was not only the best location for me, but it felt like I could focus on my work here. The campus is so beautiful here, and the program itself is so enticing, it pushes me to be the best."

"I am always deeply inspired by everything that surrounds me – people, songs and sounds, landscapes, books, classes, talks, and the list could easily go on."

"Before coming to Iowa, I was living in New York City, desperately wanting to write but spending most of my waking hours in an office job."