I've spent a lot of time in prisons, first doing legal work and later, teaching.

- Peter Orner

There's a great Anton Chekhov quote. He says, "The Russian loves recalling life, but he does not love living." That scene has always been something t…

- Peter Orner

Like no other writer in contemporary American literature, Brock Clarke has a way of looking at us, I mean looking straight at us--warts, lots of wart…

- Peter Orner

Actually, you’re not famous at all. Maybe you’ll get some traction after you’re dead?

- Peter Orner

John Colman Wood's The Names of Things is a thoughtful, patient, and ultimately rewarding book. It's about, among many other things, the connections …

- Peter Orner

I agree with the Lev Tolstoy quote completely, but I also feel like there's more to it. What is a happy family and an unhappy family? We're probably …

- Peter Orner

Rarely is the pain of losing someone expressed with such directness, energy, and, yes, humor. The grief in Evan Kuhlman'sWolf Boyis palpable, and so …

- Peter Orner

A stellar, fully-realized collection of stories... grounded, wonderfully, in the river valleys of western Maine. You come away not only understanding…

- Peter Orner

I feel like there are too many words in the world, and I think silence is so much more powerful than the glut of words.

- Peter Orner