Mark Haber
Mark Haber is the Operations Manager and a bookseller at Brazos Bookstore. He has taught both middle and high school English. His first book of short stories, Deathbed Conversions, was published in 2008 by Summerfolk Press. These stories were translated into Spanish and published in a bilingual edition in 2017 as Melville’s Beard by Editorial Argonáutica. His first novel, Reinhardt’s Garden, will be published by Coffee House Press in October 2019. Mark’s criticism has been published in The Rumpus, LitHub and Music & Literature.
Recommended Books for Aspiring Writers
Teaching Philosophy
My philosophy towards the craft of writing is to urge exploration and a passion for inventive storytelling. I encourage writers to not be daunted but rather excited by the possibility of the blank page. I believe the novel offers a writer the most variety to experiment with structure, narrative, and breaking boundaries. I also believe fiction contains more universal truths than other genres. I tend to focus on pacing, voice, and the quality of the language. I hope we become sharper, more astute and nuanced readers as well. I will bring an unbridled enthusiasm towards the books we discuss as well as discussions about works-in-progress.
Recommended Books for Aspiring Writers
- The Half-Known World, Robert Boswell
- Waiting For the Barbarians, J.M. Coetzee
- The Door, Magda Szabo
- The Infatuations, Javier Marias
- Henderson The Rain King, Saul Bellow
Teaching Philosophy
My philosophy towards the craft of writing is to urge exploration and a passion for inventive storytelling. I encourage writers to not be daunted but rather excited by the possibility of the blank page. I believe the novel offers a writer the most variety to experiment with structure, narrative, and breaking boundaries. I also believe fiction contains more universal truths than other genres. I tend to focus on pacing, voice, and the quality of the language. I hope we become sharper, more astute and nuanced readers as well. I will bring an unbridled enthusiasm towards the books we discuss as well as discussions about works-in-progress.