Writing
“Queer Ambition, Unbound,” a profile of R. O. Kwon in the May/June 2024 issue of Poets & Writers
Profiles
The Triumph of a Heart: A Profile of Garth Greenwell, Poets & Writers Magazine, Sept/Oct 2024 (in print only; cover story; a follow-up conversation can be seen here)
Queer Ambition, Unbound: A Profile of R. O. Kwon, Poets & Writers Magazine, May/June 2024 (in print only; cover story)
Love, Loss, & Liberation: A Profile of E. J. Koh, Poets & Writers Magazine, November/December 2023 (in print only)
Radical Attention: A Profile of Kate Zambreno, Poets & Writers Magazine, July/August 2023 (in print only; cover story)
First: Gina Chung’s Sea Change, Poets & Writers Magazine, May/June 2023 (print only)
Craft Therapy: A Profile of Melissa Febos, Poets & Writers Magazine, March/April 2021 (in print only)
Batteries Not Included: Jonathan Lethem on Dystopia (or is it Utopia?), Avenue Magazine
Down the Wormhole with Jonathan Lethem: On Male Complicity and Publishing During a Pandemic, The Literary Hub
Lynn Steger Strong Wants You to Look Harder, The Literary Hub
Anna Solomon Reimagines a Biblical Villain as Feminist Hero, The Literary Hub
Tori Amos Is Always Listening to The Muses, The Literary Hub
Talking Poetry and Porn with Garth Greenwell in a West Village Bar, The Literary Hub
A Novel at the Edge of the World: In Conversation with Julia Phillips, The Literary Hub
André Aciman Finds His Way Back to His Famous Lovers, The Literary Hub
Helen Phillips is Scared of her New Novel, The Literary Hub
Walking Through the Woods of Midtown with Jessica Francis Kane, The Literary Hub
The Poetics of Trauma and Life After Rape: A Profile of Frances Driscoll, the Los Angeles Review of Books
On the Pleasures of Plot, and Writing a Bestseller (a profile of Miranda Beverly-Whitemore), The Literary Hub
From Talking Heads to Twirling Flags: Behind the Scenes of David Byrne's Contemporary Color, VICE
Jonathan Lethem on the Power of Talking Heads' Fear of Music, The Daily Beast
Pieces on Parenting
Brian, who is his son’s primary caregiver when he isn’t in his studio, has written about fatherhood for a variety of publications, tackling subjects such as gender, race, and feminism in the context of raising a son. He has also addressed the challenges of writing while being a full-time caregiver. For several years, he blogged about his experiences, first at The Huffington Post, then at Disney's Babble, penning around 350 pieces in total. Select essays include:
What Happened When I Decided to Teach My Son to Masturbate, Slate
Race, Kids–and the Perils of Silence, Quiet Revolution
Boys in Dresses and the Differences That Define Us, Quiet Revolution
Is It Cooler to Be a Stay-at-Home Dad than a Stay-at-Home Mom? a conversation with novelist Stephanie Feldman, Salon
The People Writer-Parents Need (Besides Their Kids) a conversation with author Polly Rosenwaike, The Literary Hub
Please Don't Ask How My Son Is Doing, DAME Magazine
How Being a Stay-at-Home Dad Made Me Embrace My Inner Feminist, Bustle
Adventures in Fatherhood: Lone Wolf Joins the Pack, Kind of, The Huffington Post
Illustration by Joe Waldron, from “B Is For Bastard”
Personal & Family Histories
Around the age of nine, Brian found out he was adopted, and never knew his biological father till in his 30’s. He’s penned several pieces exploring this history.
Transvestite Freak, The Sun Magazine
B Is For Bastard, Longreads
Secret Adoption, Sacrament, and Other Lies That Live in the Body, Catapult
Wrestling with My Father, Longreads
I Told My Biological Father Goodbye—And It Made All the Difference, Salon
Illustration by Carl Dimitri, from “Against Silencing”
Writing about Gender
Against Silencing, Why All Writers—Even White Men—Should Discuss Gender, The Rumpus
Boys Don't Cry, a conversation with psychologist Ronald Levant, Guernica Magazine
Ballad of the Barrette Boy, The Good Men Project
Select Critical Work
Biblical Rebels and Romantics in The First Love Story, The Rumpus
Exile in Guyville by Gina Arnold, The Rumpus
A Masculine Instragram, No Filter: Adelle Waldman's Portrait of a Guy, The Los Angeles Review of Books
Revenge of 'Speakerboxxx:' How Big Boi Flipped the Outkast Script, The Atlantic.com
Television Man: David Byrne on the Couch, The Paris Review Daily
Quentin Tarantino Talks to Himself, Salon
What, Exactly, Would Lynne Tillman Do? The Brooklyn Rail
Literary Journalism: Select Articles, Interviews, & Conversations
For Laura van den Berg, the Fantastical is the Best Way to Describe Reality, Electric Literature, July 2024
A Different Kind of Dad Book: Lucas Mann on Fatherhood, Writing, and the Essay as an Act of Care, The Literary Hub, May 2024
Emily Raboteau on Mothering in the Face of Climate Collapse, Electric Literature, April 2024
An Epidemic of Loneliness in a Constantly Connected World, an interview with Athena Dixon, Electric Literature, October 2023
The Goal is Equally Repulsive and Fascinating, an interview with Sara Lippmann, Electric Literature, October 2022
Centering Neurodivergent Poets, Poets & Writers Magazine, July/August 2022
Lambda Literary Expands Writers in Schools, Poets & Writers Magazine, January/February 2022
Roxane Gay’s Imprint Open Doors, Poets & Writers Magazine, September/October 2021
The Category of Pretend: A Conversation with Makenna Goodman and Brian Gresko, The Rumpus
Sideways Ghost Stories: Laura van den Berg on I Hold a Wolf By The Ears, Poets & Writers Online
Orange World, Elastic Space: An Interview with Karen Russell, Poets & Writers Online
What Does It Mean to Be ‘Black Enough’: An Interview with Chris L. Terry, Electric Literature
There Were Women on Noah’s Ark: Sarah Blake’s Naamah, Electric Literature
The Rumpus Mini-Interview Project #169: Saskia Vogel, The Rumpus
The Author Looks Inward: A Conversation with Jonathan Lethem, the Los Angeles Review of Books
“Grief is My Terrain: An Interview with Ann Hood,” Glimmer Train Stories, Issue 83 (print only)
The Millions Interview: Karen Russell, The Millions
Karen Russell on the Persistence of the Novelist, The Huffington Post
Helen Schulman on This Beautiful Life, The Paris Review Daily, and later reprinted in This Beautiful Life as part of P.S.: A Readers Guide
Authors In Conversation for SLICE Literary Magazine
In 2022, after 27 issues, SLICE Literary Magazine closed up shop, but for many years Brian ran a series in the magazine and live at the annual SLICE Literary Conference in Brooklyn, in which he brought two authors together to discuss their life and work. Participants included:
Alexandra Kleeman and Kyle Lucia Wu (online at SLICE); Maisy Card and Victor LaValle; Mira Jacob and T Kira Madden, Slice Literary Conference 2019; Mira Jacob and Kiese Laymon; Rosalie Knecht and Idra Novey, reprinted on The Lit Hub; Alexander Chee and Porochista Khakpour, Slice Literary Conference, 2018; Laura van den Berg and R. O. Kwon; Katie Kitamura and Paul Yoon; Angela Flournoy and Hannah Tinti, Slice Literary Conference, 2017; Melissa Febos and Garth Greenwell; Karen Russell and Rob Spillman, Slice Literary Conference, 2016; Alexander Chee and Tracy O'Neill; Elisa Albert and Kate Bolick; Edan Lepucki, Emily St. John Mandel, Benjamin Percy; Leslie Jamison and Nicole Krauss, Slice Literary Conference, 2015; Katherine Dunn and Porochista Khakpour, reprinted on The Lit Hub; David Gates and Adelle Waldman; Owen King and Matthew Specktor
Short Stories
Brian studied fiction at The New School, where he earned an MFA in Creative Writing. His short fiction has appeared in the following publications:
Sleeping Alone, Joyland Magazine
The Width of Instinct, Vol. 1 Brooklyn
The Open Palm of Desire, Joyland Magazine
Craft Pieces on Writing & Teaching
Writing for Yourself vs. Writing for an Audience, Catapult, June 2022
Classroom as Community: Creating Safe Spaces in Creative Nonfiction Workshops, written in collaboration with Erika Anderson, Poets & Writers Magazine, September/October 2016
“How to Network Without Feeling Like a Phony,” Poets & Writers Magazine, March/April 2014 (print only)