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“Garth Greenwell’s To a Green Thought is full of his meticulous and passionate prose—reason enough to subscribe. A Substack of real substance, it contains beautifully argued works of criticism, including close readings of Greenwell’s favorite books and films and generous explorations on literary craft. There are also personal essays on such thorny and difficult subjects as money and writing, and the experience of being reviewed, written with bracing intelligence and disarming honesty; the entire publication is a gift.” — Katie Kitamura, Cultured Magazine
“Despite his turn toward literature, Greenwell remains an exceptionally keen listener. Periodic concert and opera reviews on his Substack, To a Green Thought, are apt to make professional critics feel superfluous.”
— Alex Ross
“We are lucky to have such a great writer thinking about music so intensely.”
— Jeremy Denk
To a Green Thought is a twice-monthly newsletter about music, art, film, and books.
Think of this as a kind of workshop for playing with ideas in a more freewheeling, less responsible way than in my more formal criticism. I’ll also write, from time to time, on the work of my friends, and I’ll share more general thoughts about writing and the writing world.
I have fun writing these posts, and I hope you’ll have fun reading them. And maybe you’ll discover some writers, musicians, and artists who are new to you. A note that if you purchase books through the Bookshop links I include, I will get a small commission. I donate that money to an LGBTQ+ cultural cause, currently the Leslie Lohman Museum.
At least one post a month is free to read, and each month there will also be at least one post behind the paywall. Paid posts tend to be about the writing life, or standalone close readings of texts (literary, visual, musical); I hope to include more conversations with friends and artists I admire. If you’re able to afford a paid subscription without hardship, I’m very grateful for your support. If you’re not, I’m still very happy that you’re here.
Subscribers at the Founding Members level are invited to the To a Green Thought Book Club, which meets bimonthly to talk about new-ish books of fiction. Authors we’ve discussed include Dinaw Mengestu, Han Kang, David Szalay, Ivana Sajko, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, and Isabella Hammad.
A final note to encourage you to comment on the posts; I love hearing from you. I especially love hearing from you if you have recommendations to share, or if you love something I’ve been ungenerous to. Nothing makes me happier than seeing people defend their enthusiasms—and maybe you’ll teach me to look or listen better.
In any event, I’m very happy you’re here.
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