Michael Quinn
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Michael Quinn

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Michael Quinn

Critical Influences

Michael Quinn

  • About/
  • Cultural Criticism/
    • Book Reviews
    • Quinn on Books
    • Gay Sensibility
  • Critical Influences/
  • Script Doctor/
  • Personal & Reported Essays/
  • Interviews/
  • Contact/

Books shape us. Identity defines us. Culture connects us.

Critical Influences looks at how these forces intersect—through a gay lens.

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May 01, 2025

Jen Ng’s Soundscapes of Williamsburg: Retracing Brooklyn’s DIY Past

May 01, 2025/ Michael Quinn
Jen Ng’s Soundscapes of Williamsburg: Retracing Brooklyn’s DIY Past

Community advocate Jen Ng believes "if you have the right people and the right kind of vision in mind, then that's a very magical combination for getting shit done.” In this interview, Jen reflects on her journey from AOL chat rooms to Williamsburg's DIY music scene.

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May 01, 2025/ Michael Quinn/ Comment
interviews, cultural criticism, art criticism, music criticism
interview, cultural criticism, brooklyn, diy, williamsburg, music history, indie music, jane's walk, mas, municipal arts society, Jen ng, soundscapes of williamsburg, memoir, todd p, sto len, Aaron tripp, ben running, nick ishmael, zola jesus, aol, chat rooms, Jane jacobs, 90s, monster island basement, trader joe's, mix tapes, chinese, immigration, domino park, sxsw, Mary lou lord, Elliott smith, public records, gowanus, showpaper
April 08, 2025

What a Business Card Brought Back to Me

April 08, 2025/ Michael Quinn
What a Business Card Brought Back to Me

At a book critics’ lunch, I reconnected with someone from my very first publishing job—without realizing it at first. What came back to me was a quiet moment of encouragement that stayed with me far longer than she probably knew.

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April 08, 2025/ Michael Quinn/
critical influences, writing life
career reflection, first job in publishing, literary community, book critics, encouragement
March 08, 2025

The Book Club That Didn't Read Me

March 08, 2025/ Michael Quinn
The Book Club That Didn't Read Me

For years, I was part of a book club that shaped how I read—just as much by what we didn’t read as what we did.

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March 08, 2025/ Michael Quinn/
literary criticism, LGBTQ+, critical influences, writing life, reading & identity
LGBTQ+ books, book club, gay, book criticism, book critic
February 08, 2025

The Critics Who Shaped Me

February 08, 2025/ Michael Quinn
The Critics Who Shaped Me

"Oh, so you’re the one all the writers are afraid of!"

That wasn’t how I saw my role at all. In fact, the idea had never crossed my mind. Suddenly, I felt like a great big monster with no idea how ugly he is until people start screaming and running away.

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February 08, 2025/ Michael Quinn/
critical influences, literary criticism, book reviews, cultural criticism, film
literary criticism, book criticism, book reviews, how to read critically, influence of critics, Pauline Kael, Annette Insdorf, how critics shape reading, best film critics, reading like a critic, book reviewers’ influences, queer literary criticism, LGBTQ+ book critics, cultural criticism, LGBTQ+ books, Michael Quinn, mastermichaelquinn.com

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