Steve  Altes

more photos (1)

Steve Altes’s Followers (11)

member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
member photo
Olivia ...
558 books | 601 friends

Tim Wilson
191 books | 123 friends

Marcell...
613 books | 78 friends

R.J. Va...
359 books | 83 friends

Clay Fe...
161 books | 472 friends

George ...
2 books | 10 friends

Lisa Ma...
15 books | 72 friends

David E...
2 books | 12 friends

More friends…

Steve Altes

Goodreads Author


Born
The United States
Website

Genre

Influences
David Foster Wallace, Arthur Plotnik, Harmon Leon

Member Since
March 2016


Steve Altes is the author of the comedic graphic novel Geeks & Greeks, set at MIT and inspired by MIT's culture of hacking and Steve's own experiences with hazing.

Known for his humorous essays, Steve's specialty is getting hired into unusual occupations and writing funny accounts of his misadventures. Some escapades he has written about include working as a hand model, a stand-in for Brad Pitt, a stunt man on Die Hard With A Vengeance, a bank robber at the FBI Academy, an aide to President-elect Bill Clinton, and applying to the CIA.

His humor essays have been published in dozens of magazines and newspapers, including the Boston Phoenix, Capital Style, Funny Times, the Los Angeles Times, Penthouse, P.O.V., Salon, The Christian Science Monito
...more

To ask Steve Altes questions, please sign up.

Popular Answered Questions

Steve Altes Hi R.J.! Sorry for the delay. I didn't visit GR for a couple weeks. You're very kind to call the things I've done accomplishments. I view it more like…moreHi R.J.! Sorry for the delay. I didn't visit GR for a couple weeks. You're very kind to call the things I've done accomplishments. I view it more like failing sideways. Or the spaghetti theory of life: throw a bunch of stuff at the wall and see what sticks.

I started out in engineering because my father and sister were both engineers, so it seemed like, I don't know, the family thing. But I left engineering the day I realized two things. (1) Engineering is a no-nonsense profession. And (2) I’m all nonsense.

I just never took engineering seriously enough. I was sort of like the kamikaze pilot who did 35 missions. I was *interested* in my work, but not really committed.

I bounced around the film and TV world for a while, landing a few blink-and-you-missed-it parts in a handful of forgettable movies.

Then I wound up writing humor essays for magazines, which surprised the hell out of me. When I graduated college, writing was the last occupation I would have ever imagined for myself. I was more interested in careers that got people rich. And trust me, the answer never came back, “Essays, Steve. Yep, see that man getting off the Learjet over there, he amassed a huge fortune in essays. He’s that essay tycoon from Texas.”

Writing humor essays led to speakers bureaus hiring me as an inspirational speaker, but to tell you the truth, I’m not sure if my life is an inspiration… or more of a cautionary tale. I’m someone who traded the anxiety and frustration of corporate life for the uncertainty and degradation of show business.

Now I've reincarnated myself as a graphic novelist. It' been an incredible ride so far, getting Geeks & Greeks in print. I'm gratified that people are responding very positively to the story, which is based largely on actual events (hacking and hazing at MIT).

Five to ten years from now? In an ideal scenario the film rights to Geeks & Greeks would sell, allowing me the breathing room to write the sequel I have in mind (Geeks & Greeks, Volume Square Root of 4). Worst case scenario? It's the year 2020 and Emperor Trump is pinning medals on the few surviving veterans of World War 3 onboard the Space Station. (less)
Average rating: 3.81 · 21 ratings · 5 reviews · 3 distinct works
Geeks & Greeks

by
3.78 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating
If You Jam The Copier, Bolt!

3.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2001
Rate this book
Clear rating
The Little Book of Bad Busi...

it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1997 — 3 editions
Rate this book
Clear rating

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Animal House for the Tech Gen: Geeks & Greeks Graphic Novel Review

"Fresh, fun, and sometimes, wonderfully batshit insane... Geeks & Greeks is not like other graphic novels, with their cliché-laden dialogue and tired, recycled plotlines. Geeks aspires to grandeur and more often than not, achieves it."

- Remy Carreiro, ForeverGeek.com, 9.5.16

http://www.forevergeek.com/2016/09/ne...

Geeks & Greeks Read more of this blog post »
 •  0 comments  •  flag
Share on Twitter
Published on September 07, 2016 16:59 Tags: geeks

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics posts views last activity  
Get Graphic: Goodreads Giveaways 253 117 Dec 14, 2017 05:01PM  
Kristina McMorris
“Maybe heaven entailed more than a soul residing in a single place, but instead having pieces of yourself spread among the hearts and memories of people you've touched.”
Kristina McMorris, The Pieces We Keep

220 Goodreads Librarians Group — 192157 members — last activity 1 minute ago
A place where all Goodreads members can work together to improve the Goodreads book catalog. Non-librarians are welcome to join the group as well, to ...more



No comments have been added yet.