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Steve Altes

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

http://stevealtes.wix.com/stevealtes

Genre

Graphic Novels, Humor and Comedy, Memoir

Influences

David Foster Wallace, Arthur Plotnik, Harmon Leon

Member Since

March 2016

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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

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Popular Answered Questions

Good afternoon, Steve! You have done many exciting things in your life, and have many accomplishments. What has been your favorite professional accomplishment? Where do you see yourself heading professionally in the next 5-10 years? Thanks! R.J. Vaccarelli

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)

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Combine Editions
Steve Altes’s books

Average rating: 3.81 · 21 ratings · 5 reviews · 3 distinct works

	Geeks & Greeks by Steve Altes (Goodreads Author), Andy Fish (Illustrations) 3.78 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2016 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	If You Jam The Copier, Bolt! 3.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2001	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Little Book of Bad Business Advice it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1997 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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

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Steve Altes's Blog

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 »

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Published on September 07, 2016 16:59 • Tags: geeks

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Topics Mentioning This Author

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Steve’s Quotes

“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

tags: death, faith, hearts, heaven, inspirational, memories, peace, philosophy, soul

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