Christopher Karr is originally from Barbourville, Kentucky. After graduating from Northern Kentucky University with a BFA in Theatre, he co-founded the experimental theatre group Artemis Exchange. Since moving to New York City in 2008, Karr has written a novel, poetry, essays, a slim adaptation of the Bible, and an unfilmable screenplay based on Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle. His award-winning plays have been performed in Cincinnati and Chicago. He is currently listening to the Drive soundtrack. Beyond that, he has no plans.

Q & A With Chris:

What inspired you to become a writer?

Beavers gnaw trees to keep their teeth from growing. When I don’t write I feel like crisp, yellow grass.

Who are a few of your favorite writers?

Pynchon, Faulkner, DeLillo, Joyce, Pauline Kael, Cynthia Ozick. Whoever wrote the Book of Job.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?

Tobacco farming.

Which is your favorite city in the U.S.?

Rabbit Hash, Kentucky — a small hamlet that has looked virtually the same since 1831. It’s hard not to love a city (population 40) whose last three mayors have been dogs.

What’s your all-time favorite film?

Magnolia is the American Masterpiece. A Serious Man is a close second. And Rushmore. 

Which newspapers/magazines/websites do you read regularly?

New Yorker, Huffington Post, Cracked, Rolling Stone, New York Magazine, EW.

Would you rather become the next editor-in-chief of the New Yorker or replace Jon Stewart as host of the “Daily Show”?

An easy question because of a technicality: Jon Stewart is irreplaceable. So I must pick being editor-in-chief of the New Yorker.

What  are some of your favorite highbrow activities?

Collecting quotes; terrorizing my cat whilst raising one eyebrow significantly higher than the other; cold-calling favorite authors; watching improv theatre, especially at the PIT; gradually traveling to every major city in the country.

Read a few of Chris’ articles below:

The Master of Reinvention: Why Woody Allen Still Matters

Hollywood and the Fundamentalist