Hannah Gersen

I'm a freelance writer, based in New York City. I write fiction, reviews, and criticism. I also edit dispatches for The Common, a literary magazine based in Amherst, Massachusetts. You can find links to my recent publications on this site, as well as photographs and artwork. Email me at:
contact[at]hannahgersen[dot]com

Another piece of interesting marginalia, although I’m not sure if this technically counts because it’s not written in the margins of the book. But it feels like marginalia, because I found it unexpectedly inside a library copy of Don DeLillo’s “End Zone.”

Another piece of interesting marginalia, although I’m not sure if this technically counts because it’s not written in the margins of the book. But it feels like marginalia, because I found it unexpectedly inside a library copy of Don DeLillo’s “End Zone.”

Thanks everyone for taking a look at my little book, “Theories of New York.” Here’s one more quote that I was tempted to use, but didn’t because I had already chosen a Woody Allen quote. I think it goes great with the photo above, though: “Boy, this is really a great city, I don’t care what anybody says. It’s really a knock-out, you know?”

Thanks everyone for taking a look at my little book, “Theories of New York.” Here’s one more quote that I was tempted to use, but didn’t because I had already chosen a Woody Allen quote. I think it goes great with the photo above, though:

“Boy, this is really a great city, I don’t care what anybody says. It’s really a knock-out, you know?”

Here’s the second version of “Theories of New York.” As I noted yesterday, the quotations are the same, and in the same order, but the page materials are different. 

Also, several people have asked about the typing. I used an electric typewriter and in a couple places I touched up the lettering with a pen.

This copy is for sale. Please email me if you are interested.

(Source: flickr.com)

This month marks my tenth year in New York City. To celebrate this milestone, I decided to make a little book called “Theories of New York”. It’s sixteen pages long, and each page has some insight or observation about NYC that has helped me, over the years, to get a handle on this city. Some of these “theories” are exaggerated, some are jokes, and some are rants. Some I came across in my first couple years here and have kept them in mind ever since; others I have discovered within the last few months.

Sources vary and are not cited—an idea I stole from David Shields, whose book Reality Hunger is a collage of unattributed quotations. I should also note that some of the quotations have been doctored to more accurately reflect my memory of them. If you are desperate to know who said what, you can visit my flickr page, where images of each quotation are captioned with its source.

The pages of my book are taken from several old books of maps created by the New York City Planning Commission in 1969. I found them in a recycling bin in 2003, when I was working for the New York City Parks Department. There’s a book for each borough and they’re filled with beautiful maps and photos of New York City. I’ve pilfered from them over the years to make collages and wrap presents, but this is the first time I’ve made a book from their pages.

I made two copies of “Theories of New York”, both with the same quotations in the same order, but with different page materials and covers. They are 7” x 7”, and the pages are sewn together, pamphlet style, with gold embroidery thread. The first version is posted above, and I will post the second version tomorrow.

Thanks for taking a look & please feel free to email me with comments—or your own theory of NYC.

Some graffiti I spotted yesterday in my neighborhood.

Some graffiti I spotted yesterday in my neighborhood.

I love marginalia. I found this one a few weeks ago when I was getting rid of some old books and it cracked me up. The author is my father, who was in graduate school when my older sister was a baby. He likes to tell stories about all the reading he did while my sister napped on his stomach. Obviously, he also read while doing the laundry.

I love marginalia. I found this one a few weeks ago when I was getting rid of some old books and it cracked me up. The author is my father, who was in graduate school when my older sister was a baby. He likes to tell stories about all the reading he did while my sister napped on his stomach. Obviously, he also read while doing the laundry.

I scanned some old photos this weekend, including this one of my dad and sister. It’s the perfect summer photo, I think. Not sure of the date, but I’m guessing early 1970s.

I scanned some old photos this weekend, including this one of my dad and sister. It’s the perfect summer photo, I think. Not sure of the date, but I’m guessing early 1970s.

Reading Women

Thoughts on Jamaica Kincaid’s Autobiography of My Mother for Granta.com

Voices From Japan

Talking with Roland Kelts about a special English-language edition of the Japanese literary magazine, Monkey Business