Nathan Sacks
Nathan Sacks is a writer and journeyman scholar born and raised in Ames, IA. He graduated from Cornell College in 2009 with departmental honors in English and received his MA in English Literature from NYU in 2012. His areas of interest include literature, music, culture, politics and film. You can read his writings about music (along with contributions from fellow Lerner music author Aaron Mendelson) at the Rockaliser blog (http://rockaliser.blogspot.com). He also enjoys playing guitar, comic books and matching wits with his rebellious cat Uzi. His first book American Hip-Hop: Rappers, DJs and Hard Beats, is a contribution to Lerner’s American Music Milestones series. He hopes to write many more books in the future, and dreams of one day adding novels, screenplays and albums to his repertoire of creative accomplishments.
Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
What’s your favorite line from a book?
“If I’m out of my mind, it’s all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.” – Saul Bellow
Who are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
Franz Kafka, Voltaire and Jorge Luis Borges.
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
When I was young, most of my idle time was spent reading and writing. While I didn’t grow up thinking I’d be an author, it became clear that writing was the most logical creative outlet for someone with my range of interests/limited attention span.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
Be curious about everything, read plenty of fiction and nonfiction and keep a dream journal.