Meet Greg Mania | Writer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Greg Mania and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Greg, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I’m originally from Central Jersey—which, contrary to the belief of many fellow Jerseyans, is indeed a legitimate region!—and I moved to New York City at 18 to attend college. I lived there for 14 years, and honestly, NYC *is* my DNA. Every version of myself was shaped by the city, from my early days exploring the nightlife scene to finding my place in the writing and publishing world. It’s where I discovered the true meaning of community, built chosen family, and learned how to navigate the constant push and pull of a relentless city.

Without NYC, I wouldn’t be the writer, advocate, teacher, or community-builder I am today. Even the car I drive—a yellow Volkswagen Beetle—is a reflection of me: unmistakably distinctive and easy to spot in the parking lot of some forlorn strip mall. I even wrote a book about my life in NYC, inspired by the lessons and experiences I’ve had there. (Seriously, check it out—because, listen, I’ve got a boyfriend with a birthday around the holidays, and next month’s credit card minimum is dangerously close to being ushered in with the music that plays just before you fight the final boss in a video game.)

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a writer right here in LA.My words have been published in places like The New York Times, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, HuffPost, among other international online and print platforms.. My first book, ‘Born to Be Public,’ was published by CLASH Books and was named one of the best books of 2020 by NPR, O, The Oprah Magazine, Electric Literature, and The Brooklyn Rail. I also write the newsletter, Save Our Serotonin (SOS) on Substack.

And how I got here was: discipline with a giant dollop of delusion.

After briefly moving back in with my parents following college to start grad school at The New School, I returned to NYC with the long-term goal of writing and publishing a book. But my immediate goal was clear: get published in The New Yorker, specifically in Shouts & Murmurs, their daily humor section. At the time, I had been writing humor for a few years, but at 23, I wanted my silly little jokes to appear alongside the brilliant writers The New Yorker is famous for. I wasn’t trying to prove anything to anyone but myself. So, I read Shouts & Murmurs every day, studying the style, the language, and the structure of the jokes. I looked up the writers’ other work, analyzing how they tailored their specific brand of humor to fit the tonal consistency of the magazine. Then, I wrote humor piece after humor piece, getting rejected for five straight years.

In the meantime, I built my portfolio, getting published in other outlets—both established and emerging—but I wouldn’t rest until I saw “by Greg Mania” in The New Yorker. Five years later, I made my Shouts & Murmurs debut. A year after that, I published another humor piece in The New Yorker.

I’ve made a career out of being serious about not taking myself too seriously. But when I set my mind on something, I’m all in—focused, with horse blinders on, and ready to get to work. When my first book was published by a small press, I sat down with my editors and said, “Listen, we’re going to treat this book like it’s a Big Five lead title, and we’re going to get it out there.” And we did. We got that shit into Oprah Mag, NPR, and several other places. Four years later, it’s still being discovered.

I have a two-pronged approach to ambition: one leg is grounded in logic—doing what I can with what I have, staying open to possibilities, opportunities, feedback, and collaboration; the other is in a closet, trying on shoes for whatever carpet—red or otherwise—I believe my work will eventually take me to.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Obviously, the first place I would take them is The Ruby Fruit in Silverlake. Not only is it home to my reading series, Empty Trash, but it’s also a community-oriented bar and restaurant that is constantly giving back. Their food and drinks are delicious, but there’s also something going on every day and night: from workshops to mixers to turning a portion of their parking lot out front into a flea market for queer small business owners to sell their work and products and more. Follow them on Instagram or check out their website: They have a schedule! Also—and I’m saying this with my full chest—they have THE BEST HOT DOG YOU’LL EVER EAT IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE. Even the vegan one is that girl!!!!!!!!

The next stop would probably be Larchmont—Chevalier’s for a quick browse at the bookstore, then Great White for a cocktail and literally anything on their menu (seriously, I’m still working my way through the entire thing, and I’ve yet to try something I wouldn’t order again). From there, we might head to Los Feliz, stop by and say hi to my pals at Skylight Books, then grab a slice of banana cream pie at House of Pies.

We’d wrap up the day at The Grove, because, remember, I’m from New Jersey, and I come from a long line of malls.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Community! Community, community, community. I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am without the constant support of the communities I’m not just an active participant in, but also help build. That’s why I started my reading series, Empty Trash, alongside my friend, fellow author, and co-host, Jen Winston, right here in LA. On the last Thursday of every other month at The Ruby Fruit in Silverlake, we invite a handful of authors to share work that’s been cut, killed, unpublished, or otherwise languishing in the depths of their computers, waiting to be brought back to life.

Living in NYC taught me how to carve out space for myself, so when I moved to LA, I knew I wanted to create a regular reading series. The literary community here is so vibrant, and I wanted to build a space where writers and readers alike could come together to hear never-before-seen work from authors they know and love, and discover new voices to love as well. Our amazing bookstore partner, Chevalier’s, is there every time, selling books, and it’s always a great opportunity to connect with other people in the community. I can’t tell you how many times someone has come up to us and thanked us for hosting something like this, saying they were hungry for an event like this. That kind of feedback is one of the most rewarding parts of doing it.

In addition to Empty Trash, I also teach a lot of non-fiction, including lectures, seminars, and workshops, but my favorite course is my Book Proposal Generator—which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s something I wish I had when I first started my career because I didn’t even know what a book proposal was until my first agent asked, “Do you have a book proposal?” It’s probably one of my favorite things I’ve done, helping my students get their work out into the world. And when the time comes, I hope they’ll pay it forward, sharing their knowledge with other emerging writers.

Website: https://www.greg-mania.com

Instagram: @gregmania

Image Credits
Nicolette Jackson-Pownall, Leela Cyd, and Aaron Jay Young.