Who's Sexier than Po?

Telletubby Po

Sexy Po?

Lonesome Dove Po

My Mercury House colleague Po Bronson was
anointed "the sexiest writer alive" by People magazine. All
right-thinking literature lovers will want to set the People people
straight. As your nominations for the writer who is really the
sexiest writer alive come flooding in (send them here),
I will post them on this webpage:

respondents | nominees | comments
. . . . . . . . .

the literary community has spoken
these writers are sexier than po:

. . . . . . . . .

the literary community has spoken
here's what it said:

Po Bronson: "uh, michael chabon was already in their
50 most beautiful people issue."

Michael Chabon: "Oy! I'm staying out of this one.... I will add,
though, that Mr. Bronson (who seems indeed to be quite a hunk)
is kind but incorrect in asserting that I ever appeared
in People's '50 Most Beautiful People' list."

Erica Sniper: "David Sedaris kicks Po's ass in the sexiest writer throwdown."

Karyn Hunt: "Forget Po. Sebastian Junger is a hunk."

Susan Macdonald: "Galway Kinnell has him beat around the block.
Ron Hansen (if he's laughing) comes in close second. But the
one I most want to meet is William Boyd."

Stevie Mac: "John Irving is by FAR the sexiest author!!!"

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Victoria Shoemaker: "Not stunned silence here, just considering all the hundreds
(thousands) of authors I rubbed elbows with over all those years of
author events. I'd have to add Richard Ford to the list ... those blue
eyes, lanky build, cowboy boots ... and Greg Saris. Then there was
one John Ed Bradley, hmmmm.... My but this is fun."

Frances Phillips: "I propose Paul Auster."

Mary Mackey: "I know it's a bit late [not at all --ed.], but I want
to add my vote: Paul Auster has eyes that could seduce
a saint. He is very sexy. Very."

Sara Peyton: "Nicholson Baker has written great sex--so he has my vote!"

Mitchell L. Silverman: "My vote for writers 'Sexier than Po Bronson' would have
to go to Rebecca Eisenberg, sometime San Francisco Examiner
Net Skink and all-around brain-trust goddess....
Just don't tell my girlfriend."

Shane: "Rebecca Lynn Eisenberg kicks Po's ass."

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Kirsten Janene-Nelson: "Rupert Everett. No contest. He's more well known
as an actor than as a writer, but he is published."

Jennifer Llacera: "And my vote is: Michael Ondaatje (although I have to admit it was a difficult decision!)"

Genevieve Turcotte: "I vote for Sebastian Junger with Isabelle Allende as a close second."

Jonah Raskin: "Tillie Olsen who is almost 90 is the sexiest living writer I know."

Lydia Lee: "Janelle Brown, of Salon.com! She kissed Mahir!"

Kim Manchester: "Who else but Tom Robbins!"

Laura Miller: "The call has gone out to the ranks of Salon.com....While
I suspect that most women would vote for Alex Garland (author of
The Beach and The Tesseract), I'm partial to Richard Powers (The Goldbug
Variations, Galatea 2.0) because I've got a thing for geniuses."

Kate Abbe: "I vote for Mark Strand (or at least the younger Mark Strand)!
Have to have poets in the midst of sexiness!"

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Angel Webster: "Since I had the pleasure of meeting Po and was completely underwhelmed,
I have to vote thumbs down. A man is only sexy if his response to a
beautiful woman is gracious…. I don't have a back up. I don't find
writers very sexy. Firemen, yes, writers, no. As for the
"sexier than Po people"....not a minority in the bunch.
SOMEONE is stuffing the ballot box again."

Mimi Albert: "A young writer who wrote a book called A Conspiracy of
Tall Men last year. Sadly, I've forgotten his name." [Noah Hawley --ed.]

Noah Hawley: "I'm flattered that Mimi Albert found me sexier than Po, even
if she remembered my face but not my name. For an author, of course,
I recognize that looks are everything, which is why I nominate
A.M. Homes who looks like a real t-i-g-E-R in all of her author
photos (not to mention the fact that she writes like sex on drugs.)"

Lance Arthur: "Jeff Veen. He has good hair, and is tall. He is also the only
published author I know personally, and he is sexy, too. Po may be tall,
also [nope --ed.], but I have only ever seen pictures from the neck up.
Also, Po always looks exactly the same in every picture, leading me
to wonder if he is using a surrogate head with good cheek bones."

Amy Hundley: "I sent this around a bunch, but haven't yet cast my own votes:
Junot Diaz, Nathan Englander, Toni Morrison (tho it seems rather
a small term for her greatness), Jackie Kay, Holly Hughes....
Hope I don't have to narrow it down. If I do, let it be Junot."

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Dave Peattie: "I saw a while back that the author of The Perfect
Storm was on Oprah as one of the sexiest men of the year. He was
rather humble about it and said if it helped more readers to find out
about his book he was willing to do it. Well I told my dad, who
had just recently come out with Nanyo: Japan's Naval Power in
the Pacific 1940-1945, that he should get the Naval Institute
Press to name him sexiest Japanese Naval Historian of 1999
and put him on tour.... So I guess I'm voting for my dad."

Darcy Wright: I know he's dead, but I believe if his bones were exhumed,
F. Scott would be sexier than most of the writers you've mentioned.

Aubrey Wallace: "Is this in the male-writer category, only, or are we giving
equal time to both sexes? If so, has anyone mentioned my name, yet?"

Howard Junker*: "I don't think writers are ever as sexy as editors,
although I would make an exception for Aubrey Wallace."
*"(photo on request)"

Julie Edelson: Of course, I'm the best writer of sex I know: check out
Courting Disaster. Or do we mean something that has nothing to
do with writing at all? Alas, there, I refuse to be tested....
Tell Po Bronson he has a pitiful name....
(Your home page is killer. Love the Goya.)

David Kipen: "any writer who omits to use a jacket photo is, de facto, sexy.
unfortunately, the great reclusive writers--pynchon, salinger,
traven--are, like game show hosts, all guys. find me a great
reclusive female writer and that thumping
sound you hear will be my heart."

Matthew Imhoff: "I can't tell you how disappointed I was to find your page not
to be about Po, the teletubby. --A dejected soul."

Tim Hallman: "Why do you hate Po Bronson so much?
Is it because he gets more chicks than you?"