BEST AUTHOR BEST : BRYAN WASHINGTON [ 2 ]

His new novel '' Palaver '' is about an expat in Japan whose mother surprises him with a visit. How does he procrastinate from writings? '' Hanging out at gay bars or bothering my dog.''

.-  Are there any classic novels that you only recently read for the first time?

Not a novel, but a few years ago I read the reissue of Black Women Writers at work, edited by Claudia Tate and wished I had much earlier.

.-  How have your reading tastes changed over time?

I defer almost instantly to bookseller recommendations : East Bay Booksellers [ Oakland ], Loneliness Books [ Tokyo ], Loyalty Bookstores [DC], Yu & Me Books [ NYC ], Queen Books [ Toronto ], Reparation Club [ LA ] and south and Shinjuku's Kinokuniya are favorites.

.-  What's the most interesting thing you learned from a book recently?

'' Emergent Tokyo '' by Jorge Almazan, Joe MacReynolds and Studiolab, taught me about  ''zakkyo buildings'' which they describe as '' densely packed multistory buildings adorned with vertical stretches of neon signage.''

There's also a fritta recipe in Samantha Irby's '' Meaty '' that knocks me out.

.-  You're organizing a dinner party. Which writers, dead or alive, do you invite?

When I was based in Houston, I'd chaperone visiting writers across Montrose's gay circuit,  and we'd eat street tacos wherever we landed.

In Tokyo, we'll pass through a few of Ni-chome's queer spaces before ending up at an izakaya.

I won't name them here, but these people know who they are.

The World Students Society thanks The New York Times.